THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER

US, 1999, 115 minutes, Colour.
John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton, James Woods, Clarence Williams III.
Directed by Simon West.

The reviewer in the Arizona Republic referred to The General's Daughter as the sleaziest film of the summer. It subject is certainly sleazy, but the treatment of the subject, no.

The General's Daughter is from a novel by Nelson de Mille. He writes well of American intrigue, exploring the shadow of the American psyche often in the context of espionage. Here the intrigue and espionage are on home ground, on Army Bases and at West Point.

The screenplay explores truth and deception, cover-up and revelation, the shadow coming into the light. People wear masks, camouflage. The hero works undercover with false name and accent. There are military rituals and procedures. Uniforms cover complexity. There is military honour and secrecy where salutes end discussion: masks of respectability. There is confidentiality and betrayal. The victim has a meticulously neat house with a messy hidden cellar in which she indulges in sadomasochistic sexual activity which is taped. She works in a psychological warfare unit which is described as 'mind-fucking'. Another character is 'outed' after his murder. The ultimate villain is referred to as 'Captain America himself'. There are enough ingredients here for a detailed examination of shadow.

But whose shadow?

Primarily it is the shadow of the United States as embodied in its military establishment - and its politics because, after military retirement, that is the next step for the general. The brutal killing of the general's daughter, the unmasking of her rape and savage assault by West Point soldiers and the nature of the concealing of this evil, the unbecoming behaviour of so many officers on the base, the threat to the ambition of the general, the blind loyalty of his assistant, the increasingly desperate killings by the villain remind us of how anything which undermines public respectability and a self-congratulatory self-image are suppressed, repressed, are shadow. The army asks for a straightforward investigation, to be completed within thirty six hours, a suspect named (or scapegoated) and the matter closed (repressed). Intuitive possibilities are discounted; emotional investment in the case is kept at a surface level.

The investigator, played with easy aplomb by John Travolta, is army first and police second. He initially unmasks himself at the completion of an undercover investigation of illegal arms sales. As he immerses himself in his detective work, moving from a fairly straightforward natural style, to a personal involvement because of a brief but engaging meeting with the victim and to the uncovering of so many possibilities of guilt, he faces the complexity of his inner self and makes unpopular military decisions but decisions of personal integrity.

But the principal focus is on the general and his daughter. On the surface General Campbell is urbane, a gentleman, a loving father. What is revealed is that he has repressed his compassion and sense of justice towards his daughter for the sake of his ambition. He claims he has done nothing wrong. In flashback, we see him at the hospital bedside of his abused daughter telling her that none of this happened and kissing her.

Elizabeth, the general's daughter, is far more complex. On the surface she is a genial, robust military officer who supports women's issues in the armed forces. She lectures on psychological strategy. But, she is an assault victim who is wreaking her revenge on officers by seduction, perversion, deceit - all aimed at the enemy, who is her father. The terrible irony is that she dies trying to surface her suffering for overcoming her trauma, re-creating it for her father so that he will acknowledge it. She fails and loses her life.

At the end, Travolta watches a tape of one of her lectures, where she speaks of the 'minds, souls and hearts' of people. In the army there is black and white but, she says, the eye can distinguish between 16 greys. She refers to 'moral shadings'.

More detailed exploration of the shadow in The General's Daughter would lead to examination of the shadow of the officers, what could lead a group to such hatred of a woman officer (with equally disdainful reference to academic and field excellence and 'squatting to piss'), to examining Kent (Timothy Hutton), the 'Captain America' who destroys and is destroyed by refusing to face his libidinous shadow. And then there is the tantalising character played by James Wood with his customary verbal incisiveness (and some excellent psychological sparring with Travolta) who turns out to be the opposite of what we suspected. It is he who challenges Travolta that, when he discovers what is worse than rape, he will solve the crime. The answer is betrayal.

1. The impact of the film's drama, portrait of the military, psychological drama? Murder mystery? Allegory about American institutions, cover-ups and revelation?

2. The Virginia settings, the South, the colours, the heat and the atmosphere, the water? The mansions, the military bases? West Point? The musical score? The background of the songs - especially the traditional songs?

