PATTERNS

US, 1956, 84 minutes, Black and white.
Van Heflin, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson.
Directed by Fielder Cook.

Patterns was a small budget film of the mid?50s. Modestly produced and filmed in black and white, it was directed by Fielder Cook who has directed only a few feature films, and these are of varied quality and style e.g. Prudence and the Pill, The Napoleonic story, Eagle in a Cage. Patterns is a very interesting study of the world of big business and its impact on the ordinary American man, testing his integrity. The central part is ideally suited to Van Heflin's vigour and tormented conscience. It fits into the pattern of such films of the 50s as Executive Suite and The Power and the Prize. Perhaps it was ahead of its time. Films dealing with cynical big business became more popular in the late 60s and the 70s e.g. I'll Never Forget What's His Name, The Arrangement, The Reckoning amongst others. Patterns is a very interesting and quite powerful film.

1. The significance of the title, its irony, presentation of themes? American title: "Patterns of Power"?

2. The black and white photography,, the New York settings., offices and big buildings, no musical background?

3. How interesting were the themes of this film? Why do they fascinate audiences? Are they entertaining?

4. Audience attitudes to big business films? Observation of a different way of life, fascinating power struggles as having influence on the life of an ordinary man. investor, businessman?

5. The insights of the film's presentation of American capitalism, the role of money, power and management?

6. The film is typically American? The American fabric of business and its way of life? Audience response to this?

7. The insights of the film into big business: in terms of motivation, origins of business, the building up of empire. pragmatic deals, ruthlessness, the places of idealism?

8. The insights of the film into power: its good. the evil effects, the nature of clashes, ruin, ruthlessness, power corrupting people's lives?

9. How interesting a character was Fred Staples? How did he represent the ordinary businessman? The talented man? Audience seeing the issues through his eyes? The importance of establishing him in the sequences at home, with his wife, her ambitions and hopes, his? The fact of the new arrival in New York? The fascination of New York for a business life? Seeing the details of Staples beginning his work? The details of ordinary life in the offices? His sensing hostility. his being patronized, antagonized?

10. The effect of his discovery of the truth about business life? The nature of his dilemma in staying or going? Ramsay's patronizing him? The friendship with Briggs? The working on Ideas, the creativity of reports?

11. What kind of man was Ramsay: the origins of his business, his ideas, his ruthlessness, his principles of 'business first', his incurring enmity of people.. his accepting this as his way of life? What judgement did the film make on his character? Was the film too severe on him?

12. The character of Briggs: the shared origins of the firm, growing old, personal input into ideas, the meetings and the humiliation the pressurizing to resign, the humiliation of the report, the sadness and loneliness of his death?

13. The impact of Briggs' death on Staples? As leading to the ultimate clash? The human values involved here?

14. The solution for Staples to stay? Was this practical? Was it 'having his cake and eating it'? A cynical solution for survival in business?

15. What impact do films like this have? Are they valuable for alerting audiences to this world?