THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE

US, 1984, 108 minutes, Colour.
Rob Lowe, Beau Bridges, Jodie Foster, Paul McCrane?, Nastassia Kinski, Wilford Brimley, Wallace Shawn.
Directed by Tony Richardson.

The Hotel New Hampshire is based on John Irving's novel. His novel, The World According to Garp, was filmed in the early '80s by George Roy Hill. It is a satire on the American way of life, the American dream - and is reminiscent of the black comedy of Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum (filmed by Volker Schlondorff in the late '70s).

The film has unusual casting but adds to the offbeat and sometimes bizarre style of the film. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Tony Richardson (who made interesting kitchen-sink dramas around 1960 including Look Back in Anger and The Entertainer, who won an Oscar for Tom Jones, and who has had a mixed career during the '70s and '80s).

1. A piece of Americana? Black comedy? Satire?

2. John Irving and his literary reputation? Novelist, satirist? An emphasis on style? His vision of America? Cinema adaptation of his vision and style?

3. The focus on the United States: the hotel, the school, the ordinary way of life? New York and its affluence? The contrast with Austria? The atmosphere of the film?

4. The use of music, its range, popular songs and classical themes?

5. The cinema styles: editing, speeding up techniques?

6. The focus on story and the telling of stories, fairy tales - people lost, happy endings? A world of fantasy? Insight through satirical fantasy?

7. The irony of the story: the U.S. family and its dreams, ethos? The mocking of the family, of individuals? Accidents, failures? The focus on taboos, especially sexual taboos and their being broken? Reality/unreality - insight and comment?

8. The Berry family: the focus on the family at the opening, Win telling the story? The humour, the family's response? The sad ending with the death of the bear? A happy and an unhappy family? Victims? Their growing up - or not? Dreams? The manic drive? Hurt and love? The fantasy ending and its delight?

9. Win and his wife, the, hotel and their verve in working there, courting and falling in love? Their friendship with Freud, the mayhem that he caused? The satire on anti-Semitism amongst the Germans in 1939? Bicycles, motor-bikes and bears? The importance of the bear - and the later comparison with Susie? Win and his wife marrying? The experience of the war, the return after the war, the hotel and its dilapidated state. John shooting the bear, Win's grief at the death of the bear?

10. The importance of time and a sense of period? Post-war timelessness? The question of age - and the cast not appearing to age? Lily not growing? The symbol of not growing up? The world of the novel and best-seller success, film rights and adaptations? Frank as manager, pressure? Deaths? Lily as a symbol of age and timelessness? Her girlish appearance, the implication that she was a woman, her writing of the novel, changing of dress and hairstyle, celebrity and the interviews, the failure of, her second book, the pressure, Frank's management, her decision to die and the note that she left? The pathos of her death? Her growing taller in the final fantasy?

11. John and the voice-over - his wisdom, or not? Age? Weightlifter and bodybuilding? The continual emphasis on sport and exercise? Football playing and the jocks falling on him? His defending Fran? Relationship with Junior? The infatuation with the maid, the sex experiences? The party, the blonde girl and the negro girl, the jokes about the false teeth. his contact with the girl - and finding the dead dog in the bath? His infatuation with Fran, the torment? The ultimate day in bed with her - and the humour with the clock? Her declaring him to be free? His being a rescuer? In Austria, the decisions, his involvement with 'Miss Miscarriage'? With the terrorists? The return, the friendship with Junior? His participation in the revenge on Chip? The end and his relationship with Susie? The athlete, the relationship., with his grandfather, with his father, his place in the family? The sexual taboos and their being broken?

12. Fran and her place in the family, daughter, sister? Antagonism towards Prank, fighting with him under the table? John? Chip and her infatuation? His insults? The build-up to the rape sequence? The group raping her and the effect? Her antagonism towards Chip even though she-loved him? Her decision to go to Austria? Her experiences there, Ernst? His reminding her of Chip? The comparisons? The return to America? Junior and his admiration for her? Her becoming a star? Her going to bed with John, her wanting to free him from his obsession? Her marrying Junior? Freedom?

13. Frank, his fighting with John and Fran? Pleasant manner, homosexuality, abused by the group of jocks? His studying taxidermy and wanting to stuff Sorrow? His place in the family, in Austria, becoming Lily's manager? The interviews? The impact of Lily's death on him?

14. Grandfather, coaching sport, his views, the hotel, supporting John~ the opening of the hotel and his drinking, his heart attack after seeing Sorrow?

15. The mother and her pleasantness, wisdom, coping? Dying? Egg and his place as the little boy in the family? His love for Sorrow?

16. Win and his teaching, dreams, buying the hotel, the opening, his relationship with his children? His reaction to Fran's rape? His friendship with Freud, the invitation to Austria, the hotel and its disaster? The prostitutes, the terrorists? Money difficulties? The irony of the bomb going off and his being blinded? Decorated by the government? The effect of his blindness (and his being a successor to the blind Freud)? His happiness on his return, the new hotel - and the. children deceiving him? His happiness at the dawn?

17. Susie and her friendship with Freud, her being disguised as a bear, the farcical aspects, her consciousness of her ugliness, sexuality, liaison with Fran? With Lily? Her joining the group? Her becoming more sympathetic the revenge on Chip? Her relationship with John and his bringing her out of herself?

is. Freud and the comedy with his name, his presence at the hotel, his acting as a doctor - and his being despised by the anti-Semitic German? The bear and the bike? Austria, his blindness, the sleazy house, his being sorry at getting the family across? His friendship with them? With Susie? Giving his life as the bomb went off?

19. Chip and his callowness, the footballers, his attitude towards Fran, the rape? The attack by the negroes with John? The same actor as Ernst and his place amongst the terrorists? His being clubbed to death? The revenge by Fran and the family?

20. The picture of the terrorists and the farcical presentation of their behaviour, suspicions, plans for the opera house, the holding the family to ransom, the death of Miss Miscarriage? Their deaths?

21. Miss Miscarriage, repressed, literary, sexuality, death?

22. The film taking deep themes as relationships and death and satirising them? Flip and offhand presentations? The satirical effect?