A GUN IN THE HOUSE

US, 1981, 100 minutes, Colour.
Sally Struthers, Millie Perkins, Jeffrey Tambor.
Directed by Ivan Nagy.

A Gun in the House is one of those social-minded American telemovies that were so popular in the '70s and '80s. They are designed for the widest possible audience, convey their message and moralising effectively through a popular story, TV style.

This film focuses on the use of weapons, their proliferation in ordinary homes. It raises questions about gun laws and gun control. It also highlights the growing menace during the '80s of violence in homes, burglaries and rapes. Each side of the issue is presented and audiences are asked to think over the issues as they respond emotionally. Ultimately, this film comes down on the side of not using weapons. However, it pulls few punches in its presentation of the terror of the ordinary housewife confronted by violent attackers. Sally Struthers is quite persuasive in the central role of the housewife.

1. An interesting telemovie? Social and moral issues and questions?

2. The American background, the ordinary city, homes, community? Action and violent sequences? The brutality - and audiences identifying with Emily's plight? The impact for the broad audience?

3. Gun issues: the United States, universal application? The availability of firearms, sales? Training? Criminals and their use of guns? Self-defence? Accidents? Weapons as deterrents for criminals? The pros and cons of the gun issue? The film's stance?

4. The prologue and the woman being attacked, raped? Victim, humiliation, shame? The two men, masked, violent and leering? The repercussions of this prologue later in the film? The woman and her unwillingness to help Emily? The interview with her?

5. The focus on Emily and her daughter, their not locking their home, friends and neighbours, ordinary routines of life? The community discussions of safety? The question of buying guns? The group and their being trained? The detailed focus on Emily and the training, firing, the power of the gun, the tomato-juice can and its splattering after the firing? The repercussions for the women? Emily and the discussions with her husband, buying the gun? Her relationship with her husband, his absence on flight rotation? Her fear, her daughter and her nerviness, the face at the window and her daughter crying?

6. The two men, the rape and their callousness, robbery? The masks? The older man's hold over the younger? Their prowling around the suburbs in their van? Their spying on Emily, falling in the mud? The wanting of revenge? The younger man warning Emily in the street? Entering the house, the daughter's fear, the drink and pouring it over Emily, humiliating her, her getting the gun, confronting them, their running away, the accidental shooting of the young man in the back?

7. The situation, the murder charge, the District Attorney and his severity, his interpretation of the facts against Emily? His interviews, especially with the friend who witnessed the encounter with the young man? The lawyer, taking on the case, his treatment of Emily, his being over-busy and trying to cope with all the cases?

8. Emily's arrest, the details of the arrest and the imprisonment, the humiliation? The bail? Emily and her husband deciding to investigate, the clues, air schedules, the visit to the woman at her home and the irony of her son being the criminal? Emily's interview with the rape victim and her unwillingness to help?

9. The irony of the mother with the air flight rotation information? The son and his coming again, Emily being ready for him, her fighting, holding on to him, her challenging him with the gun, throwing the gun away? The arrest?

10. The overall impact of the human drama, the vivid re-creation of the violent sequences and the menacing? The emotional moralising? Audiences left to raise questions for themselves?