This movie should have been entitled "Hateful, Self-Loathing, Bitter, Ugly, Hopeless Staircase." Make no mistake about it - this movie sends a clear message to audiences that homosexuals live miserable lives. It's 1 hour and 49 minutes of mincing, bickering, sniping, and degradation. Thank God this film bombed when it was released; otherwise, who knows how many gay men would have committed suicide or stayed forever in the closet after seeing it? That said, the film is an important time capsule reflecting heterosexual attitudes toward gays during the 1960s and a reminder of just how far images of gays on screen have progressed in the last 38 years.<br /><br />Rex Harrison and Richard Burton play long-term lovers Charles and Harry, respectively. Charles dons mascara and "male cosmetics" before venturing outside. He's a narcissistic heel who goes out drinking nightly and sometimes brings home tricks to flaunt in front of Harry. Harry is the long-suffering partner who's recently been afflicted with alopecia and can't bear to leave his bald head unwrapped, even when he's taking a bath. Harry endures Charles' verbal abuse and philandering, dutifully cleaning the flat, fixing Charles' meals, and tending to his own bedridden mother who lives with with them both (the scenes between Burton and Cathleen Nesbitt as the mother are particularly distasteful).<br /><br />Harry owns and works in the "Chez Harry" barbershop below the men's flat. Charles helps out at the shop, but spends most of his time lamenting his failed attempt at an acting career. Charles' daughter from his marriage to a woman is coming to visit, and Charles is worried about how he'll explain Harry's presence. On top of that, Charles has been served with a notice to appear in court for an incident involving cross dressing and putting on a performance in a local pub. The thought of having to explain the whole ugly mess and being "outed" as homosexual has Charles either lashing out bitterly at Harry or sobbing uncontrollably over what he sees as the end of his world.<br /><br />Charles and Harry clearly detest one another after being together for so long, yet they can't possibly envision their lives without each other. Charles needs Harry to wait on him hand and foot and to comfort him when he breaks down; Harry needs to feel needed, and Charles is the only person who can fit the bill for him. The exchanges between Harry and Charles are vile, bitchy, and condescending. At one point, they resort to physical violence. Only once, when Charles fears that Harry is dead, does any sort of humanity come through. Otherwise, it's like an all-male version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," with Rex Harrison in the Elizabeth Taylor role.<br /><br />Harrison's character shares the same name as the film's screenwriter, Charles Dyer, who also penned the stage play upon which the movie is based. I don't know if Dyer is straight or gay, but he's homophobic and makes no attempt to disguise it. Director Stanley Donen, known for classics like "Singing in the Rain," drains any semblance of warmth or hope from the film. Even the staging is cold and dreary and depressing - most of the film takes place in Harry and Charles' run-down, cramped apartment.<br /><br />Harrison and Burton are surprisingly effective as the sparring partners. Though they generate no sparks together, they bring out in each other the physical and spiritual despair the characters are living.<br /><br />"Staircase" is a film lacking any sense of pride or dignity. It's a sad look back at how homosexuals were once regarded, but it gets two stars for at least being a sobering gay history lesson.