THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK

Canada, 1969, 115 minutes, Colour.
Sandy Dennis, Michael Burns, Susanne Benton, Luana Anders, John Garfield Jnr.
Directed by Robert Altman.

That Cold Day in the Park is quite an unusual film and was not particularly successful at the box office. It is a rather grim story about a repressed spinster who takes in a young man to help him and whose interior passions are unleashed in a melodramatic and violent way. Sandy Dennis, using her familiar mannerisms, was the star and sustained the film on its release. However, in retrospect the film was probably more interesting as being one of the earliest films directed by Robert Altman. In fact his film after this one was M*A*S*H. Since then Altman has not looked back and has made such a variety of films as Brewster McCloud?, McCabe? and Mrs. Miller, Images, Thieves Like Us, Nashville, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, Three Women. Nashville won him an Oscar nomination. In this particular film, there is the observation of the Canadian way of life in Vancouver, some satire in the presentation of the characters, an exploration of madness which was to recur in such films as Images and Three Women. However That Cold Day in the Park is still interesting as a step in the career of a prominent director.

1. The meaning and tone of the title? Its fulfilment and irony? Audience response to the title and its tone?

2. How successful was this film as entertainment? Was it sick entertainment? Was it an intelligent probing of human problems? Satisfying on that level?

3. What values did the film stand for? Was it a good psychological exploration of a sick person? Situating her in her society? Or was it merely a surface and sensational presentation of events?

4. How important was the Vancouver atmosphere? The city itself, the weather, cold days and rain, the ethics of the society of Vancouver? Frances' family and associates, the boy's background? middle-class morality and values and the seething underneath?

5. How well did the film create the atmosphere of Frances' flat? The role of the housekeeper, Frances as a spinster, her memory of her parents, her relations and fiance, the style of living?

6. How well did the film explore Frances as a person? Her work, her life, audience sympathy with her, being sorry for her, her fascination with the boy and the way that this was filmed from the window with the rain? The audience sharing her fascination and curiosity2 The way that she encountered the boy and invited him in?

7. How did the boy change Frances' life? What happened to her? Her mothering him, protecting him, the nurturing with meals and the bath, her response to his not talking, her monologues and the importance of this for expressing herself, her loneliness, her responding to herself, her disappointment in him, the growing possessiveness etc.? How important were the monologues in revealing Frances' character? Especially the monologue to the doll in the bed?

8. How was the change in her manifested in the film? Her growing cruelty, the aspects of sexuality and lust, boarding up the windows, her going to be fitted for a diaphragm, sharing the drugged queers with him, the highlights of the loneliness, murder and revenge?

9. The character of the boy? Was he credible? Was he symbolic? Being in the rain, his background of playing games and keeping silent, the mystery about him, his knowledge and awareness of himself, his puzzle over Frances and yet accepting her hospitality, the balance of his going to his sister, her visiting him? What happened to the boy in his encounter with Frances? His being possessed? His lack of response to her? His fear at the end and wanting to escape? Imprisoned by her?

10. The character of the prostitute - her puzzlement over Frances, her relationship with the boy, the murder and the psychotic reaction of Frances?

11. How important to balance the film was the boy's visit to his home, the scenes where he talked, his relationship with his sister and her boyfriend? The background of his family, the boat? His sister's visit to the house and the suggestion of incest. Was this necessary and appropriate for this film?

12. What did the film have to say about people's lives changing, fear, terror?

13. The encounter between Frances and her fiance? As an important part of the film for clarifying motivation and what was happening?

14. The change. of atmosphere when Frances went looking for the prostitute? Being suspected of being lesbian? The tone that the film took at this stage? The preparation of the final madness?

15. How did the film portray madness, violence? The comment that it made on madness and violence, sexuality and the needs of modern society?

16. The quality of the dialogue? How realistic, how symbolic? The quality of Frances' monologues? The boy's silence?

17. Comment on the technical side of the film: the zooms, the dissolves, the conscious using of different styles of editing and scene-changing? Did this add to the film or take away from it?