Synopsis

In 1930s Berlin, gay man Max is forced to flee after a Nazi purge exposes his relationship with a German officer. Captured and sent to Dachau, he hides his identity by wearing a yellow badge instead of the pink badge assigned to homosexual prisoners. There, Max meets Horst, whose pride and resilience challenge Max's fear and lead to a profound, dangerous love.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Martin Sherman's 1979 play, which premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre before transferring to the West End.

• Ian McKellen, who plays Uncle Freddie in the film, originally portrayed Max in the first London stage production.

• The film premiered at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Award of the Youth for a foreign film.

• Philip Glass composed the music. Mick Jagger performs "Streets of Berlin," a song written by Glass and Sherman.

• The production filmed portions of the concentration-camp setting in Dalmellington, Ayrshire, Scotland.

• The U.S. theatrical release received an NC-17 rating. A version with toned-down sex scenes was also released with an R rating.

• The film later won Best Feature Film at the 1998 Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.