PLAY MISTY FOR ME

US, 1971, 104 minutes, Colour.
Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch, Donald Siegel.
Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Play Misty for Me marks Clint Eastwood's debut as a director. He went on to direct the symbolic Western, High Plains Drifter (1973), Breezy (1973), The Eiger Sanction (1974), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). This film is a thriller with Psycho overtones. On the whole it is fairly successful and gives an audience a chance to hiss the villainess.

Most of the action takes place in daylight but Eastwood builds up enough atmosphere of menace to make the finale in darkness have more impact, even though it is highly melodramatic. Eastwood plays his usual self, a bit too restrained for a disc jockey. But the star of the film is Jessica Walter as an odd admirer who wants Misty played for her as she moves between lucid and insane moments. it is a good horror-thriller performance.

The popular song, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, is sung by Roberta Flack in this film.

1. Explain the meaning of the title. How was it used during the film? How sinister was the phrase by the end of the film?

2. How plausible was the whole story? Did the fact that much of it was plausible add to the menace of the atmosphere or decrease it?

3. Was environment well used ? e.g. the coastal scenery and location, the artist's deserted house, the woods, the radio station, etc.?

4. What kind of man was Dave? Was he meant to be just an ordinary night-time disc jockey or a special person?

5. What kind of girl did Evelyn Draper seem to be at first? When Dave and Murphy thought they had won when she agreed to have a drink. or later?

6. How real is this kind of affection. where 'no ties' means possession of another?

7. Did you suspect that Evelyn was psychotic? When did you realise she was mad? Did her sudden outbursts of anger and swearing and then her sweetness alert you?

8. How did she get such a hold on Dave's life" Did he let her? Why did she want to possess him? What motivated her?

9. Did Evelyn really want to kill herself when she slashed her wrists or was that just a ploy? What of the scene with the radiowoman from San Francisco?

10. What kind of relationship was there between Dave and Toby? Why had it not succeeded? Were they ready to make a success of it? (Note the walk and lovemaking during the romantic song). Was this well done and beautiful or artificial and phoney, especially the waterfall scene?

11. Why did Evelyn turn Dave's house upside down and stab his housekeeper? Why did she try to kill Dave?

12. Did you suspect that Evelyn was Annabel? Was the poem clue well done?

13. Was the final suspense effective ? why? Did Evelyn mean to kill the Inspector?

14. Was the conclusion predictable? Did it matter if it was?

15. How ironic was the final playing of Misty with Evelyn's dead body in the water?

16. Does the film serve as a warning about casual relationships and the unexpected and severe consequences of actions?

17. What techniques did the director use to make his audience frightened? Where did he succeed best?