LADY CAROLINE LAMB.

UK, 1972, 120 minutes, Colour.
Sarah Miles, Jon Finch, Richard Chamberlain, Margaret Leighton, Laurence Olivier, John Mills, Silvia Honti, Ralph Richardson, Pamela Brown, Michael Wilding.
Directed by Robert Bolt.

Lady Caroline Lamb is one of those traditional, civilised, historical dramas that most audiences really enjoy. It is colourful, interesting, beautiful to look at and raises interesting questions in an entertaining way. It was a pity, then, that critics decided to attack it - perhaps they felt that Robert Bolt had received too much praise.

Bolt has described his film as "a regretful attack or) the romantic notion of doing one's own thing". This description seems also to fit (given the changed historical circumstances and environment) the previous film written for his wife, Sarah Miles, Ryan's Daughter (1970). Bolt's other screenplays are Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Doctor Zhivago (1965); the screen version of his celebrated play, A Man for All Seasons (1966).

Lady Caroline Lamb was a romantic personality in an age of transition front the eighteenth century public propriety and elegance to the pre-Victorian emotional individualism, typified (also in the film) by Byron. Caroline married the discreet and controlled politician, William Lamb, a strange matching of the two strands of the age. The film explores these strands, questions their relative merits and suggests their relevance for today. Robert Bolt's writing is, as always, precise and dramatic. His first attempt at directing is consciously indebted to David Lean, performances are good, Sarah Miles doing a variation on her wilful, searching heroine. Jon Finch as Lamb and Richard Chamberlain as an egotistical Byron stand out. The supporting cast is star-studded. Ralph Richardson's cameo as George IV is outstanding amongst so much value. A film for practically all audiences.

1. Why was this film popular cinema? What were the main ingredients of its success?

2. Robert Bolt said it was "a regretful attack, on the romantic notion of doing one's own thing". Do you agree with him? What did he mean?

3. How is Caroline made the central character of the film - e.g. the riding at the opening of the film? How did the audience get a quick impression of Caroline in the initial episode of the letter, her rushing into the house, her talk with her mother? How had she been moulded by her times? How much was she in rebellion against them? Why?

4. How did William Lamb contrast with her - why did he want to marry Caroline? Did they love each other? Lady Melbourne's advice? Could the marriage have been a success?

5. The Coliseum episode - how did this sum up the main themes of the film -William's exactness, knowing his limitations, trying to be responsible and effective; Caroline - impetuous, theatrical, her disillusionment at the death of the beggar? Is this what Bolt speaks of as "the romantic notion"?

6. Lamb as a politician - was this well presented? The style of politics? How good a politician was he? How good a man was he? Was it evident that he would become Prime Minister? Why couldn't Caroline share these interests? Why was she fascinated instead with society life?

7. How convincing was Richard Chamberlain's portrayal of Byron? How attractive was he, self-centred, heartless? How 'romantic' was he in terms of dreams, visions, and doing his own thing? Why did Caroline love him? Did he love her? How did he use her? The visits to his rooms, dining with him, the balls, her infatuation, weeping, going to the ball as his slave and the final humiliation of Tunning beside his coach and attempted suicide? Did Byron care? Is this reconcilable with his poetic talent?

8. How did Lamb take it? What should he have done? The conversation about the relative merits of Pope and Byron? The cultivated, calm, 'civilized' stance taken by Lamb, and the impetuous attitude taken by Caroline?

9. How did Caroline's behaviour hinder Lamb's career? How much influence did Lady Melbourne have on her son?

10. The whole question of behaviour and standards: the 'virtue' of discretion and not behaving improperly in public - the contrast between Lady Melbourne and Caroline? What are standards of behaviour? How was this society hypocritical?

11. The George IV episode, politics, behaviour and decisions?

12. What motivated Caroline in going to Wellington? What kind of man did Olivier's performance portray - at his dinner, Caroline's suicide attempt, dealing with ambitious mothers, allowing Caroline to insult guests, spending the night with her, but also behaving 'discreetly'? What did this show of her love for her husband?

13. Should Caroline and Lamb have separated? How clever was Lady Melbourne in engineering this - her standards, subtle humiliation of Caroline, manipulating Byron, forcing the issue?

14. Caroline's death - how sorry were you? Lamb's intuition and his rejection of it ('such things do not happen'); the nurse's romantic description of death from a broken heart and Lady Melbourne's final comment and its irony?

15. How vivid a picture of the times did the film give - homes, society, manners, parliament, restaurants, Byron's admiring poetry recitals, Napoleonic era?

16. How different is this world from our own? How similar? What message has a film like this for today's behaviour?