Whoa, Hold Up... Let's Talk About "The Beguiled" (1971)

Okay, so I finally got around to watching "The Beguiled" (the original, NOT the Sofia Coppola remake!) and wow... just wow. I knew it would be weird, given the premise, but it was even weirder than I anticipated. I'm not even sure how I feel about it, honestly. It was uncomfortable, unsettling, and yet, I couldn't look away. Clint Eastwood being all charming but also clearly manipulative? Goosebumps. What really struck me was the power dynamic between the women and McBurney. At first, it seems like he's the one in control, this wounded soldier being cared for by these innocent women. But as the movie goes on, you see how they're actually the ones calling the shots, each in their own twisted way. Miss Martha (Geraldine Page) is straight up chilling, and the young women are all so different in motivation. Carol, in particular, intrigued me the most. I wanted to know so much more about her interior life and her motivations. I wish the movie explored that more. There's something so fascinating about how the movie portrays female desire and repression during that time period. It all bubbles up to the surface in such strange and unpredictable ways. Maybe it's just me, but I found the ending pretty satisfying, even though it's totally messed up. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it exactly, but it's definitely stuck with me. Also, not sure I can look at Clint Eastwood the same way again, and that's saying something! But in a good way. Or... is it? Anyone else seen this? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Am I totally off-base here? Did anyone else find it as disturbing as I did? What's your favorite scene, too? Mine is when they are all sitting at that formal dinner with him and it's just so weird. It's like a horror movie without the jump scares. I need to rewatch it because I might have missed the tone with all the weirdness. It's just...a lot to take in.