THE THIRD DAY

US, 1965, 119 minutes, Colour.
George Peppard, Elizabeth Ashley, Roddy Mc Dowall, Arthur O’ Connell, Mona Washbourne, Herbert Marshall, Robert Weber, Charles Drake, Sally Kellerman, Vincent Gardenia.
Directed by Jack Smight.

The Third Day is an interesting murder mystery with a difference. The theme is amnesia. George Peppard is the hero, accused of trying to kill his girlfriend (Sally Kellerman) and trying to reconcile with his wife. However, after the accident he cannot remember anything and has to rediscover his past. One of the challenges about his past is whether he was a good person or a bad – and have the possibility of redeeming the past.

There is quite a range of characters, possible suspects. Roddy Mc Dowall is very strong as the hero’s rather strange brother.

The film has a very strong cast, is well written, is directed by Jack Smight who directed quite a number of films at this period including several Paul Newman vehicles including Harper and The Secret War of Harry Frigg. He also directed the very interesting No Way to Treat a Lady as well as The Illustrated Man, both with Rod Steiger. He directed a version of John Updike’s Rabbit Run and the more spectacular films, Airport 1975 and The Battle of Midway.

1. How successful a mystery thriller was this film? Why? (The meaning of the title?)

2. How successfully did the film communicate amnesia? How did the film screenplay adapt its technique to this communicating of the effect of amnesia? The appearance of the hero from the side of the cliff? His entry into a world which he does not understand? His meeting of his relations whom he does not remember? The fact that the audience could identify with the hero and feel the same sense of lack of understanding? How effective was this in involving the audience and helping them to understand the film?

3. Impressions of the hero? Did it make sense to know that he had a bad reputation? The fact that he could not remember his past?

4. Responses when the hero met the people he was related to and whom he knew: his relationship to his wife and the discovery of their estrangement and yet her love? The sympathy of his aunt? The relationship with the founder of the firm and the difficulty of communication? The antipathy towards his cousin? His dependence on the lawyer and the lawyer's trying to help him? What did this reveal about the hero as a person and about the other people?

5. How well did the film point the downhill progress of the hero before his amnesia? Did it explain it well? In his amnesia state? was it credible that he could have been bad? a good person? His concern for the firm etc.? His preoccupation that the girl was in the accident?

6. How ominous was the piano player? How sinisterly was he presented in the film? vicious in any way? Why?

7. How mysterious was the girl? Did the fact that the audience knew as little about her as the hero? That the audience could only pick up hints about what others said? Did the flashbacks illustrate the kind of a person the girl was? What hold did she have on the hero? Why? What was she doing in the car? How interesting was the picture of the industry in the town) The fact that the cousin was trying to exploit it? The need for change? The socia atmosphere of the men and their fears about their jobs? The need for something to be done? Was this side of the film well handled?

8. The film had the theme of redeeming one's bad past and the need for atonement? How was this illustrated in the behaviour of the hero? Towards his wife? Towards the people in the town? His plans for changing industry and his efforts to do this? The need for change?

9. The theme of memory and its unreliability? The hero's memory? The memory of the others in the film?

10. Was the cousin a convincing villain? sinister? At the end was he sinister enough? What was he after? His antipathy towards the hero? His manipulating of his uncle?

11. The importance of the sequences where the uncle communicated that he understood?

12. The ultimate villain, the piano player? Was his role in the film credible?

13. The importance of the denouement? Was it too melodramatic? Interesting? Exciting? Credible? Why did the piano player hate the hero?

14. Was the ending satisfying? Was the film meant to be any more than a thriller? Why?