DARKER THAN AMBER

US, 1970, 96 minutes, Colour.
Rod Taylor, Theodore Bikel, Suzy Kendall, Jane Russell, James Booth.
Directed by Robert Clouse.

A Private Eye thriller. The private eye is Travis Mc Gee, created by novelist John MacDonald?, played by Rod Taylor. It was made in the atmosphere of many similar films in the late sixties from Paul Newman as Harper, Steve Mc Queen as Bullet, George Peppard as M. and Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome.

The film is average of its kind. Rod Taylor is a tough hero and Theodore Bikel genial enough as his offsider. English Suzy Kendall is asked to play two roles. There are brief glimpses of Jane Russell and James Booth. Direction is by Robert Clouse who was to go on to make a number of action adventures in the seventies, especially the Bruce Lee film, Enter the Dragon.

1. The popularity of the Private Eye thriller? The value of this film - better than average material, characterisation, crime thriller?

2. The conventions of the Private Eye thriller - the tough hero, the sentimental offsider? The ambiguous heroine? The violent criminals? The affluent atmosphere and corruption? Violence and the solution to problems? How well were these conventions used?

3. Colour photography, Florida, the West Indies? Musical score? Special effects and violence?

4. The plausibility of the plot for the Private Eye thriller? How realistic, contrived?

5. Travis Mc Gee as hero - his life in Florida, his skill as a private eye? His friendship with Meyer? Vangie and her going into the water? Her being rescued? The attachment to her - her story, the sudden violence of her death? The pursuit of the mystery about her death? The discovery of Merrimay and her similarities to Vangie? The preparations for the decoy in the West Indies? The encounters with the thugs, the death of Griff on the beach? The help of Del, the confrontation with Terry and Dels death? The finale at the wharf? Rod Taylor's style as the tough American private eye?

6. Vangie and her being killed, her being rescued and attached to Travis McGee? Her background, mystery, money? The ugliness of the accidental death? Suzy Kendall's double performance as Merrimay? The differing background? Taking Vangie's place, acting as a decoy, the finale at the wharf?

7. Meyer as Travis McGee's offsider - his contribution to the investigation, the presentation of his character?

8. Griff and Terry as thugs? The violence, the killing of Vangie? Del and her place in the confidence trickster job? The explanation of the set-up on the ships? Terry's violence and the death of Del? His going berserk on the wharf?

9. The contribution of the minor characters - Noreen and her explanation of the situation? The contribution of the black maid? The presentation of the victims? Shipboard? Alabama Tiger and her parties? Burk and his hiring out of ships? The world of the Florida Keys, the fraternity there, mutual help, gangsters?

10. Action sequences, violent sequences, chases, confrontations? The popular ingredients of such thrillers?

11. The basic themes of law and order, justice, crime, retribution, human interaction? The perennial popularity of this kind of film?