HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE
US, 1971, 105 minutes, Colour.
Rod Steiger, Susannah York, George Grizzard, Don Murray, William Hickey.
Directed by Mark Robson.
Happy Birthday, Wanda June seemed a bizarre screen experience when it was first released in 1971. It was written for the screen by Kurt Vonnegut who had written the original play. Vonnegut has taken his place as one of the master writers of American literature. However, at this stage, his material was emerging on the screen. Happy Birthday, Wanda June was followed the next year by George Roy Hill’s fantasy on World War Two, Slaughterhouse Five. Other films from Vonnegut’s work include Breakfast of Champions, with Bruce Willis, 1999.
The film reflects the 60s. It focuses on two men, played by Rod Steiger and William Hickey, who have been in an expedition to Africa that has lasted many years and have been separated from their families. The film focuses on their return, on their looking at a new America, at the different changes, in the various social issues that have emerged.
The film is an interesting observation from the period on the period itself and the questions that it was raising. It is very useful to look back now in retrospect to have some kind of assessment of this era.
The film was directed by Mark Robson who had directed a number of horror films for Val Lewton. During the 1950s he directed some smaller-budget but strong films including Champion, Home of the Brave as well as the romances My Foolish Heart and Edge of Doom. As the 1950s went on he directed bigger-budget films, action adventures like Hell Below Zero, The Bridges at Toko- Ri as well as comedies like Phffft. From 1957 he made bigger-budget bestseller films including Peyton Place, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, From the Terrace, The Prize. He also made Valley of the Dolls.
1. The atmosphere of the credits, the creation of the situation? The tone of the title and its indication of atmosphere and themes? Was it evident that the film was based on a play, in terms of stage situations, the emphases of the dialogue?
2. Penelope and her family7 Audience response to her? The average American woman, her background, education, memory of her husband, bringing up her son, her relationship with the two suitors? How sympathetic a person? The challenges to her by the return of her husband? Her attempts to cope, her inability to love her husband?
Her final decision?
3. Harold Ryan? How real a character, Rod Steiger's performance, how symbolic a character? A man from a past world, the values of a previous decade, the significance of his being lost in the Amazon, the dramatic impact of his return and not understanding or seeing the transition years? What had happened to him? What had happened to America? How well used was this device of alerting audiences to the changes in America? The nature of Harold Ryan’s character? His wanting to resume life with his wife, his taunting of her suitors, his cruelty, vulgarity and violence? The attitude of his son and his disillusioning his son? His relationship with Looseleaf? Their sharing of disillusionment together? The final leaving of Harold alone, unable to commit suicide, staring vacantly? What insight via this character?
4. The contrast of Harold Ryan with Looseleaf? What insight into the changing world via Looseleaf? His observation of the Ryans, his return home and discovery of the change in his wife and family? His inability to understand the melodramatic aspects of the Ryan family? His paying of Harold?
5. The symbolism of the cake for Wanda June? The artificiality of the scenes in heaven? Audience response to heaven, to Wanda June as a person, her relationship with the people in heaven? Her playing shuttleboard? What was the playwright trying to say about this world, values, the next world and religion?
6. The people in Wanda June's heaven? The emphasis on the German, the comment on Twentieth Century violence via this German? Its contrast with Looseleaf’s role at Nagasaki and the dropping of the bomb? The varying attitudes towards war? America and Germany?
7. How convincing were the confrontations? The personality of Dr. Woodley and his meekness, the breaking of his violin etc.? The contrast with Shuttle and his loudmouthed approach to life? His enjoying being vanquished by Harold? His serving him? What comment was being made? American men and women via these characters?
8. The melodramatics of the confrontations, especially the language, the sexual innuendo? The American background of frankness and permissiveness, of quiet, reticence and Puritanism? How was the film satirizing these attitudes and questioning them?
9. The role of death in the film? Imagined deaths, threatened deaths? Inability to commit death?
10. How particularly American was this film? Its impact on overseas audiences? The value of the blend of satire and realism and how effective is it for the ordinary audience?
