MOUSEY

UK, 1973, 74 minutes, Colour.
Kirk Douglas, Jean Seberg, John Vernon, Sam Wanamaker, James Bradford.
Directed by Daniel Petrie.

Mousey is a British telemovie made in Canada with American stars. It offers a chance for Kirk Douglas to portray an insane villain, a schoolteacher taunted with the name Mousey, who exasperatedly wants to assert himself and turns to violence. Douglas does quite well in the role. Jean Seberg has a chance to be terrified and John Vernon a chance to be earnest. Of its kind, it is quite well made. It may seem slight in the light of the knife murder films which
flourished at the end of the '70s. Direction is by Daniel Petrie, a director of a wide range of films from classics like A Raisin In The Sun and Fort Apache The Bronx to trash like The Betsy.

1. The appeal of the thriller? The murder and terrorising thriller? The quality of this film? As telemovie for home audiences?

2. Canadian backgrounds, location photography, Montreal? Terror in apartments and houses? The musical score and its atmosphere (by Ron Grainer)? Colour photography?

3. The conventions of the genre? the basic situation which sets off the insane character, the background of hurt? The establishing of the madness, the eruption into violence, the terrorising of the heroine, the role of the police? The use of the conventions here? for suspense and interest?

4. The plausibility of the plot? Anderson and his teaching career, his fears, the taunts of the schoolchildren, his nickname? His exasperation at the beginning of the film? The symbol of his cutting his hand? His aggressiveness towards his wife? His will for Simon? The truth about Laura's pregnancy with Simon? His possessiveness? Tormenting, confronting her husband? His decision to kill someone ? the police warning, the luring of the girl from the laundromat, the visit to the apartment, the sudden slashing of death? His eluding the private detective and killing him? The build-up to the confrontation with Laura?

5. Kirk Douglas' interpretation of Anderson timid, glasses, hat and coat? His aggression about his nicknames? His determination to prove himself? His mind snapping? His shrewdness in eluding pursuit? His vigil by the dead body and putting the newspaper item in his wife's room? His shrewdness in setting Laura up for the confrontation? The visit to Mrs. Richardson, talking with Simon tenderly, the phone calls. the summoning of Richardson, the phone call from inside the house? The final confrontation and his collapse? A portrait of a demented character?

6. Laura as the conventional wife who divorces her husband, takes her son, remarries? Her reaction to George? The final terror and her looking in pity and incredulity at George?

7. The girl from the laundromat and her invitation? The private detective, his pursuit of Anderson, the suddenness of his death?

8. The picture of police work? The contacts with Richardson, the phone directions for Laura? The irony of Anderson's not harming Richardson or Simon?

9. Themes of madness, humiliations, hurt, violence? Sufficient explanation of Anderson's hurt and need for self-assertion? Laura’s role in this? Simon's? The significance of Simon's final mouse like collapse? A satisfying short thriller of madness and violence?