THE GAMBLER
US, 1974, 109 minutes, Colour.
James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Lauren Hutton, Jacqueline Brookes, Morris Carnovsky.
Directed by Karel Reisz.
The Gambler shows James Caan, a New York College Professor of English who is a compulsive gambler, who revels masochistically in risk and soon appears to wallow in losing. This is a grim film, another picture of ugly America (by English Director Karel Reisz) and its materialistic ethos. It is not easy to identify with Caan's gambler - which makes us observe much of his downfall rather than fully share it with
him. The points about gambling addiction are fairly clearly communicated. Much of the detail of the film is excellent, especially the sequences with the gambler's mother and grandfather.
1. The indication of the title? Is it adequate for the themes and their exploration?
2. The structure of the film for its impact and impetus: involvement with Axel, his gambling, his work, his downhill decline, culmination?
3. The importance of the locations: American gambling, the teaching world, the atmosphere of New York, New York gambling, the Grandfather's mansion, the mother and her work, the atmosphere of Las Vegas? Axel firmly understood within the American context? Axel as a metaphor for the American man?
4. The exploration of the theme and its depth: initial impact, interest in gambling, sympathy for Axel, understanding his processes, involvement in gambling? The significance of the classes and Dostoievsky? The hero striving for the impossible? The meaning of Axel's life? The meaning of losing? Self-punishment, risk? What is the essence of gambling? The risk, the lack of certainty? The nature of Axel's addiction? The important gambling, the small gambling e.g. the basketball? The loss of feeling? Axel's using his relations and girlfriend? The film's judgment on gambling?
5. The importance of Billy's Las Vegas story for the ending and for the meaning?
6. The film's presentation of Axel as a gambler, the man, as a teacher? Were these elements convincingly integrated? Axel as a son and grandson, as a lover? As a victim? The hoods and Spencer? What insight into Axel as a man?
7. Axel as a gambler: the opening and the involvement, the borrowing of money, the continual preoccupation, the relaxation during the risk and uncertainty? Las Vegas, the games, the car racing, the bath, the radio?
8. Axel as a victim - the literary quotations? Axel as a conscious loser? The nature of a born and conscious loser?
9. Axel's relationship with his mother? The relationship between the two? Her not understanding his gambling? The tennis scene, the swimming scene, dancing? Axel's capacity to hurt his mother and take her money?
10. Axel's relationship with his grandfather? The praise, the nature of gambling, the grandfather's refusal?
11.The importance of Hips and the pressure on Axel? The world of gangsters, loan sharks?
12.The impact of the thugs in this film? That gambling is not just in a fairy-tale world but has its own consequences of violence?
13.How well-developed a character was Billie? Or was she just an ordinary goodtime girl? Play-girl, love for Axel, supporting him, the dangerous sequences in the car, Las Vegas, her leaving him? Should she have remained with Axel?
14.The melodrama of the ending? Self-masochism? The scar as a symbol of the conscious loser?
15.How profound an exploration of an aspect of human nature was this film?
