IT SEEMED LIKE A NICE IDEA AT THE TIME
Canada, 1975, 90 minutes, Colour.
Anthony Newley, Stephanie Powers, Isaac Hayes, Lloyd Nolan, Yvonne de Carlo, Lawrence Dane, John Candy.
Directed by John Trent.
Very much a take it or leave it comedy. It is a Canadian production and may have most of its appeal for Canadian audiences. It is a mixture of farce and social satire and at times the dialogue is rather forced and overdone. However, it has quite a number of comic touches.
Anthony Newley plays the hero and he is an actor whom many enjoy but whom many find very difficult to take. Stephanie Powers is a vigorous heroine. Yvonne de Carlo in her late middle-age, plays Stephanie Powers' hefty mother rather heftily. Musician- composer, Isaac Hayes, has a featured role.
The story emphasises goonery and spontaneity compared with corruption and snobbery. There are some set pieces which illustrate this. The film is of interest as the work of John Trent, a director who made another striking Canadian commercial feature of violence, Sunday in the Country with Ernest Borgnine and died young.
1. The appeal of this kind of comedy? For what audience is it designed?
2. Audience response to farce, satire, romantic comedy, innuendo?
3. The film as a Canadian production: Toronto locations, atmosphere, colour photography, the international stars, the musical score?
4. The atmosphere of the credits with their animation jokes? The technical effects, especially for the party? Anthony Newley's hurried walking, the humorous editing? How much did this contribute to the comic effect?
5. Themes of the modern city, politics and scandals, finance and corruption, high society and cookiness, spontaneity and snobbery? Issues of the modern city? The satirical touch?
6. The use of farce and comic situations and one-liners satirising these issues?
7. Anthony Newley's presence and performance as Sweeney? How interesting a character in himself, as an artist, his work with Moriarty and getting money from him, his liaison with Georgina and his former relationship with her, his hounding her? His attacks on Prince, his antagonism towards Burton, his friendship with Julia? Money, sexuality, the plan to disrupt the party and its great success, his disrupting the weekend at the bungalow, his kidnapping plan, the farcical culmination?
8. Georgina as an attractive heroine? Her marrying Prince for his money and the antagonism between the two, her liaison with Sweeney and her memories of marriage, her liaison with Burton and her trying to protect her mother's house? The visit with Burton prior to the party, her response to the party itself, the clash with her husband and leaving him, her visit to her mother, the time in the bungalow with Burton and the bear and the skunk, her participation in the kidnapping, in the farce at the end?
9. The film's satirical barbs at characters like Prince, his power and wealth, his deals with Burton, his lechery? The vindictiveness of Julia and her various capers to ward him off?
10. Burton as the suave candidate for Mayor, his double-dealings, lechery. his speech at the party, his being trapped at the bungalow by the bear, his being in the plaster cast?
11. Julia and what she represented, her house, the various alarm systems she had, the antagonism towards the guard?
12. The effectiveness of the comic preparations for the party,
Sweeney's taking over, the snobby lady and her offhand remarks, innuendo, behaviour at the party? The social party types contrasting with the people brought in by Moriarty and Sweeney?
13. The types represented in the supporting cast ? Moriarty and his art and meditation, his girl friend and her time with Sweeney etc.?
14. The cumulative effect of the farcical ending especially the characters and behaviour of the two police? The humour of everybody being arrested and rescued by Sweeney? What was the audience left with at the end, participation in a comedy, the appreciation of the satirical points about contemporary society?
