CLOAK & DAGGER
US, 1984, 101 minutes, Colour.
Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, John Mc Intyre, Jeannette Nolan, Michael Murphy, William Forsythe.
Directed by Richard Franklin.
Cloak and Dagger is a very entertaining thriller with a focus on a twelve year old boy. He is played by Henry Thomas (E.T., Misunderstood, Frog Dreaming). The screenplay by Tom Holland (who wrote such screenplays of Psycho 11, Class of 1984 as well as writing and directing Fright Night) is based on the '40s film The Window with Bobby Driscoll. This in turn was based on a story by Cornell Woolridge, The Boy Cried Murder. The screenplay is adapted nicely to a San Antonio setting with the Alamo.
Direction is by Australian Richard Franklin (Patrick, Road Games, Psycho II).
The film has many allusions to Hitchcock’s films: Sabotage and the girl with the bomb, the sweet sinister old couple from The Man Who Knew Too Much, action of North By North West.
The film is based on a story by Cornell Woolrich.
Real life husband and wife John Mc Intyre and Jeanette Nolan are the couple. A standout, as always, is Dabney Coleman as the father as well as his incarnation of hero Jack Flack.
1. The popularity of espionage, adventure? boys' own Ececoter2. U.S. style?
2. The work of Richard Franklin, his suspense films? Cornell Woolridge story? The film version, The Window? Adaptation of The Boy who Cried Wolf to the 1980s?
3. The film as a piece of Americana, the Alamo?
4. The blend of reality and fantasy? Jack Flack and the initial fantasy action with the Russians? Derring-do? Do or die situations and heroics? David and his computer games, his Organisation? The experience of reality? Jack Flack played by Dabney Coleman and, therefore, David's wishful thinking about his father?
5. Henry Thomas as David: 12-year-old, Texas, San Antonio? Audience identifying with him? Games and imagination? The extensive adventures in which he was involved? The conversations with Jack Flack? and Jack as a 12-year-old adventurer? the tension in the relationship with his father, his mother's death? Job, getting the catalogue, the experience of seeing the murder, his fright, the tape? His not being believed and the boy who cried wolf? His being pursued by Rice? Friendship with Kim, her danger, being taken? The murder of Morris? Overhearing the plan about the spies? going through the canals? The Alamo? The encounter with the Mc Creadys and their help, niceness? The bomb? David and the driving, desperate, the shooting of Rice? The discovery of the Mc Creadys as the spies? Jack Flack not coming to his rescue? The Mc Creadys and the plane, hijacking to Cuba? his father coming out, helping David escape? Jack Flack emerging, and it being his father?
6. Dabney Coleman as Jack and as David's father? Jack as David's projection, their conversations, the language of the comic strip? Hal and his relating to his son, his grief, not believing about the espionage? His skills, decision to help, his rescuing his son? Literally emerging as his son's hero?
7. Kim her age, precocious, friendship with David, the kidnapping, the adventures, the bomb?
8. Rice and the murder, sinister, pursuing David, being shot by him?
9. The Mc Creadys as the pleasant grandparent couple, on tour in San Antonio, helping David? The boat, Rice, their turning out to be the spies, their sinister hounding of him, the plans?
10. The police and their investigations, not believing David?
11. The story of a boy and his imagination, dangerous and comic situations, the effect of moving from fantasy to reality?
