ELIZABETH LUCY/ THE PYX
Canada, 1973, 108 minutes, Colour,
Karen Black, Christopher Plummer, Robin Gammell.
Directed by Harvey Hart.
A murder mystery. Two consecutive 24-hour periods are intercut throughout the film: Elizabeth Lucy's last day and Inspector Henderson' s day of solving the case. What looks a straightforward murder finally veers into post-Rosemary's Baby occultism. But it has been prepared by the detailed attention to Catholic piety and ritual. In fact, the original title was 'The Pyx'.
Karen Black is ultimately a sympathetic Lucy. Christopher Plummer seems to enjoy his police role somewhat grimly. The atmosphere is rather sordid (because the real world of murder is not the ladies’ and gentelemen’s world of Agatha Christie).
1. The appeal of a murder mystery to an audience, the crime, characters? puzzle? Clues and detection? The appeal of this mystery, the leading up to the occult and the appeal of the occult?
2. The quality of the film as particularly Canadian, location, style, atmosphere?
3. The appropriateness of colour, Panavision, music, the songs, especially those composed by Karen Black, based on the scriptural Canticle of Canticles? Their placement and comment on the action?
4. The importance of the structure: two periods of twenty-four hours? The beginning with Elizabeth Lucy's death, the twenty-four hours progressing from that point in detection of the crime; the twenty-four hours preceding the death and the last day of Elizabeth Lucy? The editing, the cross-cutting from past to present? How helpful for the audience to know the background of Elizabeth Lucy? Henderson not knowing it?
5. Audience participation in the puzzle about Elizabeth Lucy, following through the detection with Henderson, having the advantage of more knowledge than he? Knowledge that he would never know but would like to know?
6. The nature of the mystery, the details of the puzzle, the people part¬icipating, suspicions, clues?
7. The focus on Henderson and his character? As a detective, his personal style? the laconic touch, the sullen and grim approach? His response at the scene of the crime, the caretaker and his interrogation, the visit to Latimer and the cross-examination of Laura? His relationship with his assistant, with the other police, with the overall authorities? His interview with Jimmy? The ship, his experience of the deaths and his inability to, stop them? The participation in the shootout at the ship? The significance of his final confrontation and his shooting the murderer? The confrontation of satanic evil?
8. The importance of the moralizing at the end? Satanic evil impersonated in the murderer? Confronting the evil in Henderson? Was this sufficiently prepared for?
9. The various policemen? Their response to the clues? The nature of police work over a period of twenty-four hours?
10. The contrast with the portrayal of the character of Elizabeth Lucy, her last day? Her waking up in bed, her attitude towards her clients? The importance of the breaking up of Elizabeth Lucy's day for the audience, raising suspense, learning? The initial response to her as a hooker, who was dead? The transition to knowing her as a person?
11. Her professional work, her relationship with Latimer, with Laura? Her Catholic background? Her presence at the Mass? The interview with Sandra and the revelation about the drugs? Her concern for Sandra? Her relationship with Jimmy and helping him? Their talking together at home? (In the light of his later testimony and explanation of her?) The drive, Latimer's offering the special job, her hesitation, premonition, the encounter with the priest in Confession on behalf of Sandra, the con¬frontation of her sinfulness?
12. The gradual build-up to the Black Mass? The revelation of who the murderer might be? Latimer drugging her, the ceremony presented in such detail, the plain chant?
13. The Catholic overtones of the whole film, Elizabeth Lucy's belief in God, the challenge to desecrate the host, her unwillingness to do this and allowing herself to die? A kind of martyrdom, a grace of God for someone who believed in Him, who did not want to desecrate the host while yet sinful? The possibility of redemption?
14. The delineation of the minor characters, especially Latimer and Laura and the impact of their deaths, the caretaker and his aggressiveness and leading to clues with Henderson overhearing his phone call? The henchman and his trailing people? Jimmy, his homosexuality and the pathos of his death? The murderer and his madness?
15. The original title was The Pyx: an emphasis on the Eucharist and its desecration. Was it a more appropriate title than Elizabeth Lucy?
