THE BIG GAMBLE
US, 1961, 100 minutes, Colour.
Stephen Boyd, Juliette Greco, David Wayne, Gregory Ratoff, Sybil Thorndike, Marie Kean.
Directed by Richard Fleischer.
The Big Gamble is a story of a truck driver and his getting a truckload of beer to the Ivory Coast. This means good location photography, a set of rollicking Irish characters, a series of mishaps and adventures.
Stephen Boyd is the truck driver with Juliette Grego as his wife. There is a strong supporting cast including Dame Sybil Thorndike as Aunt Cathleen.
The film is routine in its way – but entertaining. It was directed by Richard Fleischer who began his career of direction with small-budget tough action films including The Narrow Margin. He moved to biger-budget films with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and made a range of genre films over a period of more than twenty years ranging from The Vikings, Compulsion, Barabbas, Fantastic Voyage, Conan the Destroyer.
1. The quality of this adventure? For what kind of audience was it made?
2. The use of Cinemascope Irish and African locations, authentic atmosphere for a realistic story?
3. The significance and emphasis of the title in plot and themes? Was it fulfilled?
4. The importance of the Irish opening? Vie as an Irishman who left Ireland and his family, Maria as a Corsican, her background and meeting the family in Ireland? The stiffness and strictness of the family? The hostility and the atmosphere of Vie asking for money? The critical attitude of the Irish?
5. The dominance of Aunt Kathleen, her first appearance and sourness, her dominance, her wanting change? Her decision to like the couple, her help? This intercut with the preparations for the trip, Maria’s learning to drive etc.? Samuel and his decision to go with them? What prospects of success? Did they have a realistic outlook on the
venture?
6. The portrayal of the voyage, the effect on Samuel, his losing of the documents, the primitiveness of their arrival, the red tape and the difficulty of getting the truck? Their feeling stranded? The dashing of hopes? Should they have been more cautious?
7. The effect of the red tape, the getting drunk and the hostility, the decision to buy the beer, the getting of the truck, the ‘big gamble’ in going before the wet season?
8. What kind of character was Vie? His background, his aims, stubbornness, his love for Maria his own self-interest? What dominated and drove him? Was he a convincing character for this kind of enterprise?
9. The contrast with the character of Maria? That she was more balanced and experienced, her love for Vie, her care for Samuel, her support during the difficulties of the trip, her decisions?
10. How convincing a character was Samuel? His nervousness, the fact that he had led a sheltered life, his money decision and the reality of the adventures, the effect of the encounter with Maria and his falling in love with her, his hostility towards Vie and fear of the dangers of the trip? The changes of mood? His eventual support?
11. How interesting was the journey? A sense of quest, difficulties and endurance? How well were the difficulties visualized? Were they convincing? The log and the natives helping because of the beer? The language barriers? The high cliffs and mountains, dead ends? The guide and his wanting to rob them? The river and the transporting of the beer to the shore, the truck floating away, difficulties with the truck? The final careering down the mountain and the overturning? Were there too many difficulties? Did it show the trip was a big gamble?
12. Themes of achievement, hopes? Was Maria right in saying they had more than when they started?
