THE CRAZY WORLD OF JULIUS VROEDER

US, 1974, 89 minutes, Colour.
Timothy Bottoms, Barbara Hershey,Lawrence Pressman, Albert Salmi, George Marshall, Richard A. Dysart.
Directed by Arthur Hiller.

The Crazy World of Julius Vroeder is a black comedy about American involvement in Vietnam. Directed by Arthur Hiller, a director of many genres, the film was not successful and received very limited release. Yet, as a black comedy about American attitudes and treatment of veterans in the '70s, the film has some merit and some points to make. Timothy Bottoms is quite effective as Julius Vroeder.

The film uses madness as a theme for exploring sanity and insanity, especially of American attitudes and involvement.

1. An interesting and entertaining film? Its lack of wide release? Its application to American situations of the 1970s? Universal Interest?

2. The '70s and the atmosphere of America's involvement in Vietnam? The experience of the 1960s? The changing experience of the 1970s? The fall of Saigon in the mid-1970s? A critique of American involvement and attitudes? on government level, on national level, individual level? The setting of the film in California - a recognisable but alien California?

3. The tradition of black comedy about war by the mid-'70s? The influence of M*A*S*H? The madness of war and American involvement? The critiques of the '70s? Vietnam, this film coming before the tall of Saigon? Its effectiveness in retrospect?

4. The film as a piece of Americana: the American family, values and coping? Images of war and heroism? The military stars? The contrast with the non-heroic involvement? The collapse of involvement? Madness? The comparisons with World War One and with World War Two? The treatment of soldiers for physical and psychological ailments? Paranoia?

5. The portrait of the hospital: black humour, audience seeing the 'normality' of the hospital, the crazy treatment by the staff, the crazy treatment of the inmates? The wards? Freedom? Lack of freedom? Humour in coping? humour as a way of opting out?

6. Passki and Zanni: work, concern, demonstration and joke, ironies, personalities?

7. The character of Julius: the impression of his experiences, the repercussions, madness and sanity? The impression on Zanni, with the patients, home - and his phoning? The importance of the phone calls, the effect on him? The relationship with Zanni? The importance of the family background, the visit? The war and his telling Zanni? With Splint, the cemetery sequence? the importance of the discussions with the World War One veteran, understanding of war? The marriage, the picnic? The death? The siege and the escape? Julius and freedom? Julius as a character and as a symbol?

8. The portrait of Cork, the experience of World war One, memories, mellowing, understanding? Sadness and regrets? Splint and his presence, understanding?

9. The picture of life in the hospital, the range of patients, the behaviour of the staff?

10. The portrait of the family, ordinary Americans, their presuppositions about the war, trying to cope with Julius? The visit?

11. The reality of the war brought home by this sketch of the patients, the aftermath of the war and their suffering? The acting out of the war and Julius's strategies, tunnels, the siege? What had Julius achieved by the end?

12. A film of the '70s? A memory? Critique?