Overview
A wounded soldier's presence ignites hidden desires and tensions within a secluded mansion.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- claustrophobic
- unsettling
- late night cinephile viewing
- gothic thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film's engrossing psychological suspense and striking style, while remaining divided over its broad, sensational tone and convoluted melodrama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The seminary's isolated women respond to McBurney through competing forms of desire, jealousy, and discipline.
Eastwood's wounded Union corporal is introduced as a seductive survivor whose apparent control steadily erodes.
The humid Louisiana mansion, Civil War isolation, and repressed inhabitants create a feverish atmosphere of menace.
Broad humor, erotic melodrama, psychological suspense, and outrageous imagery deliberately collide throughout the film.
Films like The Beguiled, and why
The Night of the Hunter
shared erotic psychological suspense, period confinement, and corrosive power dynamics
Southern Comfort
shared Southern gothic atmosphere, sexual repression, and volatile ensemble psychology
The Piano
shared wartime isolation, gendered power struggles, and darkly charged melodrama
The Shining
shared gothic entrapment, erotic manipulation, and morally unstable characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Don Siegel
- Release Date
- 1971-01-23
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (523)
Cast
- Clint Eastwood
- Geraldine Page
- Elizabeth Hartman
- Jo Ann Harris
- Darleen Carr
- Mae Mercer
- Pamelyn Ferdin
- Melody Thomas Scott
- Peggy Drier
- Patricia Mattick
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Beguiled about?
- A wounded Union soldier seeking refuge in a Louisiana girls’ seminary becomes the captive center of a feverish struggle over desire, control, and revenge.
- What is The Beguiled like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Beguiled as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Beguiled violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Beguiled as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Beguiled?
- Critics broadly recognized the film's engrossing psychological suspense and striking style, while remaining divided over its broad, sensational tone and convoluted melodrama.
- Which films are like The Beguiled?
- Films with a similar feel include The Night of the Hunter, Southern Comfort, The Piano, and The Shining.
- How long is The Beguiled?
- The Beguiled runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Beguiled?
- In United States, The Beguiled is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
