LOST AND FOUND

UK, 1979, 105 Minutes, Colour.
George Segal, Glenda Jackson, Maureen Stapleton, Hollis Mc Laren,
Directed by Melvin Frank.

Genial George Segal and articulate, brittle-attractive Glenda Jackson are versatile stars and adept comedians. They worked well together with writer director Melvin Frank in A Touch of Class and work well again here. The freshness cannot be recaptured but their easy interaction in this humorous battle of the sexes (and instead of an affair, we have marriage and permanence themes). Humorous car and ski accidents (and an enjoyable plaster cast dance) lead to an eccentric mother (Maureen Stapleton excellent), campus staff life, theses and academic rivalry (and Paul Sorvino as a loquacious Italian New York taxi driver name Riley). Each star has set pieces for style and comedy, they have many good lines and provide good
adult entertainment.

1. Expectations of the comedy romance from the stars, A Touch of Class? How satisfying was this film?

2. The perennial appeal of romantic comedy? The traditions from the '30s? Star teams and their particular styles, interactions? The age group appealed to?

3. George Segal and his genial and soft comedy style, helpless etc.? Glenda Jackson and her brittle, smart and articulate style? The contribution of the supporting stars especially Maureen Stapleton and her eccentricity, Paul Sorvino and his Italian-Irish? comedy? Melvin Frank and his skill with humorous and witty dialogue, contrived and funny situations?

4. The attractiveness of the European background, the ski resorts? New York and the eccentricities of Jemmy? The New England academic background? Contemporary settings? American styles and types, wealth, status?

5. The significance of the title, its ironies, its reference to the two main characters, their love and marriage?

6. The humour of the opening and the introduction to the characters? The voiceover and conversations with the cars approaching each other, the accident? The ski encounter and the further accident? The build-up of their antagonism in the hospital? The aggressive approach of Patricia? The tricking Adam about the letter in French, getting to like him, hearing him respond to the Edgar Allen Poe lecture, feeling sorry for his wife's death? Adam and his attraction towards Patricia? The quick build-up of their forgiveness of each other after the accident at the hospital door, sharing their experiences, talking, the humour of the dance in the plaster cast, the twelve weeks, the arrival at marriage and the puzzled conversation about permanence during the ceremony? The light and contemporary tone?

7. Impressions of Patricia - Glenda Jackson's style, her marriage, career, divorce. rivals aged 22, her antagonism especially about the letter?

8. Adam and the death of his wife. the conversations and arguments with his mother, his antagonism towards Patricia,, his being tricked? The affair, marriage and the comment about living together being bourgeois and for the younger generation? Indications of permanence?

9. Jemmy and her eccentric New York setting? Maureen Stapleton's skill in making a person of this eccentric character? Her talk, chatter, type, talk about literary figures of the past, nothing too good for her son, worries about the tenure of office, the pressures on Patricia. her permissive approach, arranging things? Phone calls? The dinner for the film critic? Adam about to argue with her at the end but Patricia inviting her and the indications that Jemmy wanted to be invited? A good portrait of a character?

10. The young girl and her bond with Adam, attractive, overtones of an affair, her trying to ingratiate herself with Patricia, the offers of help for the thesis, sympathies during the lecture, her age of 22? Being caught at the lodge? The complications? Adam and his helplessness?

11. The humour with the portrait of Riley, his being Italian but his Irish name, the cab driver., the worldly wisdom, his incessant talk and Patricia's reaction, his wise observations, his readiness with advice, with driving? The various trips, the airport? The help with trying to revive Adam after the suicide attempt?

12. The pervasive memory of Susan, the house and all her memories, Patricia’s comparisons with her, the diary and the help that it gave in understanding Adam?

13. The therms of tenure, the rivalry between the two friends, the two couples and their discussions, Patricia wanting to share all Adam's secrets and his not telling her about the difficulties of tenure? The writing of the thesis, the staging of dinners, the reception of the critic and Patricia's drunken clowning and ridicule of the critic? The authority figures at the university and their expectations? The antics they expected of the lecturers? Julian and his pregnant wife, the advice about alternate jobs? The crisis for Adam in coping with himself, his academic work, his career?

14. The background of academic lectures, Emily Dickinson, the supervisor and the answers of questions? Theses, wanting to complete work, the need for originality, Adam's fear and not doing any work? His wanting to be in a dependent state?

15. Patricia as housewife, her social graces, jealousy, Julian and secrets about the career, the verbal battles of the sexes, the organisation of the dinner for the critic, discovering Adam with the girl, her drunken abuse? Decision to leave, the packing up and arguing, the realisation of the shut window and the suicide attempt, her return, cleaning up? Reconciliation? Inviting Jemmy, supporting Adam in his work? Did they have a future together?

16. Adam as a nice person, his relationship with women, capacity for love, his friendship with his rival, jealousy, loser, the suicide attempt? A future?

17. The comic set pieces for each star with their charm and comic style?

18. Themes of love, marriage, permanence, hard work, career? A comedy for middle aged audiences?