THE PROMISE
US, 1979, 97 minutes, Colour.
Kathleen Quinlan, Stephen Collins, Beatrice Straight, Laurence Luckinbill, William Prince.
Directed by Gilbert Cates.
The Promise is perennial love story material, no different from the past 'woman's picture' (now becoming classics). The '70s Panavision affluent gloss replaces the black and white affluent gloss and Kathleen Quinlan suffers and defies fate beautifully and Stephen Collins is callow and handsome and though they do, we never doubt that true love will fulfil its promise. Beatrice Straight plays the hard headed businesswoman mother as if it had never been done before and Laurence Luckinbill's luxury home helps to explain his enormous plastic surgery charges and where better to suffer than in beautiful Bay San Francisco. Fantasy soap opera material, not your everyday reality, but there is a valid underlying niceness about it all.
1. The perennial appeal of this kind of plot? Adapted to the seventies?
2. The traditions of the American soap opera, hero and heroine, love stories, pledges, accidents, hard characters influencing, misunderstandings, reconciliation? How well adapted to the seventies?
3. Colour photography, Panavision locations of New England and San Francisco? The contrast of the two places in Nancy’s life? An affluent world, the world of fashion and style? The presentation of the memory images for Nancy? The song and the theme?
4. The focus of the title, the significance of the pledge. the symbolism? The New England sequence at the beginning and the return to New England at the end? Love tested, failure, reconciliation? Hope for the future?
5. The credibility of the plot, the dialogue, the issues and attitudes? Audiences identifying with the characters and their hopes? Experiencing the sadness? Expectations from such a film, from such characterisation? How enjoyable, easy to appreciate? Critical spurn?
6. The establishing of the characters of Michael and Nancy. the outing together, the shared experiences and their later memories for Nancy? The pledge? The taking of the photo? The build up to the marriage? Michael's friend and his presence?
7. The introduction of Marion, the world in which she lived, big business, control of her family? George and his help but his being controlled by Marion? The firm, prospects for Michael? Her pride, defiance? The confrontation with Michael? Her investigation of Nancy's background?
8. The hopes for the wedding, the accident? The effect on Nancy, her arrangement with Marion and her acceptance of this? Michael and his not knowing that Nancy survived? His mother's role, responsibility?
9. Nancy and her move to the West Coast, her friendship with Peter, the long months with the surgery, the changing of her face and personality, her work with the therapist? Her new identity, her artist's skill being transferred to photography, establishing herself? The gift of her painting to Peter and its later use in the plot?
10. The length of the surgery and the effect on her the relationship with Peter, the hopes for Michael, the sense of betrayal? A hardening of Nancy's attitude?
11. Peter and his work, skill, luxurious home, advice for Nancy, falling in love with her? The finale and the confrontation with Michael, the painting?
12. Michael and his new life, his enterprise, his being deceived by his mother? Going to the West Coast and his hopes? His friend and the photography, his visiting Nancy under her new identity, not recognising her? His fascination with her? (the audience being tantalised and hoping that he would recognise her ? frustrations when he didn't, therefore identification with Nancy?).
13. Nancy and her continued hurt, the encounters and confrontations with Michael, her relying more on Peter?
14. The contriving of the finale, Michael's recognition of the painting, the chase to New England, Nancy's revisiting the places of the promise, the finale and their meeting again? How satisfying for the audience, romance, sentiment?
15. The supporting cast and their contribution? Ben and his friendship. Wendy as an alternative for Michael, the psychiatrist and her help to Nancy?
16. Old plots, old ideas, old values? Their perennial appeal? Their being dressed up in the affluent seventies' world? Basic good sentiments, sound values and their appeal to the popular audience?
