ROSEBUD

US, 1974, 126 minutes, Colour.
Peter O'Toole, Richard Attenborough, Cliff Gorman, Claude Dauphin, John V. Lindsay, Peter Lawford, Raf Valone, Brigitte Auriel, Jean Martin, Isabelle Huppert.
Directed by Otto Preminger.

Rosebud received terrible reviews. It invites them as it oozes topicality concerning Jews, Arabs, Black September, Munich massacres, rich European industrialists, the CIA. It looks too facile, too impossible and, for some, too propagandistic for an ideal Israel. However, in 20 years or more, it might look
like a good old exotic action adventure because the realistically-melodramatic elements could be over-looked for a story of spies, expert undercover agents (Peter O'Toole seedy and heroic), mad Englishman turned Arab (Richard Attenborough), terrorists and five abducted heiresses. There is a tradition of big. 'bad', booming but enjoyable movies. Rosebud is in it.

1. Was this an enjoyable film? A good or a bad film? Why?

2. The highlighting of the title, reference to the boat and the subsequent themes? The joke about 'Citizen Kane"?

3. How good an adventure film was this? The adventure ingredients? Topical adventure? Plausible or impossible?

4. How satisfying was the film as topical of the 70's? The presentation of the Arabs, Lebanon? Kidnapping, hostages. the background of massacres? The European and the eastern backgrounds? The C.I.A.? Television coverage? World response to Israel? How just was the propaganda?

5. The nature of the propaganda in the film? Was it just? The presentation of Jews. the situation of Israel? The presentation of the Arabs? 'Goodies and baddies'? World reaction? The call for repentance and reparation?

6. How exciting was the film as adventure? The topical backgrounds, expectations, the yacht.. Israel. Arabs, Corsica? which were the best adventure ingredients?

7. The importance of the initial build-up on Corsica? The opening of the film, the Arabs and their cellar, the ice-pick? The use of this later?

8. The importance of the presentation of the girls and their backgrounds? How much sympathy for the girls and their way of life? Youth and the 'jet set'? How interesting and important were the sketches of the family background, e.g. Lady Carter going to Rome? The differing nationalities?

9. The sequences of the taking over of the ship and the later execution? The change of tone in the film? The playing on audience reaction of violence, hijacking?

10. The drifting ship and the Israelis landing? The presentation of the efficient Israelis?

11. The sequences of the imprisonment? The making of the films about the girls? The questions about putting the film on television, the disputes and deadlines? The politics or the saving of lives? The effect on the girls? The effect on the parents?

12. The grandfather and his revelation of the truth? The implications of this for political and propaganda purposes? The differing nationalities and their background: England, America, Greece, France? What kind of people were the parents? How were they presented?

13. The background of the CIA, its work and its covers? In Paris? The character of Martin: the eccentric Englishman, the mercenary, converted to the CIA? His style and assistance? His work with the parents and counselling them to wait? The sequences in Berlin.. especially with the lesbian woman? His awareness of the couriers for messages?

14. The melodrama of the French student, his leftist tendencies., imprisonment? martin assuming his character?

15. How plausible was the story of Sloat and his conversion to Islam? His background in Lebanon, his followers? His madness and eccentricity?

16. How plausible was the rescue at the end? Martin's ability to collect rocks and trace the location though blindfold? The escape while the Muslims prayed to Mecca?

17. What were the human values behind this film? Political points of view? The picture of human nature? Man in the 1970s? Optimism, pessimism?

18. This was a blockbuster movie. why do audiences enjoy these? Rather uncritically? How will this film stand in twenty years, after the topical details have merged into history?