3. The introduction and the counterpoint between Paul and the General? Paul, undercover, the contact with Kent? The arms deals? Pretences? The shooting? The introduction to the General, the car, the applause at his arrival, his speech about the meaning of war, death? The dinner? All those present? The speech about war and killing? The applause? The meal?

4. Paul and the meeting with Elizabeth Campbell, the flat tyre, his giving her the bowl of fruit, flirting, the psychological fencing, not knowing she was the General's daughter?

5. The case itself: Kent and his being in charge, the body, lying publicly, the rape? Sarah and her presence? The facts of the case? The examination of the evidence by Cal (and his continuing to supply crucial information and hypotheses throughout the story), the clues, the bag of clothes? The three cars and the lights? The information and the speculation? The rape and the struggle?

6. The General and his reaction, Fowler and his presence and loyalty? Army codes? Paul's response, soldier or policeman? His choosing soldier - and his letter taking it back? The General and his political aims? His praise of his daughter and his wife? His daughter's hatred for him? Fowler and his presuppositions about the general killing his daughter?

7. The attacks on Paul and Sarah? The masked violence? The information, the attackers? The psychological report left in the vehicle? The decision to go to West Point, the discussions with Slesinger, his admiration for her, professional confidentiality, the story of the rape (and the visuals of the rape and the aftermath)? Elizabeth's depression? Slesinger and his being advised to think out loud - and give information to Paul and Sarah? Sarah's going to the Captain in the shower block, the bluff about the DNA? Paul and the discussions with the General and Fowler? The truth about the General's meeting, the discussion about the situation, the advice on the cover-up, his being promoted, the General in hospital with his daughter, telling her to forget everything, nothing ever happened, his kissing her?

8. James Woods as Moore? Present at the dinner, under suspicion, the verbal fencing with Paul, reading his character, not a college man, chip on his shoulder, resentments? The interaction of the two and the revelation of Moore's character? Psychological techniques? His not being able to tell the truth, not wanting to lie? His protection of Elizabeth, devotion to her, approving the acting out of the rape? Ringing the General? His cooking the dinner, elaborate, the lawyer's arrival? The irony of their relationship and people not realising it? Paul arresting Moore, taking him to prison, the verbal challenge, the brutality? Moore's challenge that when Paul knew what was worse than rape, he would understand everything? His participation in the re-enactment? His being killed at home? The lawyer giving the file, relating the truth to Paul? His being accepted as the scapegoat by the General, Fowler, by Kent and the military?

9. Elizabeth's house: the obsessive nature of its orderliness, the contrast with the cellar, in disarray, the sexual videos, the masochism? The hidden shadow part of her life, in the cellar? Sarah and Paul finding the videos, watching, their being bashed and the videos taken? Elizabeth's relationship with the men on the base, sexual promiscuity, the relationship with the rape? Her bringing down the army, her target as her father? The consequences for the men concerning court-martial? Their marriages, relationships, professional ethics? Kent and his being caught up in this?

10. The relationship between Sarah and Paul, the past, love, their sparring, working together, examining the house, going to the bar and surveying the suspects, each being bashed? Sarah and her concern, clues, the body? Her leading on Slesinger? The DNA bluff? The past relationship, her marriage, divorce?

11. The portrait of West Point, the officers, the military exercise, the night gang rape, the reasons and the hostility towards women in the military forces? The young black officer on guard at the fort, information about the three cars, liking Elizabeth standing up for women's causes in the military?

12. The picture of the local police, their attitude towards Paul, the murder of the gun dealer and his two names? The encounter on the Campbell investigation? The sheriff's son and his involvement with Elizabeth? The clashes?

13. The solutions and the secrecy in the military? The expectations of cover-up? The shadow of the military - and the finale with the revelation and light? The truth and the climax? The reasons for the murder? The confrontation between Paul, Kent and Sarah, the landmine?

14. The melodrama of the climax, Kent and his motivation, his being referred to as Captain America, his wife, family, relationship with Elizabeth, the flashback to his killing her? The mine and the explosion?

15. The film as an allegory for the United States, government and authority, army? The honourable individual solving the case, policeman rather than soldier? Truth and integrity? The final images of light, the General unmasked, the final information, Paul and Sarah driving out of the confines of the army?