IN SEARCH OF AMERICA

US, 1971, 75 minutes, Colour.
Carl Betz, Vera Miles, Jeff Bridges, Ruth Mc Devitt, Howard Duff, Kim Hunter, Michael Anderson Jr, Sal Mineo, Tyne Daly, Glenn Turman.
Directed by Paul Bogart.

In Search of America is very much a 1970s telemovie. In the wake of hippies and flower power, an American family go on the road to search for meaning. Carl Betz and Vera Miles are the parents, Jeff Bridges the hippie-type son, Ruth Mc Devitt and eccentric grandmother. The film shows the typical road of the period – and the interesting questions that people asked at the time.

It was written by Lewis John Carlino, who directed The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea and Class.

1. The impact of this film, entertainment and interest, reflecting 1970, its impact in its times, now? How have times changed? Audience tastes and interests?

2. The emphasis of the title, search, a piece of Americana? How significant about America?

3. The television style, commercials, close-ups? The treatment of the 'drop-out' theme for a home audience? The critique of traditional values, the search of new values in changing times? Did it make the search acceptable for the home audience?

4. Was the basic plot plausible? how possible? How many would do such a thing? Was the treatment of the trip realistic? The presentation of the family, their relationships, the discovery of those who had 'dropped out'?

5. How well did the film explore the issues of the varying generations? The crises of the sixties? The nature of the misunderstandings, a bridge to understanding, an optimistic outlook that a bridge could be made?

6. The presentation of the older generation: the settling for traditional values, hard won success, business, work and money, organization and comforts? How did the film criticize these values? Did it support them?

7. The contrast with the values of the younger generation: the critique of a materialism, the dropping out of pressurized business and time tables, the questions of communication and noncommunicating, musical styles, leisure, the consequences of dropping out e.g., the hippies? The critique of the new values?

8. Was either view presented as right or wrong? How did the film make audiences re-assess the values?

9. Was Mike a credible hero to lead such an exploration? His background within the family, education, prospects of a career, the values that he stood for, his aim in searching for different values in America, the way that he persuaded his family to go, to prepare the caravan, to participate in the activity? The effect of the search on him?

10. How conventional was Jenny as a mother? Wife? The comfort of her home, not wanting, to leave? How was she persuaded, the effect of the journey on her and being away from the comforts of home? The same with the father? With the grandmother and her willingness to go? What was the effect on each of them? How did they share Mike's search? Did they find what they were looking for? How much wiser were they at the end of the film?

11. Comment on what they saw an they travelled in city, country, peoples' behaviour, values, peace, happiness and unhappiness?

12. The importance of the sequences at the settlement? The various types represented there, the encounters, communal living?

13. How was this focussed in the personality of Kathy, their relationship, children? Work and self-support? Peace, anger, hostility? Love? The vocabulary and cliches of the time and the critique of these? The importance of Kath's parents searching for her?

14. The effect of Kathy on Luke? A romantic look, a disillusioning look? The transition from comedy to tragedy?

15. What kind of achievement is there in this kind of film? What does it hope to do to its audience?