COMPANIONS IN NIGHTMARE

US, 1968, 100 minutes, Colour.
Gig Young, Anne Baxter, Patrick O’ Neal, Dana Wynter, Leslie Nielsen, Melvyn Douglas, William Redfield, Louis Gossett Jr.
Directed by Norman Lloyd.

Companions in Nightmare was an early telemovie and employed quite a number of famous stars. It is a murder mystery but the setting is a sensitivity encounter group, reflecting the popularity of such groups in the late sixties. This provides some melodramatics in interactions amongst the stars as well as occasion for detective work and the probing of human themes. Melodramatic, somewhat implausible, but certainly interestingly entertaining.

1. The quality of this early telemovie? The impact of telemovies and their techniques? The audience for which the film was designed?

2. The qualities of the telemovie, plot, stars, breaks for commercials etc.? The bringing of the murder mystery into the home? Psychology?

3. The effectiveness of the murder mystery framework, the giving of clues, the analysis of personalities? The contribution of Bernard Herrmann and his dramatic score?

4. Audience interest in group therapy around 1969? The interest in psychology, group work? The value of this kind of therapy? Suspicions, benefits, fears? The using of therapy by the police? The importance of psychodrama and the revelation of people's motives and understanding one another?

5. How well did the police techniques, the detective story framework and the psychological therapy and psychodrama blend? How credible?

6. The range of murder suspects and audience suspicion? Sufficient clues, insight into personality - especially by psychodrama and the gradual revelation of their true stories? The build-up to the ending and the revelations?

7. The importance of showing so many sessions? Their style? Could the truth be found out in such sessions? The running of the meetings, the role of the doctor, the various personalities involved, hatreds, expressions of feelings and suspicions? The standing up, sitting down and moving around?

8. The patterns of the film in showing meetings between the various individuals outside the sessions? The way they left the sessions, the visits to one another. the revelation of various aspects of life? The revelation of the true natures of the people involved in the sessions?

9. The portrait of Dr. Nicholson, his control of the sessions, his suspicions, the irony of his death?

10. The character of Dr. Strelson, his hopes? his not being present at so many of the sessions? His explanations to the police about various personalities, cases that he had met and analysis of the situation especially for the police?

11. how plausible was the character of Philip? his personality, home life, the revelation that he was a presence even though dead? His effect on each of those present? Their motivations for killing him?

12. Eric as the seeming hero? How suspicious was the audience of him? His constant presence throughout the film? How much of his character was revealed in the encounters with his wife and the failure of their marriage? The imports of his visit and the truth told especially by his wife? The encounter with Julie, and the truth?

13. How plausible was the character of Carlotta? Relationship with Philip, wealth and being spoilt, the formalities of her marriage? The importance of the visit to Jeremy, the killing of her dog and the effect on her?

14. Jeremy and his bitterness and the telling of the truth of his story? Especially the sequences with Carlotta? His cynicism in the sessions?

15. The truth about Julie, seeing her at home, her cases of guilt in the past? Its being played on for the present crime?

16. Richard and the reasons for his silence?

17. How much of each other was re-enacted when the psychodrama was attempted? How useful for dramatics, a way of getting to the truth?

18. The effect of the truth and the culmination? The irony of the repetition of the opening?

19. The presentation of the police especially in McKay? The importance of his being black? Were race issues raised?

20. How effective is the use of psychology for exploring the motives for murder mystery and the psychology behind such aberrant behaviour?