HAMMERSMITH IS OUT

US, 1972, 108 minutes, Colour.
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov, Beau Bridges, Leon Ames, Leon Askin, George Raft, Anthony Holland, John Schuck.
Directed by Peter Ustinov.

Hammersmith Is Out has had a chequered history. It was the ninth teaming of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor after such successes as The Taming of the Shrew, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This time Richard Burton plays Hammersmith, a psychotic inmate of a mental institution. The screenplay is a variation on the Faust theme and this inmate offers wealth to a naïve young orderly in the hospital, played by Beau Bridges. He encounters a blonde waitress at a diner, played by Elizabeth Taylor.

Peter Ustinov, who directed the film, plays the doctor in the mental institution, himself a suspect character.

The film was screened at the Berlin film festival and was well received. However, in the United States, it was recut – and is not seen on television very frequently. Reviews may reflect the altered version rather than the original.

1. The interest and appeal of this film? what genre did it belong to? For what kind of audience was it made? How serious was it, comic, blend?

2. Audience expectations from the stars and their reputations? Their styles? Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, acting style? Elizabeth Taylor in the role of the dumb mistress and her skill at this role? Burton and his presence, serious role? The weight of the film lying with Beau Bridges? Peter Ustinov and his comic chorus appearances? The response of the stars to their material setting the tone of the film?

3. The American background, yet the international flavour? Then the non-world of the asylum, the mad world as dominating the view of places and people?

4. The importance of the doctor giving the initial comment on Jesus' temptation and the revelation of the deal with the devil? The doctor giving Hammersmith the permit to tempt people and pursue them and finding him again at the death of each of his victims?.Allowing the process to go over again?

5. The doctor as an ironic and parody-like God figure? Burlesquing the basic religious scheme of things and good and evil? If the doctor was a kind of God-figure, what was Hammersmith? The Christ-figure, a devil figure?

6. The victims, ordinary Christ-figures doing deals with the devil or what? The focus on Hammersmith and his getting out?

7. Hammersmith as an imprisoned devil permitted to tempt people and lead them to their deaths and destruction, their damnation? His manner of tempting the prison guards? His presence in the cell, straitjacketed, yet freeing his psychological power and his words? His tempting of Billy Breedlove - his offers? Offering them to dropouts who needed some kind of salvation?

8. Ironic Christ-figures who would do deals? Were they redeemable or by selling themselves made redeemable? The irony of the guard who would not listen to Hammersmith and be tempted and went mad?

9. The asylum background - the initial introduction, the visualising of the inmates, the mad warder, the contrast, Billy Breedlove, his parallel at the end? The ironic comments about the asylum, the doctor and the parody of his German accent?

10. Billy Breedlove as a recognisable character? Waking up, his constant picking his nose and the comments on this? His bike, his attitude towards sex, his attitude towards the other warder? Not going out, the attractiveness of Hammersmith's temptations? His drawing Jimmy Jean into this plan? Drawing her Into the encounter with Hammersmith? Hammersmith asserting his power over him by standing on his foot yet Billy letting him out? and the doctor knowing, accosting him but letting him go, pursuing him? The doctor's comment? on the change of name throughout his life and the irony of the various tones that it took? The portrait of Billy, out on his bike, the confrontation with the fat man in the cafe, his talking and flattering Jimmie Jean, tempting her, sexual relationship, her giving up, everything and going with him, her meeting Hammersmith under the bridge and being drawn into the odd journey?

11. Hammersmith as a person? Richard Burton’s style, appearance, insane look, articulate rhetoric? A pretentious character? A cold devil, the back seat driver, the ruthless murderer, the man of brains and achievement, of perpetual promise?

12. The image of the journey through life - the quick vivid stages, Billy moving through them rapidly? The car and the drive-in, the topless night club, the world of Big Business, Texas oil, world politics and the American presidency, international relationships? Hammersmith's continual warning about death?

13. The trio in themselves? Billy and his attraction towards Jimmie Jean, Hammersmith in the back? The sexual relationship, Billy’s tiring of this and attracted to other women? The effect of the murders on each of them? The hold that each had on the other with Hammersmith controlling? Billy wanting to discard Jimmie Jean. she expecting it, Hammersmith and his decision to have the baby? Who would this diabolical baby be?

14. The portrait of the fat man and his rudeness in the cafe, the irony of their decision about his car at the drive-in, the ironic Roman spectacle film on the screen at the same time? The presentation of the topless night club, the satire, the atmosphere, Billy's involvement, Jimmy Jean's prudish comments? The owner and the parody on George Raft and gangster films, his brothers. Hammersmith's ironic remarks about deals, his rival for the deal and his murder and landing in the car? The parody of this kind of gangster film?

15. The satire on the business world with Billy transformed into the young executive, his dictating his letters, enjoying Hammersmith's ominous presence there? The transition to the world of Texas oil, the wealthy home and the swimming pool, the rich Texan and his naiveté and his romance and sexual interlude with Jimmy Jean? An indication of tension? Jimmy Jean willing to leave, the confrontation by Billy in the bedroom and his violence, Hammersmith still controlling? The black humour of the presentation of the deaths of the Texas men with their hate floating in the pool? The doctor's continual pursuit by helicopter and arrival on the scene of the crime afterwards?

16. The doctor's ironic comments on politics - the money behind the President, his being a fool? Billy and the satire on roving ambassadors? The sequences with his treatment of the Pope and talking to him? The generals and their finally picking their noses? Creating dissent and civil unrest? The final retiring to wealth, boredom, table conversation and trying to be brilliant?

17. The theme of what doth it profit a man…? Billy and his brilliance yet boredom? The general and his table talk? The tension? Why did Hammersmith break Billy’s back? To what purpose?

18. Billy and his urging Hammersmith to kill Jimmy Jean? The irony of Hammersmith's moves? imprisoning Billy in the wheelchair and yet Billy trying to axe Jimmy Jean? Hammersmith’s solution with the presentation of the Jim and his explanation, Billy killing himself as the doctor arrived?

19. Jimmy Jean and her knowing that she was to die, her regret about the baby, her exhilaration in being pregnant, her taunting of Billy and his willingness to kill her? Her being dressed in black and the irony of her being left behind? what would happen to her, her baby?

20. The ironic presentation of the cycle beginning again and our knowing what had happened at the beginning? The other warder insane? What was the audience left with in this fable about good and evil, God and the devil and temptation?