Saturday, 18 September 2021 19:19

Stunt Man, The





THE STUNT MAN

US, 1979, 130 minutes, Colour.
Peter O' Toole, Barbara Hershey, Steve Railsback, Sharon Farrell, John Garwood, Allen Goorwitz, Alex Rocco, Chuck Bail, Adam Roarke.
Directed by Richard Rush.

The Stunt Man actually has a great deal of spectacular stunt work, but it’s about a powerful director who manipulates a Vietnam veteran fugitive from the police, both in real life and for his performance for the film. Audiences see things from the fugitive's growing suspicious viewpoint and share the illusions, often not knowing whether what occurs is the film or the film within the film. Peter O’ Toole presides as the God/Satanic director. Steve Railsback (Manson in Helter Skelter) is very good as the fugitive.

Action writer/director Richard Rush propels the action, the characters and audiences along, enjoying the action and puzzling over serious themes of life and death, identity, risk. Rush has a background of writing and direction in the '60s of some Hell's Angels films with Jack Nicholson. His commercial films include Getting Straight and Freebie and the Bean. The Stunt Man received many Oscar nominations including Best Director, Best Actor.

1. The difficulties in the release of the film? Its being considered non-commercial? Held up for two years? The eventual release - success in America? World wide? Awards and nominations? The director working on the film for almost ten years?

2. The appeal of the film - in terms of plot, stunts? Its significance and exploration of themes of human nature, human situation, free will, control? Box office success? Critical success?

3. The focus of the title on Cameron? The implications because of the focus on films and film-making? The director as the stuntman par excellence? The hero as himself and as doubling for others? His reality and unreality? Identity and non-identity? Stars merely being faces for the reality of the stuntman? The stuntman being a face and a body for the director? The audience not seeing the stunts and the enigma of the stuntman? Audience admiration for his skills? An evocative title?

4. The mystery of the opening with its symbolism, location, character, action presented so swiftly? The focus on the bird, the roof, the town, the helicopter, the apple dropping, the police, the encounter with Cameron? This small segment indicating the intricacy, pace, fluidity and style of the film? Audience attention being arrested, imaginations activated? Alertness to reality and symbol? The cinematic nature of the film? Film's use of cinematic techniques and its manipulation of its audience? The importance of the devices for editing, the effects of editing for information, emotional response? Playing with audience emotional response? The musical score, the lively theme music? The song and its lyrics - and insertion into the screenplay?

5. The development of the plot: the introduction to Cameron on the run, Eli Cross and his direction work? Cameron running? Audiences identifying with him without knowing why? The episodes in the town, confrontation and the exhilaration of his escape? His outwitting his pursuers, the opportunity of the car, Eli Cross and his watchful presence? The crash? The realism and the filming? The gradual development of films and tricks? Audiences watching filming - with gasp and applause like the cinema audience? Cameron and his being continually tricked? For example, Nina and her fall? Eli saving him? The proposal for him to do stunt work? Police curiosity and investigation? The transition from Cameron to Burt and to Lucky? The making of the film, his training, doing ever more dangerous stunts? Eli and the discussions about making the film? Manipulating Cameron? The relation ship with Nina? The film crew? The changing of the writing of the film? The culmination in the final stunt? The dynamism of the action of the screenplay?

6. The audience sharing Cameron's view of what was happening? Feeling with him? His background, escape from the police, hiding from the police? His feeling towards Ell? Feelings of manipulation? The build-up to the final stunt and his suspicions of Ell? His trust in Nina, love, sense of betrayal? His finally being trapped? Rescued? The ironic laughter of the ending?

