The idea that two actors with such well-authenticated heterosexual credentials as Richard Burton and Rex Harrison would portray a pair of middle-aging homosexuals is calculated to strain, and simultaneously tease the imagination. From the time that the filming of Staircase was announced, cinemagoers wondered whether it was a stunt, an acting challenge or another bold foray into the territory of the taboo. The danger was that the pair would nance it up and produce a heterosexual parody of homosexual mannerisms—a kind of male pseudo-female impersonation act. It is to the credit of all concerned that Staircase is nothing of the...
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