THE WAR BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

US, 1972, 105 minutes, Colour.
Jack Lemmon, Barbara Harris, Jason Robards, Herb Edelman, Lisa Gerritsen.
Directed by Melville Shavelson.

The War Between Men and Women: James Thurber was a popular American humorist. This comedy, based on his writings and cartoons, popularises, or dilutes, what might have been a pungent and witty film. But there are many good features: Jack Lemmon plays the cartoonist who is going blind with his usual comic flair; animated Thurber cartoons provide the credits and some humorous sequences. There is also pathos in the situation of the caustic artist losing his sight and grudgingly becoming independent on his wife, played well by Barbara Harris. Dialogue is frequently funny as are many sequences, but there is too much conventional, flat, American movie-style to make the film above average.

1. Was the title fulfilled in the film? How? The atmosphere of James Thurber? His ideas on the relationship between men and women, as illustrated by his cartoons and his wit?

2. Peter Wilson, as representing Thurber, as a man, as a character, as a writer? Did you like him as a person? Why did he write as he did? Was he too cynical? His reaction to people at the book launching?

3. Your reactions to his growing blindness? How did the blindness theme add a dimension to the film? In terms of human sympathy? Was the humour concerned with the blindness well done or in bad taste?

4. Comment on the use of the flash-back style, of the use of fantasy sequences, of the use of cartoon sequences. How effective was the technique of Peter Wilson addressing the audience? How did these techniques involve the audience more?

5. Comment on the cartoons as manifestations of Peter Wilson's consciousness. What did they represent about human relationships between men and women? How humorous were the cartoons?

6. What comment did the film make on the role of writers and book publishers?

7. What kind of a person was Terry? As a wife and mother? Her sympathy for Peter?

8. why did they begin the affair together? Why was Peter afraid of marriage? Why wouldn't he tell Terry the truth about his eyes? Did this imply a lack of trust? Why did they get married?

9. The children: did you like them? Were they sympathetic? The relationship with their mother and father? Their relationship with Peter? Their direct questions about the relationship? The children’s' inadequacies, especially the stammerer?

10. Stephen: was he a sympathetic character? Did you like him? Why was he not a successful husband or father? His behaviour at the wedding? His behaviour at the beach? His relationship with Peter, their fight, and then their making it up? The sequence of the cartoon battle between men and women? His going off? His inability to relate permanently, his profession of photographing wars, the irony of his death?

11. How did Peter grow as a person through his marriage, his relationship with the children, inevitability of his growing blindness? What was revealed in the beach scene and his fantasy about rescuing people?

12. How moving for the audience is the operation and its lack of success. The cinema technique of indicating to the audience the nature of blindness and poor vision? Why was he angry with Terry about his blindness?

13. The value of their separation and their re-uniting?

14. The interlude of "The Last Flower". Was it moving in itself? In its effect on Linda and her stammer? As an illustration of how Peter began to relate with the children?

15. Were you satisfied with the ending? What had the audience learnt about human nature during the film? About blindness, marriage, children? How had the audience learnt about human nature through humour?

16. Was this a good film or a poor film? Critics said both. Why?