YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE

Denmark, 1982, 94 minutes, Colour.
Dick Kayso, Pauline Rehne, Henning Moritzen.
Directed by Henning Carlsen.

Your Money or Your Life sounds like a trite phrase. It is a gamble, a hold-up, however, its neat ambiguities highlight the themes of this film: a focus on capitalism, political corruption and career versus strain and stress and mid-life crisis.

The film is an interesting Danish drama which combines a focus on the study of a middle-aged career architect and his facing failure in relationships, marriage, career and a detective story investigating murder and political corruption. It begins with a dream sequence which is a motif for the film.

Well-acted and reflecting the smooth techniques of contemporary life, the film entertains while having something to say.

1. A Danish perspective on universal themes? Contemporary story and treatment? Themes of stress, mid-life crisis? Relationships, family? Power, business, career?

2. The tone of the title: robbery, bets? Realism? The indication of the two themes? Indication of the two genres: human drama, detective story? A satisfying blend?

3. Location photography, atmosphere of the Danish cities? Urban style, affluence? Realism? The visual style of the dream sequences, flight, underwater photography? Their being edited into the texture of the film? Musical score?

4. The dream and its recurrence? The focus on friends, their love for one another, ability to face death (or becoming wet)? The crash? The underwater marine life? The focus on the submerged plane, the moving through the water? The atmosphere of premonition, understanding of what had happened? Paul and Ruth as Carl's animus and anima figures? Carl's commentary during the opening dream? Carl's relating of his dream about his father: that he was alive, hospitalised, coming home, unwelcome? His turning into himself confronting his father in the dream? His turning into his son? The importance of his having dreams? Their relationship to his own growth, crisis? The generations in himself? Indication of what he was to do with his life? His confrontation with Suzanne and his vision of the dream? What decision did he make finally?

5. Themes of middle age, health, nightmares? Hearts stopping and waking? Strain, stress? Failing career? Money difficulties, bank pressures? Alimony? Relationships, affairs, divorce, quarrels with ex-wife, lover? His relationship with Suzanne? Heavy smoking, drinking? Interviews with doctors: exercise, tests? Diagnosis? Tablets? The conditions of strain in contemporary city life?

6. The portrayal of Carl: presence, age, experience? His friendship with Paul and Ruth? The encounters with Ellen and his failing in the marriage? The bonds with his son and their frank talking? The presence of Schonnemann and his dislike of him? Antagonism, pressures, blackmail, dislike and suspicions? Proving his guilt? The harbour scheme and the models, explanations to the executives - and seeing them with Schonnemann in the restaurant? His relationship with his assistants - and the offer from Schonnemann? The bank manager and his lectures, pressures, inviting the lawyer? The lawyer taking his cheque accounts and credit cards? Paul and Ruth and their support, memories, seeing them in the films, their letters? The discovery of the truth? His relationship with Suzanne and her support? His needing her, visiting her in the night? The zest given by the investigation? The thoroughness of his investigation and the explanations? Trying to persuade Suzanne - his collapse and her return?

7. The significance of Paul and Ruth? Skilful architects? Their appearance in the dream? In Carl's flashback in their house? Their happiness, their comments on life and death? Newspaper reports about their absence? Suzanne's grief, hopes and expectations? The home movies? The reality of the possible scandal? Their victims of Schonnemann's manipulation and callousness?

8. Suzanne and her relationship to her parents? Relationship to Carl - fascination, illicitness, suspicions? Her friendship with Carl's son? Her film hobby? The filming of the sexual encounter? The filming of her parents? The looking at the films? (The interpretation by the deaf mute woman - and the glimpse of Carl seeing them and the couple's relationship, his using the woman for translation?), the confrontation at the end, her unwillingness to believe it? Her return to the collapsed Carl?

9. Ellen and the marriage, the many years of marriage, her not being able to move out to a new life or career? Her meal with Carl and their quarrel, her explanation of her life built on his, his having made her unable to relate to anybody? Her fears? His failure being her failure?

10. The doctor, his friendship, tests, warnings? The assistant and the proposition by Schonnernann - and Carl's calling him a rat deserting a ship? The lawyer and his presence, with Schonnemann, control over Carl?

11. Schonnemann and his appearance, size, moustache, the cinema heavy? With Suzanne, at the airport? His pressures on Carl? His dining the executives? Threats? The discovery of how he had organised Paul's and Ruth's deaths?

12. The focus on the individual and mid-life strain and stress? The ability to cope with it? Questions of career? The glamour of the architect - yet his needing commissions? The involvement in big business and power? Deals, pay-offs? The torn-up cheque?

13. How well did the film blend the genres of psychological study and detective story? Entertainment? A probing of universal and contemporary values?