Why a 1967 film was released in gold and pulled from theaters within days
In short: Director John Huston envisioned a psychological drama bathed in a golden hue, reflecting the eye of a peacock. When audiences were baffled by the experimental color palette, the studio abruptly withdrew the film after one week. It remains a polarizing artifact of a shifting era in American cinema.
Released on October 13, 1967, Reflections in a Golden Eye was a psychological drama directed by John Huston, based on the 1941 novel by Carson McCullers. Set on a Southern U.S. Army base in the late 1940s, the story explores a web of repressed sexuality, mental illness, and voyeurism among six central characters. The film stars Marlon Brando as the repressed Major Weldon Penderton and Elizabeth Taylor as his wife, Leonora, whose marriage is defined by mutual disdain and secret affairs.
The production was marked by tragedy and controversy. Elizabeth Taylor had initially agreed to the role on the condition that Montgomery Clift would co-star, but Clift died of a heart attack on July 23, 1966, before filming began. The film’s mature themes, including homosexuality and voyeurism, were considered provocative for the time, and its approval is often cited as a sign of the weakening Hays Code. Despite a stellar cast that included Brian Keith and Robert Forster, the film received mixed reviews, with critics like John Simon calling it 'pedestrian' and 'crass,' while others praised its technical ambition.
The most distinctive feature of the original release was its color processing. Huston intended for the film to be tinted in gold, with only specific shades of red and green allowed to break the monochromatic effect. This visual choice was a direct reference to the houseboy Anacleto’s drawing of a peacock, in whose golden eye the world is reflected. Because the gold tint confused audiences, it was replaced with standard Technicolor after only one week. It was not until a 2020 Blu-ray release that viewers could finally see both the re-color-timed version and Huston’s original intended vision.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Reflections in a Golden Eye (film)
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