THE OTHER VICTIM
US, 1981, 96 minutes, Colour.
William Devane, Jennifer O'Neill.
Directed by Noel Black.
The Other Victim is a serious and involving telemovie about a rape and its effect on husband and wife, especially the husband who is "the other victim". There are very good performances by Jennifer O'Neill and William Devane in the central roles and sensitive direction by Noel Black. (Black has had a mixed career with films and television work e.g. Pretty Poison, Jennifer On My Mind, A Man, A Woman and a Bank.)
Audiences can quite readily identify with the central characters in their suburban way of life and the intrusion of the rapist. The film is effective in showing how the rape affects the wife who is eventually able to cope with the help of counselling and support. The film shows the paranoia of the American male, his projecting his anguish onto his wife and his inability to be helped by counselling - and his wanting to rely on violence. The film blends documentary aspects and moralising with its human drama. One of the better social telemovies.
1. The impact of this kind of serious telemovie? Audience involvement, atmosphere of authenticity? The serious of the theme - the importance of the message?
2. Production values in the telemovie: location photography, suburban atmosphere, editing? The importance of the discreet score for mood of the film? Allowing for home audience and commercial breaks?
3. The importance of the social themes and their communication by telemovie? Violence, assaut, sexuality? The stories behind headlines? The need for dramatising such stories? Portrait of people, audiences able to understand people? Presentation of themes and discussion of values?
4. The American style of this telemovie? Lifestyle, response, demands, ability and inability to cope? The emphasis on American male paranoia and violence? Impact for an American audience, universal audience?
5. Presuppositions about male-female roles? Traditional roles for men and women, the family? Rape and the woman as victim? Physical and psychological repercussions? Police and the law? Therapy?
6. The establishing of the ordinary situation and inviting audience identification? Suburbia, the family, the 18-year marriage, the children, ordinary daily activities, the neighbours, helping neighbours in house-building? American values e.g. Grace before meals? An invasion of the ordinary way of life?
7. The anonymous rapist - driving, scouting out the houses? His approach, the knife? The discretion of the telemovie in not showing the rape? The response to the rape by Nancy? The discussions with Harry, the police interrogations? The police hampered by the delay in reporting the rape? Police methods - suspects, photos. the line-up? The fact that the rapist would not be found? The sense of outrage and the need for justice? Rape as a crime: aspects of madness. abuse, violation. invasion of the home. terrorising, physical and sexual violence., the inflicting of trauma?
8. Jennifer O'Neill's presence and style as Nance? In herself, love for her husband. the opening sequences? Her place in the home? Her reaction to the rapist, her fear? Her feeling isolated? The help of the neighbour? Harry's support? Her not wanting to go to the police? The cover-up for the children? Her reactions - the bath and her modesty, not wanting to go to bed, the discussions with the lawyer and her tears? Her friendly reaction to the policewoman and her questions? The effectiveness of the counselling? Her beginning to cope. relationship with the children, going to the party? Her shock at Harry's reaction? The gun? Trying to cope with Harry and his reversing of behaviour? Mirroring her initial behaviour? The contact with the police, identification of the photos, the line-up and her uncertainties? Her managing with help?
9. Harry and his role as husband and father, good neighbour? The starting of the day and its interruption? Supporting Nance? His over-reaction with the children and getting the daughter from the supermarket? Wanting to go to the police? His wanting to support Nance and make love to her - and the effect of the impotence? His calling the police, making heavy demands on them, sense of vengeance? His mistakes at work? Clashes with people? Not wanting to go to the party, the dancing, punching his friend? The apologies? The interrogation of the worker from out of town? Making a nuisance of himself at the police station? Getting Nance to go the counsellor, the failure of his own interview and his antagonism? His leaving? The application for the gun, his buying it and his relentlessness? Impatience with Nance as regards the photos, the intensity of his reaction to the line-up, getting the name? His going to the bar and the possibility of going off for the night with the woman - but his not doing it? The visit to the counsellor and his gradually telling the truth, his attitude towards Nance, her being a virgin at marriage, his being deprived of something by the rapist? The build-up to his taking the gun and invading the suspect's home? His violence towards the girlfriend - the equivalent of intrusion and rape? The violent outburst and shooting at his son? The outburst and his sorrow? His being purged of his experience? The title referring to Harry - and its implications?
10. The portrait of the children, home life, the son demanding the truth about the rape, the daughter offended at not being told, the party, coping, reactions to their father, the son following and being shot at?
11. The sketch of the neighbours and their help, the workers? Harry's not wanting the neighbours to find out and his preoccupation about this?
12. The picture of the police and their help, the sympathetic policewoman, the delays, the details of police method?
13. The counsellor and his own experience of his wife being raped? His patience with Harry? His method of drawing him out?
14. Techniques of close-ups, the reliance on expression and communication by action and look? Speech? Mutual help? Harry's projection of his own experience onto Nance? The nature of his being victim and the eruption of his anger and resentment?
15. A credible situation, ugly situation? The effect on husband and wife, family? Paranoia and projection? The social value of this kind of film?