7. How well did the film portray Cameron as a character: his appearance, disguising his clothes after the escape? Watching the filming and being taken in? Rescuing Nina? His being persuaded to stay with the film group? The transformation of his appearance, makeup? His being fascinated and repelled? The details of his training? The execution of the stunts? His initial apprehensions, growing exhilaration? (The explanation about trick photography, the size of King Kong, the manipulating of film e.g. with the sunset?) The friendship with Nina, the sexual relationship, the disappointment? The makeup girl? Raymond and his standing in for him? Eli stimulating him into action, understanding, puzzle? His place in the symbolism of the film? His doing the stunts and not knowing what was happening to him? Keyed up, relief? His contributing ideas e.g. the dance on the wings of the plane? In and out of his character's clothes and back to himself in disguise? Wanting to leave, wanting to stay? The sequence with Nina on the tower? His reaction to Eli knowing everything? The discussion with Sam about Nina? His beginning to understand? Police pursuit and the irony of the manipulated film for their consumption? His finally telling his story to Nina? War experience, coming home, violence and disillusionment? The farce scenes with the paint? The build-up to the escape and his finally being tricked by Ell? The argument about the money at the end? The final admiration of the police? Three days and his being transformed? The craziness of the situation? (The importance of his being a Vietnam veteran and the aftermath of the Vietnam war - strong for himself, maladjusted in coming home? Eli's comments on people forgetting the war?)

8. The film as an image and symbol of the contemporary world? Ordinariness, realities and appearances, Vietnam and peace, violence and craziness, disillusionment, accidents and death, victims and victimisers? Escape, camouflage, reality and unreality, the nature of illusion, seeing and making assumptions, changing viewpoints? Eli’s theory of paranoia and cure? The existential challenge of life and action? Puppet characters and real characters? The nature of being real?

9. Peter O'Toole's performance as Ell? His godlike domination from the helicopter, his appearance, mannered speaking, the role of the film director, "If God could do what we could do, He'd be a happy man"? The satanic aspects of the director? Being godlike but controlling for evil and destruction? The relentlessness of the director - to keep filming even while a man was drowning? His theory about making anti-war film - and the irony of its being interpreted in the opposite way? The confrontation with Cameron on the beach, shielding him from the police, hiring him, changing his name? His pressure on his associates to accept him? Sam and his screenplay? The meals and the discussions? Ell's use of Nina, infatuation with her, their past? His past, his knowing what was happening? Throwing her at Cameron yet controlling her? His speeches. theories? The meals with the group and the to-ing and fro-ing of discussion? The fascination for Cameron? The transition from film to reality and his use of the film sequences for commenting on reality e.g. the scenes of Nina ageing, the cemetery? The control over Nina e.g. showing the bedroom scenes to her parents and pretending that it was an accident? The attitude towards Raymond and his behaviour, stunts? The sense of the outrageous e.g. the dancing on the plane? The build-up to the final sequence? His hovering and filming? His belief in his film? And the irony of the altercations about money at the end?

10. Nina as heroine - seeing her on the television ad, as the old lady and being rescued, her makeup? Docile towards Eli ? The background of their affair? Her place in the group? The friendship with Cameron? Sexual relationship and their discussions, choices? Her presence in the film itself, especially in the cemetery scenes? (And the comment on war and memories of war?), the sex scenes and their being shown to her parents? Her being made to cry? Listening to Cameron's story, the painting sequence? In the boot of the car? The chase in the mud? The finale and her being on Ell's side? Cameron adjusting to her realities? A future with Cameron or not?

11. Sam and the dilemmas of the screenwriter? Story, adaptations, gloom. playing it safe, his love of the outrageous, his advice to Cameron? A credible sketch of a screenwriting type?

12. The assistant manager and his doing Ell's will? The stunt trainer and the details of training Cameron, the tricks for the camera? The elaborate sequences on the building, falls and chases? The editors and their cutting? The makeup girl - as a type? Raymond as the leading man -his skills, his leaving the stunt work to Cameron?

13. The police, permissions for filming, Jake and his exasperation? Interviews? Watching the doctored film? Finally believing that Cameron was Burt?

14. The technical and technological aspects of film and filming, the exhilaration of filming and creating? Makeup and tricks e.g. the beach sequence and war? Explosions? Bombings? The flying plane and the dancing and yet its being on the ground as a machine? Editing and the comments on King Kong? Tricks to make actors and actresses emote? The build-up to the final crash and drowning? The divers?

15. The background theme of war, anti-war, the first world war, Vietnam? Heroes and heroism?

16. Film and outrageous creative art - budget. the scope of the imagination, stunts? The outrageous aspects of this film in itself?

17. Themes of exhilaration, action, violence? Power and control? Physical and psychological control? Art and reality?