HOME SWEET HOME
Belgium/France, 1973, 90 minutes, Colour.
Claude Jade, Jacques Perrin.
Directed by Benoit Lamy.
Home Sweet Home is a quietly gentle film, a film about old age, a film about people in institutions. The audience is invited into this world via the nurse, via Jacques and his discussions with an old lady. This gives the audience an opportunity to see a wide range of people, the sense of community amongst the old people, the rituals of their life together as well as various crises.
The film had contemporary French actors Claude Jade and Jacques Perrin in the lead. It is interesting to compare this picture of care for the elderly in the 1970s, social concern and neglect with the transition in the succeeding decades in the care for the elderly.
1. The significance of the title, audience expectations of sweetness, irony?
2. The quality of the film as a Belgian production? Locations, colour, the presentation of the people? The use of close-up and emphasis on profiles? The Belgian social issues?
3. The mature of audience interest in this kind of film and its theme? Awareness of old age? Sympathies?
4. How is this work, of old age a microcosm of the greater world? How did the audience enter into this world? Via the nurse? Via Jacques and his talk with the elderly lady?
5. How important were the details of the way of life in the institute? The various characters that were presented and how we got to know them? The old ladies? The old men? The emphasis on their faces and behaviour? The collage of incidents presented for the way of life? Various tableaux of the people? How much insight into the way of life, and the old people's feelings via this introduction?
6. The dramatic significance of the arrival of Flore? Her being welcomed? Her shifting the furniture In her room and the reaction of the nurse? Her being oppressed by the rules while being welcomed by the smiles? The various people's attitudes towards her? The two suspicious busybodies? Flare as an example of enery itnto this kind
of world and the audience moving with her?
7. The atmosphere of community amongst the old people? Their meals together, recreations, outings? The way the group solidarity worked, the supportive interaction of the old people amongst themselves? The incident in the hotel? The various games that they played, for example the bowling? Flare being welcomed into this world? Her playing cards, the drinks at the hotel, the dancing? The criticisms and reactions of the two busybodies? The emergence of Jules as the person of contradiction In the group?
8. Jules and the precipitation of the crises? His fighting and insults at the hotel? The humiliation of him by the Matron in the dining room? The meeting and the mates' manipulating of her Council, especially sending Jacques for the coffee? The reaction of Strike with regard to the dessert by the old people? The powerlessness of the Matron, of the nurse? The intervention of Jacques and the old people's solidarity with him? How was this a symbol of what was going on in this institute?
9. The reaction of the Matron to Invite Jules' family In to rebuke him? The sentiment and tone of the scenes with the family? Jules and the happiness with the children? The reprimands from his daughters?
10. The Matron and her forgiving of Jules? The further humiliation? The old people's reaction and revolt? Their decision to go out, their going in the bus, their going shopping and shoplifting? The sequences In the restaurant and their humour? The quiet return home in the bus? What was this a symbol of? In terms of freedom, revolution, self-assertion, contentment, happiness as a right for the aged?
11. Was the sequence with the police interviewing the old people fair? Was there too much against the police? or was it a symbol of how police can oppress people? The fascist overtones of the police chief? The various personalities and their enduring of the questions?
12. The visual and thematic contrast with Jules and the ladies on holidays? The different world, the detail of their enjoyment, shopping, the belly dancing etc.? Their sending their cards back to Belgium?
13. The reaction on the Matron and her concern about herself and her institution? Her reliance on the police and the policeman's infatuation with her? The irony in her discovery of the truth, the interfering busybodies giving the truth? The nature of their return and their humiliation by the police and the ambulance?
14. Was it inevitable that a further crisis would be precipitated? The humiliation of Jules and the condemnation of madness? Flore's reaction and her taking things into her own hand? Exercising leadership? Was the revolution plausible? The stance on the rood with the posters? Blocking the lifts, taking the food? The siege? The TV and the fire people?
15. The reaction on the Matron and the staff? On the nurse? The police and their intervention? How did the old lady’s death change the atmosphere and make it all more serious? The repercussions on all the people?
16. How heavy-handed was the presentation of the funeral? The mourning and the atmosphere of sadness? The presence of the Matron and the police chief? The flashbacks and the interetating of their consoling one another, sexuality? How necessary? How plausible? What point was being made? The passing around of the photograph and the reaction? The exploding of the surface hypocrisy?
17. The happiness and happy ending of Jacques' return? The irony of the Matron leaving as he bad left?
18. The nurse and her narrative about the change and the way of life at the institute? Jacques' return? The prospect of romance and happy ending?
19. The humour and irony of audience expectations about the marriage, and the emergence of Flore and Jules? An appropriate ending and still for the film?
20. The social implications of this film? The old age and its care? Social concern and neglect? Revolution and authority? The basic human values?
