DEEP END

UK, 1970, 94 minutes, Colour.
Jane Asher, John Moulder Brown, Diana Dors, Karl Michael Vogler.
Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski.

Deep End is an unusual film and one that interests those attentive to the development of cinema. Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski made his film in London and Munich and combined realism and fantasy to produce a pessimistic parable about, sanity, madness, growth, sexuality.

A London baths is used as a microcosm of the modern world. All types use the baths for good and for evil. Innocent Mike and experienced Susan work there. Their interaction leads to corruption, obsession, madness and destruction. Skolimowski makes his story more absorbing by making the audience laugh with the foibles of Mike, gaze somewhat pruriently at Mike's obsession and then horrify it with bizarre death.

John Moulder Brown (the horrifying innocent of The Finishing School) and Jane Asher are excellent and there is an outstanding cameo by Diana Dors as a huge, blowsy hedonist of a bather. Disturbing and interesting.

1. Was the title of the film merely referring to the swimming pool?

2. What did the film gain in atmosphere by being set in a London baths? Were the baths meant to be a microcosm of the world? If so, did the film successfully show this?

3. Was Michael well portrayed? Did he come across to the audience as a realistic character? Did he act his age - e.g. on his first day with the manager, with his parents, with the hot-dog man? His behaviour during the film was half-playful, half-menacing. What did this communicate about him?

4. What kind of girl was Susan? Did she fit into the atmosphere of these baths? What were her standards of behaviour? What redeeming qualities did she have - consider also her relationship with the swimming coach, with the cashier?

5. Did she like Michael? Did she intend him any harm? Did she intend to corrupt hint? When did she become hostile to him? What was the significance of the scene in the cinema?

6. What happened to Michael at the baths? How was this symbolised by the woman who liked football? Although the sequence was fanny, how serious was it?

7. Why did Michael fight for Susan against the boys? What was the significance of his meeting with his girl-friend?

8. How and why did Michael become obsessed with Susan? Did he intend her any harm? Why didn't he like the fiance and later, the coach? Were his pranks - the cinema, getting the fiance into trouble with the police, breaking the fire alarm, stealing the advertisement, meeting the prostitute, going into the race, puncturing the tyres - all harmless enough or were they more serious?

9. What was the significance of his nude swim with the placard?

10. Was Michael genuinely concerned about the loss of the diamond? What relationship did this search create - especially with the fiance's phone call and Susan's abuse of the coach?

11. What effect did the sexual encounter have on Michael, on Susan? Should she have been so casual after it (and on the phone with the fiance)?

12. Did Michael intend to kill her, to hurt her?

13. What was the significance of the ending (in the light of question 9)?