RANSOM

US, 1956, 109 minutes, Black and white.
Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, Leslie Nielsen, Juano Hernandez, Robert Keith, Alexander Scourby, Bobby Clark, Robert Burton, Juanita Moore.
Directed by Alex Segal.

Ransom is based on an actual story of an abduction of a young boy in Kansas City, Missouri. The boy was found dead. This story was dramatised for television in 1954 and then made the subject of this film. (The film was remade forty years later, much more graphically and in a contemporary style with the same title, starring Mel Gibson and Rene Russo as bereaved parents and Gary Sinise as the leader of the kidnappers.)

This film was co-written by Richard Maibaum who was soon to write the screenplay for Doctor No and to write screenplays for the James Bond films for the next thirty years.

Glenn Ford had been in films during the 1940s and had become popular, appearing in a prolific number of films. At this time he was to appear in serious dramas at MGM including The Blackboard Jungle and Trial as well as Teahouse of the August Moon. For the next ten years Ford was to grow in popularity and again appear in a great number of films. Donna Reed appears as his wife. She had just won an Oscar for best supporting actress in From Here to Eternity. Leslie Nielsen was at the beginning of his career – making Forbidden Planet at this time. It was to be a number of decades before he moved into The Naked Gun series and his many, many spoofs of all kinds of genre films.

The style of the film is old-fashioned – from the mid-50s. Nevertheless, this is a perennial theme and audiences will watch the story unfold with some apprehension and dread.

1. How real did this film seem? 'Why? Its tackling of a real issue and its style? How dated did the film seem in manners, dialogue, American attitudes? Was it dated in its treatment? How would it be filmed today?

2. How important for the film was its atmosphere: the black and white photography, the presentation of the social background,, the highlighting of the lonely individual in crisis, judgment on him and on people's reaction to him?

3. How important were the early sequences of the happy family? How well were they done? Too sentimental to be true? Over-emphasising happiness? How did the film manage its change from happiness to alarm? Details in characterization and situations? The move to panic and the lives being changed? The hardness of the emotional situations and anguish? The use of the ending ? was it sentimental or realistic? How well done? Was the film successful in its transitions of moods?

4. How hard-hitting was the kidnap situation? The portrayal of families and the impact of kidnapping? The techniques of the kidnappers? The background of wealth - the home, the black servants, the affluence and conveniences? The gathering together of money to pay the ransom? The implications of greed? How important for the film was it that we did not see the kidnappers - except vaguely during the television statement? What effect did this portrayal of kidnapping have on the audience? Its reality in communicating need for decisions? danger?

5. Could the audience identify with Dave - as a father, in his work, in the support that he needed during the crisis, the support he gave to Edith? Could audiences identify with him in his decision not to pay the ransom? In his loneliness? When he was attacked by everyone? In his final exhaustion and anguish? Audience identifying with Chapman and his support of Dave? How satisfying then was the vindication at the end?

6. Did the film make clear why he made his decision? The influence of the police, the influence of his wife, brother, the sheriff representing the mayor, the company holders? Discuss the dramatic impact of the interview - its style, impact, meaning, decision, How effective would such a view and decision be in real life? Was the opposition to it in papers and with people intelligible? The support of Charlie for Dave? His understanding of the effect of the speech on the kidnappers? Did he give up hope?

7. The role of the Press in this film? The portrayal of the media and their effect on people?

8. The importance of Edith for the film? Donna Reed's sympathy, as a mother, as wife? Was her behaviour realistic? The need for sedation and her panic? The atmosphere about her return at the end?

9. Did the film portray well police techniques in tracing phones etc.? The reality of police work in trying to solve such a case?

10. How well did the film utilise suspense, the values of family life and the impact of tragedy, affluence in an American society with American sentiments and styles of behaviour and thinking?