FIRECREEK

US, 1968, 104 minutes, Colour.
James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Inger Stevens, Gary Lockwood, Dean Jagger, Ed Begley, Jay C. Flippen, Jack Elam, James Best, Barbara Luna.
Directed by Vincent Mc Eveety.

Firecreek is an enjoyable adult western directed by Vincent Mc Eveety, a regular director for the Disney Studios during the 70s. It stars veterans James Stewart and Henry Fonda. They complement each other well and are certainly at home in the west. They were to appear a few years later in the Cheyenne Social Club. Firecreek is conventional western material but presented quite dramatically and enjoyably.

1. The title of the film and its significance, the image of fire etc.? The reality of the town?

2. How successful was the film as an action western? Was it strong enough in character, incident, crises and climax?

3. How successful was the film as a psychological and thematic western? The symbolism of the town, the portrayal of good and evil, the interaction of good and evil, the crisis?

4. What western conventions did the film utilize? How well? Was the screenplay well constructed? How incisive was the dialogue? Was the film too wordy on its themes?

5. What were the major themes of the film? The implications of good and evil, winning and losing, taking stances and drifting, courage and reasoning? How well did the characters portray the themes? Was this a strength of the film or a weakness?

6. How important was the impact of the town? An old town, decaying and dying, full of losers? The importance of the various discussions about losers and why people were in the town, their failure, their fears? The impact of death and violence in the town? Its response to terror? Its lassitude and apathy? The fact that it needed saving? How well done was this portrayal of the town in dialogue and action and symbol?

7. The central role of Johnny Cobb? James Stewart's personality and style, the homespun philosopher-farmer? Cobb and the scenes of his work on the farm, his payments, his family and his wife's pregnancy? As a church-goer, reasoning with the villains? His non-involvement and role of authority? His interaction with all the people of the town? The gradual emergence of his standing for good? What pushed him then to defy the villains and to take a stance? The influence of Arthur and his death? The change in Cobb at the end and his self-assertion? The self-assertion of good?

8. How well did Larkin contrast with Cobb as bad? Was he consistently bad? His weakness and illness, his apathy as regards his men? His background as a gunfighter and his evil and cruelty? As a parallel to Cobb? His control and lack of control? His relationship with Evelyn and the discussion about the lawlessness? His relationship with her and his change for the worst after it? His assertion of himself at the end, the assertion of evil? The irony of his death at the hand of Evelyn?

9. How important were the other villains in the film: their initial appearance, their menacing the girl in the creek, their behaviour in the town at the bar, interrupting the church service, molesting the Indian girl, terrorising the town, the death of Arthur, the dramatic impact of their own deaths? Audience response to this?

10. The contrast of the so-called good people in the town: Mr. Wittier and his reflection on apathy, Arthur as a half-wit who settled in the town, his trying to save the Indian girl and the accidental death, his being locked up for his own safety, the irony and sadness of his death? Mrs. Littlejohn, the farmers etc.? The importance of Henrietta Cobb and her courage in childbirth and her urging on of her husband? The contrast of these good people with the villains?

11. How was the apathy of the town highlighted by the response to Arthur's imprisonment and death?

12. The significance of the sequence with the preacher? His arrival in the town, the people as religious, his sermon and the conducting of the service, his response to the interruptions, his falling from his horse? How did this create some kind of symbol of what was happening in the town?

13. What did the film have to say about the apathy of so-called good people, of church-going people, of upright people? On the spread of evil unless it is stopped? The importance of taking a stand? Violence as a consequence of not taking a stand?

14. What did the film have to say about violence? Its portrayal of violence? The taking of stands and the avoiding of violence?

15. How was the ending of the film an endorsement of aggression? Was it 'right wing' in its endorsement of aggression and the strengthening of stands? The attack against apathy?

16. Comment on the use of symbols in the film and their application to the themes: Did they help to make this a significant western?