THE INTERNECINE PROJECT (THE MANIPULATOR)

UK, 1974, 89 minutes, Colour.
James Coburn, Lee Grant, Harry Andrews, Ian Hendry, Michael Jayston, Keenan Wynn.
Directed by Ken Hughes.

The Internecine Project (The Manipulator): for those on the lookout for a good thriller, here it is: English production, set in London, but concerned with US power and politics, giving credibility to a plot which depends on its very calculated approach for audience involvement and suspense.

1. Originally called, The Manipulator, was this a successful title for the film and its themes? The title, The Internecine Project? A more appropriate title, the background of the credits illustrating this?

2. How successful a thriller? Its use of conventions of mystery, murder, spying, politics, chase? Did it transcend its conventions? 'Where?

3. Comment on the structure of the film: the credit sequences, the TV program and the four reactions, the build-up of the four characters, the explanation of Elliot's role, the map of murders and the exploiting of this? The focus on the phone for the success of the murders? How well did this involve audiences?

4. How important was the London base for this thriller, the tones that it gave it, the English style of thriller? The fact that the characters and the focus were very American? A distancing from American politics and corruption, yet having the reality?

5. How interesting and accurate was the portrait of big business, American politicking, and the dirtiness of these worlds? What judgment did the film make?

6. The importance of the TV session in setting a tone for the film, inflation and discussion of economics, the control of economies, the questioning by Jean, Elliot's response and Elliot as a person? As a focus for the beginning of the film?

7. How interesting a character was Elliot? How sinister did he seem from the beginning? Could the audience identify with him? His academic background, the gradual sinister and greedy overtaking of his morals: The end justifies the means? His relationship to his network? His relationship to America and their control of him? His ambitions for the job? His Fascist tendencies and proclamation of these ideals to Jean? How much feeling did he have? The professional gentleman, his relationship to Jean and its emptiness? The supreme manipulator?

8. What did Jean add to the film? A touch of feminine interest and glamour? Her relationship with Elliot? The effect on her, her seeing through him, her exposing him at the end? A more humane comparison for the behaviour of Elliot?

9. How interesting were the victims and their portrayal? Parsons and the background of the club, his homosexuality, the role that he played in supplying information, the persuasion to the murder of the girl and his success in achieving it, the horror of the murder, the inevitability of his death, audience sympathy for this?

10. Alex and his nervousness, diabetes, dealing in millions with Elliot, his squeamishness as regards murder, the fact that he was asked to do a violent deed, the way that he did it, his nervousness, the phone, his hitting of Parsons, his not ringing Elliot and the result of this, the impact of his death?

11. Christina and her role as a prostitute? seeing her in action, audience sympathy and non-sympathy for her, her willingness to do what Elliot asked, the fact that she was not asked to murder, the poignancy of her death, the shower-murder and its atmosphere?

12. David Baker: the interest and importance of the sequences with him at work? his scientific achievement, the fact that he was a murderous type with his machines - the fact that he was a victim of these, his initial hesitations to substitute the Insulin, his actually doing it, his tensions in being seen, the horror of his death, the impact of his suspicions and the fact that he was retribution for Elliot?

13. The sinister role of Farnsworth? The fact that top American politicians and economists can have this kind of power? advising to kill, not hesitating to kill Elliot if the need arose? What judgment on and insight into each character?

14. The importance of the phone in this film and its continual ringing, the effect on audiences, the phone as sinister? The importance of the details and the efficient manipulation of the program?

15. Could the audience identify with the plan and even hope that it would be successful as it waited with Elliot for the various calls? How did the film then manipulate audience feelings? Morality and expectations?

16. How effective was the end of the film? Receiving, the news of the job, the final encounter with Jean and the Fascist proclamation of her willingness to expose Elliot, his blandness in reading the diary, the fear of the poison, the reporters finding him dead?

17. The purpose of making this film? Merely a thriller? Using modern situations and interests as framework for a thriller? How effective was it in combining all its themes and its techniques for audience? impact?