THE RABBIT TRAP
US, 1961, 76 minutes, Black and White.
Ernest Borgnine, David Brian, Bethel Leslie, Kevin Corcoran.
Directed by Philip Leacock.
The Rabbit Trap is a minor film, directed by Englishman Phillip Leacock who had made such films as The Kidnappers in the fifties. He then went to Hollywood where he has since directed many films and telemovies. The Rabbit Trap is a small drama about a family and work and the rat race. It is perceptive in its presentation of an ordinary family and its pressures. It capitalised also on the presence of Ernest Borgnine in a small scale role reminiscent of his role in Marty for which he won an Oscar in 1955. The Rabbit Trap is effective entertainment but also is quite telling in its message about modern city life and its pressures.
1. How entertaining a film, how serious a message film? The basic pessimism and optimism of the film?
2. The black and white photography, the American city and outdoor setting, the brevity of the film and its impact?
3. The significance of the title, its literal meaning and the rabbit trap at the beginning, the rabbit trap as a symbol for the family, the rabbit trap indicating the main issues of the film?
4. Audience response to the opening holiday atmosphere? The significance of the holiday for this family? Father and son working and enjoying things together? The wife and her relief at a holiday?
5. The film's contrasting this with life at the office? The boss and his busyness, the secretary trying to protect the family and their holiday? The ruthlessness and the overriding nature of work?
6. The hero and his being caught in the dilemma of work, holiday, family? What kind of man in himself, his background as an engineer, yet not well-educated? His love for his wife, son? His respect for his boss? Subservience to him? The dramatic impact of the arguments about the return? The significance of the return for all of them?
7. Comment on the detail of the family life and the hero presented in the interchanges with his wife, fighting her? His attitudes with the neighbours, at work, his talking to his boss, inability to express himself, his joy at the promotion, the momentum towards his resignation?
8. The picture of the wife? How convincing? Her support of her husband, her trying to make him see that work was not everything?
9. The picture of the son? His enjoyment of the holiday. his preoccupation with the rabbit and the rabbits caught in the trap, his attempts to go to free the rabbits, the impact of the bus ride? His return home? Going off together and finding the rabbit trap empty? This influence on his growing up?
10. The picture of the neighbours as giving an authentic background to this way of life? The issues and preoccupations of the neighbours?
11. The picture of the boss and his secretary? Their relationship? The boss and his glib talk about family life, his relentlessness in getting the work done? His buying a new and artificial rabbit trap? His attitude towards the hero, his not listening to him, his allowing him to resign, his comment about having the courage to resign?
12. How topical was this film? Its presentation of modern family life, life in the cities, preoccupation with work, careers, money? The dominance of work over the living of life? How real and convincing the message of the film?
