CHAPTER TWO

US, 1979, 126 minutes, Colour.
James Caan, Marsha Mason, Joseph Bologna, Valerie Harper.
Directed by Robert Moore.

Woody Allen was entitled to make Interiors. Neil Simon is entitled to Chapter Two. A comedy, yes, but muted, even in the one-liners. Part autobiographical about his wife's death and his marriage to Marsha Mason, with its stresses for his grief and her having to cope, the film shows us (with Simon's light touch presented seriously) two people loving, hurting, confronting and hoping to build. James Caan is the writer and Marsha Mason portrays (one presumed realistically though with dramatic contrivance) the actress based on herself. In fact, the film seems Simon's tribute to his wife and she brings a great vital presence to her role. Comedy with some intensity of feeling.

1. The popularity of Neil Simon's plays and films? His skill in setting a scene, creating characters? Humour? Verbal skill, one-liners? Insight by light comedy? The feel for characters and situations? His extensive number of plays and films? The quality of this film in his repertoire?

2. Nell Simon and the emphasis on the comic? The serious vein of this film? Its autobiographical basis and Simon's honesty in presenting himself and exploring his relationships? The importance of the tribute to Marsha Mason and her influence on him? Her patience with him? The focus of the title for its phase in his life?

3. How appealing a romantic serio-comedy? Audiences identifying with the characters, situations and feeling? The gloss of the style, the light touch, the Neil Simon humorous touches? The irony of the comedy preventing audiences becoming too serious?

4. The main focus on George - the choice of James Caan for the writer? How credible? His manner and style? The insights into the life of a writer? George's experience of his wife's death, his grief, the trip, his becoming immobile creatively and socially? Leo and his concern? The attitudes of friends and relations? Attempts to work? The satiric humour of Leo and his fixing George up with dates? The bachelor situation and George's reluctance to move out of it?

5. The parallelling of George's situation with that of Jennie? Her divorce, her manner, her career as an actress, her achievement? Her wanting to be alone? Friendship with Faye and support from her? The dates? The humour of the range of people Faye arranged? The irony of the phone calls from George and their being misinterpreted? Her reluctance to meet with George?

6. The echoes of the romantic theme, marriage, break-up with Leo and Faye? Leo and his marriage, his work as an agent, push, talk? His previous relationship with Faye? Their affair? Faye and her style? Their being discovered by Jennie? Break-up?

7. The meeting of George and Jennie - by accident, the comedy of the meetings, the setting of time limits? Manners? The contrast with spur-of-the-moment moving together? Marriage? How plausible? People's reactions and comments? The irony of this happening to Neil Simon and Marsha Mason?

8. The honeymoon - the attractive tourist film style? The ironies with how George and Jennie felt? George and his need to break from the past, the memories of his first wife? Jennie and her attempts to do this? George's moroseness and moodiness and hurting Jennie? The pain, his being closed and obstinate? How much more could Jennie have done?

9. George and his return to New York, his harsh attitudes towards Jennie? The effect on her and her return home?

10. The focus of the long talk - the single take, the wisdom in what Jennie was saying, the truth, the self-revelation, feeling? Genuine love? Marsha Mason acting this - as an actress, as material based on her own experience with Neil Simon?

11. The possibility of the break-up - George, career going to Hollywood? Where did audience sympathies lie?

12. The importance of George's realisation of Jennie's love, the return? The beginning and continuation of Chapter Two? The factual success of the marriage and the two careers? A basis for a happy marriage? A satisfying romance, love story, dash of realism, portrait of middle aged couple? The audience invited to feel the experience as well as understand it?