MURDER AT THE WORLD SERIES
US, 1977, 100 minutes, Colour.
Lynda Day George, Murray Hamilton, Karen Valentine, Janet Leigh, Gerard S. O’ Loughlin, Michael Parks, Hug O’ Brian, Nancy Kelly, Joseph Wiseman, Bruce Boxleitner.
Directed by Andrew V. Mc Laglan.
Murder At The World Series is a routine disaster film. It highlights a young kidnapper (jealous of people chosen for a baseball team) who kidnaps the wrong girl, is responsible for her death, is chased by the police and finally caught. There is a cross section of guest characters bringing all kinds of 'human interest'. The film is a telemovie and so the characters are sketched for immediate impact and for easy identification of emotional crises. The performances are only adequate. A comparison would be the disaster thriller set during a football match, Two Minute Warning. Thefilm is directed by veteran action director (with so many films starring John Wayne and James Stewart) Andrew V. Mc Laglen.
1. An entertaining thriller? For an American audience, overseas audience?
2. The conventions of the telemovie? the establishing of the basic situation, the melodrama, the disaster for the public? The establishing of a wide range of conventional guests, who are implicated in the melodrama? How well did the film establish these characters, gain audience interest in and identification with them? The build up of the disasters for a home viewing audience?
3. Photography, the settings in the Superbowl at Houston? The focus on baseball playing? Affluent hotels contrasting with shabby vans and hotels. The Governor and parties, the ticket agencies for finals?
4. How plausible the plot - the basic kidnapping and the jealousy and Cisco? His kidnapping the girl and holding her? Her accidental death and his snapping? His final jealousy and destructiveness with the explosives? The picture of the police and their use of television, detection work, investigations, final confrontation? The picture of the players and the various members of the team? The subplot of the Governor and the film star and her attempted suicide? The ticket assistant and her relationship with the policeman, her impending death? Lois and Marshal and his place on the team? The subplot of Alice winning the trip and her relationship with Druckman? How well did the screenplay intertwine these characters and themes?
5. Cisco and the opening, his jealousy, his plan, the tape? His getting the groupie girl ? and the discussions with her, establishing a relationship, the story of her father (and his later being notified of her death), her fear of death, the accident of her death after his mistake with the car keys etc.? His vengefulness at the end, his capture? The credibility of this kind of kidnap and killing?
6. The presentation of the world of baseball players ? the various characters, competitiveness, the build-up to the final game? The ticket-selling, the celebrities present?
7. The insight from the subplots - the suave Governor, Margo and her going to the World Series, her rejection at the party, attempted suicide, her glamorous leaving hospital, the public relations work of her assistant? Karen and her coming from the doctor, her friendship with the policeman, ringing him in the morning, her being inspired to try for some cure by his confrontation with Cisco? Lois and Marshal and their marital relationship, Marshal and his relegation to the sidelines, his final success? Alice and Druckman and the romance for the middle aged? Murkison and the frantic running of the business and P.R. side of the match?
8. Basic human themes - at television series level? Audience interest, response, empathy with the human issues? Excitement at the melodrama?
