BEN

US, 1972, 94 minutes, Colour.
Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, Arthur O’Connell?, Rosemary Murphy, Meredith Baxter, Kenneth Tobey.
Directed by Phil Karlson.

Ben is probably best remembered for its Oscar-nominated song (winner of the Golden Globe), ‘Ben’ which was sung by a young Michael Jackson. In fact, it is rather eerie insofar as it is sung to a pet rat. Even more eerie is that the rat is a vicious leader of a killer pack.

The film capitalises on the popularity of the thriller Willard, with Bruce Davison befriending Ben and experiencing extreme animal menace. The same is true of Ben – but with a lighter touch. Lee Montgomery portrays a young boy who befriends Ben. Comments on the film range from those who like pet rats to those who abhor them and judge the film accordingly.

The film is minor horror, directed by veteran Phil Karlson who made a number of tough films in the 1950s. The film is mainly for those who enjoy rodent terror films. The original Willard was remade in 2001 with Crispin Glover in the Bruce Davison role.

1. How enjoyable a horror film? Its relationship with Willard? The ending of Willard
portrayed during the credits? Standing on its own feet, an appropriate sequel?

2. How well did the film link with ‘Willard’? Was it important for this linking or not?

3. The transition from Willard and his relationship with Ben and the other rats and his own private warfare to the social warfare of the rats? Willard and the rats turning against him as significant for what was to happen during. this film?

4. The importance of the city and its environment, the police trying to cope, the night of Willard’s death and their investigation and the rate attacking the police? Defending themselves? The importance of the many sequences of people watching, the type of shots of people silently wondering and watching? The social implications of the rats as a plague, menace? The destruction and the confrontation of rate and people? The fact that the rats could win so much and, had they been bigger, could have defeated the human beings? The final comment on the territorial imperative and rats and humans wanting room to survive?

5. How appropriate were the gory visuals for this film? Exploitive or not?

6. How well did the film link Willard and Ben with Danny and his family? Their watching on the night of Willard’s death? The introduction to the family and their background?

7. The focus of the film on Danny and Ben? In what ways were they similar, different? Danny as young, his illness and care of his mother and sister? His fantasy world, his own workshop with the games? His marionettes and his singing? His needs? Ben as a pet responding to him and fulfilling his needs? His mother and Eve and Danny’s blocking them out for the sake of Ben? His blocking out the appeal of reason and society for the sake of Ben? How credible was this in itself? Plausible for the film’s plot?

8. His initial encounter with Ben, his talking to him and their communicating? How credible was his saying that he was the only friend? How plausible was the scene where Danny composed the song ‘Ben’? Its use throughout the rest of the film? Sentiment, a love song with its sentimentality, the irony of its being addressed to a rat? Ben, the marionette, performing for Ben, the real rat? Ben and his communication, protectiveness even to violence in scratching the bullying boy? The various visits? Sleeping in the bed? Danny going down the sewers and visiting Ben’s home? His shutting his eyes to the ugliness and destruction? Danny wanting to save Ben? Ben returning
to be nurtured by Danny?

9. How much was Danny torn between what he should do and his love for Ben? His opting to lie to his mother, sisters to the police? His defiance for the sake of Ben? How did this reach a climax with Eve pursuing him into the sewers and having to be saved by Danny?

10. How well did the film present Ben as a character? Close-ups, his sound, his eyes, the indications of communication? His leading Danny? His controlling of the other rats, his indication for their destruction - comment on their killing of the police, their killing of the people in the sewers, the long sequence of their destruction in the supermarket, the humorous irony of their upsetting the women in the saunas and exercise areas? Ben leading the confrontation of the rats and the humans? His surviving?

11. How well did the film sketch in the characters of the police? The men responsible for the sewers? The ironic statements of the newspaperman and his reporting and lack of heroism?

12. The warfare between humans and rats - the use of weapons, flame-throwers, flooding? Indications of battle and warfare?

13. The atmosphere of melodramatics? The rats as a plague? An allegory about confrontations within society?