RAGE

US, 1972, 104 minutes, Colour.
George C. Scott, Richard Basehart, Martin Sheen, Barnard Hughes, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Walden, John Dierkes.
Directed by George C. Scott.

George C. Scott must have felt very strongly about this serious film because he not only starred but directed. It is a film which came out in the early 1970s (at the time of the Watergate scandals), but would be very much at home in the environment-conscious 21st century - with such films as
Civil Action, Erin Brockovich.

The military cause an accidental leak of nerve gas which kills a rancher's cattle and also his son. He tries to take the military to court but runs up against opposition and silence.

George C. Scott is able to rage intensely on screen and is very powerful as the injured rancher. Martin Sheen is a major. Richard Basehart and Barnard Hughes appear as doctors.

It is interesting to look at these themes being raised in the context of the 1970s, when a lot of this kind of pollution was taken for granted, in the aftermath, for instance, of atomic tests. The film is certainly most
relevant now - not only for its issues of the military, accidents, nerve gas, killing of livestock, human deaths, but also in the legal ramifications.

1. Significance and tone of the title? Mood? The rage in Logan and the people that he represented? The rage in the audiences? The reasons for the rage?

2. The film as a vehicle for a message, emotional involvement in social themes? The film and representation of issues of the early seventies? Chemicals, diseases, cover-ups? The films use of characters and issues to dramatise social issues? The point of view on the issues and the feeling of coping with them as emerges from this film? How didactic was the film? Audience response to didacticism?

3. Presuppositions about development of chemicals, poisons, industrial development of chemicals, military use? Accidents and victims? How can the ordinary citizen criticise, attack, change attitudes and behaviour about development of such chemicals?

4. The background of the Army and its use of chemicals for warfare? Audience judgment on the appropriateness or not of this? The role of the public health departments in liaison with the Army? The importance of telling the truth, the whole truth, lies, cover-ups? Cover-ups in American politics and society in the seventies? The importance of the media in presenting truth to the community? The role of censorship?
for the safety of society?

5. The techniques of film-making and their contribution to dramatisation and communication of the message? Use of Panavision, Wyoming locations and the emphasis on the beauty of the mountains and the open air? Lalo Schifrin's score? The particular techniques especially the slow motion device for moving liquids? To what purpose? George C. Scott as actor, as director? The intensity of his involvement?

6. How well could audiences identify with Dan Logan and his ordinary experiences, his being victimised, his not being told the truth, his emotional anguish, his experience of dying and his desperation? Could the audience experience his feel for vengeance? To the extent that it was expressed? To killing? how much was he affected by the poisons within him? how much did his feelings and will combine with the effect of the poisons? how contrived was Logan's experience for communicating the message of vengeance by the ordinary citizen?

7. The initial portrait of Dan and Chris, the father-son relationship, the open air, the ranch, nature? Shared experiences, the father educating his son? Joy? The transition during the night to fear, panic? The suddenness of the change? The father rescuing his son and rushing him to the truck, to the hospital? The fact that he never saw his son again and the emotional impact of this? Seeing his clothes taken away? his going to the morgue? Was this enough to break a man in the way that Dan Logan broke? how could audiences identify with his emotional experience about his son?

8. The film's use of the death of the sheep, the death of the dog as symbols for what happened? The showing of the Army trying to recuperate losses and recover damage from the accident, the sprays? The men in protective suits moving over the countryside? The vet and his knowledge and declaration to the media? The media's presentation of this information?

9. The atmosphere of the hospital? building, wards and corridors, receptionists etc.? The nurses? Doctor Cardwell and his relationship with Dan? his being partially informed? his experiencing the double talk by the military and the public health officials? The dilemma as to Chris's life and then his death, to Dan and what he should be told? The officials making an appeal to Doctor Cardwell? his telling Dan the truth at the end? his weeping with grief at the end and the audience sharing this?

10. The presentation of the military doctors especially the young consultant? his sympathetic manner, talk, tests, continued reassurance? his reaction to the challenges by Logan, by Dr Spencer? The decision to keep Logan under sedation so that the cover-up would not be exposed? The confrontation of Logan with the Doctor? his seeming more evil and part of the conspiracy as the film went on? In practical detail, did he do the right thing? The handling of the matter? The taking of Logan into confidence or not?

11. The revelation that the Army was involved, the background of the Army camp, the presentation of the detailed way of life there, style of the soldiers? The conference and the top-ranking officials, the discussion of the issues? The impersonal way in which these were presented? The plain talk about the deaths of the two subjects? The appeal that the deaths be considered as observation and experimental? The medical right to do this - but the impersonal way in which it was done?

12. Dr Spencer and his role with the Public Health, his reactions to the meeting, his seeing the television interviews, his continued lies and reassuring talk? The confrontation by Logan with the gun, the death of the cat, his telling the truth? The film's judgment on Dr Spencer and types?

13. The drawing of the military personnel and their various attitudes? The young man and his talking plainly but wanting the two deaths to be observed clinically? The visitor from Washington? The local military officials? The possibility of accidents, the chain of events, human error, limited equipment? Experiments and experiments of blowing up (literally) in their face?

14. The placing of the guard on Logan, his casual attitude, Logan's escaping?

15. The importance of Logan's experience in the hospital, the sedation, the talk by Spencer, Dr Cardwell's being excluded? The detail of the escape, the visit to the morgue and the emotional repercussions? The getting of the gun, the stealing of the bike, the placing of the explosives?

16. Audience response to the first killing? Did Logan have the right? Did these guards in any way forfeit their life by their job? how mad was Dan Logan? The fact that he was dying? The presentation of the guard reading the magazine and his suddenly being killed? Logan riding into the building? The planting of the explosives and the destructive feeling?

17. The chain of explosions and the destruction of the chemicals? Where did audience sympathies lie at this time? With the actions, with the intentions?

18. The surrounding of Logan, the painful death, the emphasis on the twitching, his being taken away? The attitudes of the military towards his death? Dr Cardwell's grief? Dan Logan and his son becoming accident statistics?

19. How successful was the film as entertainment? Dramatic interest? Persuasive presentation of a message via emotions and story?