POCKET MONEY

US, 1972, 100 minutes, Colour.
Paul Newman, Lee Marvin, Strother Martin, Wayne Rogers, Christine Belford.
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg.

The stars are popular and it is mainly their charm that this rather slight amiable and ambling comedy western relies on. Nothing much happens to rather slow Jim Kane (Paul Newman) and shrewder Leonard (Lee Marvin) who does the thinking because that's what he's good at. The film is another variation on the trend for Western twosomes. This one has cowboys in our modern cities where they are incongruous and with the herds where they get taken in Newman is pleasantly bowlegged, but you will enjoy the little comic touches that Lee Marvin brings to his character.

1. An enjoyable western? Was there enough action for a western? In what ways was the film a modern western?

2. How did the film make much of incongruities between old western style of attitudes and acting and modern cities, e.g. modern banks?

3. Jim Kane as a non hero, as a hero, as a loser, his relationship with his wife? Was he an attractive hero? Was his story worth watching?

4. Leonard: what was attractive about his character? His wit? The fact that he and Jim were able to be beaten and cheated?

5. The modern cattle western? How did it compare with the traditional cattle western? How were points made by comparisons?

6. Threats, cheating, etc, how are these still characteristics of the west?

7. What future did the main characters have, especially at the end?

8. Where has the west gone? is a question that could be asked after seeing such a film. Has "The West” really gone?

9. Some critics saw this as a masterpiece, a comedy western on inconsequentialities, the tight rope between truth and legend. Others saw it as a boring attempt at comedy-western. With which opinion do you agree?