MY NAME IS BILL WILSON
US, 1989, 100 minutes, Colour.
James Garner, James Woods, JoBeth? Williams, Gary Sinise, George Coe, Fritz Weaver.
Directed by Daniel Petrie.
My Name is Bill Wilson is based on the memoirs and interviews with one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson. He is played with intensity by James Woods, a master of intense roles (True Believers, Salvador, Promise). The film was co-produced by James Garner who appears as the other founder, Dr Bob Smith. JoBeth? Williams appears as Wilson's long-suffering and loyal wife.
The film is an interesting study of a personality, his struggle with alcoholism, his reaching rock-bottom, a religious experience and the meeting with Bob Smith which led to the exchange of philosophy that enabled Alcoholics Anonymous to begin.
The film is geared for a television audience, so the scenes of alcoholism are not as powerful as in some films made for cinemas. Nevertheless, the film is a good portrait of Americans, an interesting insight into alcoholism, a tribute to Alcoholics Anonymous and the message of encouragement to audiences.
Direction is by Daniel Petrie (Raisin in the Sun, Fort Apache the Bronx).
1. A film about Alcoholics Anonymous, its origins, a personal story, message?
2. The telemovie audience, the focus of the film on the widest possible audience? Style, message? Credibility? Inspiration?
3. The period: World War One, the aftermath, the '20s and the Wall Street crash, the '30s and the Depression, the comparative prosperity of the '50s? Alcoholics Anonymous grounded in the American experience?
4. The framework: Bob dying, the visit of Bill and Lois? Coming back to Bob's death at the end? Bob and his bond with Bill? The aftermath in the 1950s? The final comment about Bill Wilson's death in 1971? The spread of Alcoholics Anonymous?
5. Audience knowledge of Alcoholics Anonymous, its worldwide success, the nature of the process, the participation in meetings, alcoholic working with alcoholic, effect?
6. The portrait of Bill Wilson: the war and his sense of success, leading people? His drinking, friendships? Lois and his love for her, the marriage? His work, his flair with finance, investments in the stock market? His continually being on the phone, the deal for Frank Shaw and his refusal? His drinking, depression and further drinking? His being absent with Lois pregnant, her going to the hospital, her hysterectomy? His father-in-law and his severity? The bond between Lois and Bill? Spying out General Electric, his recommendations and success, partner? The family dinner, his talk, spilling the wine? Growing success, house and maid? Partying? Lois and her humiliation, yet her support? The financial crash, in the bar, a day of phone calls, drinking? Running away and Lois calling to him? His collapse?
7. His relationship with Lois, his father-in-law, his visiting the doctor and the comment on his liver, the possibility of an institution, his collapses and being in a straitjacket? The friend and his getting religion, going off the drink? His final collapse, the experience of the light, the change in his approach to drinking, his taking alcoholics into his house?
8. His relationship with Lois and her going to Frank for a job? His going to Akron, the temptations in the hotel, getting the nickels, the phone calls to the ministers, meeting Bob and the misunderstanding, the talk, the bond between the two, staying for a long time, visiting the hospital and testing out their theories, the philosophy of, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholics to alcoholics, one step at a time, day-by day? The setting up of groups and their effect?
9. Bill's work in New York, the groups, Bob's arrival, interviews for the Saturday Evening Post, Time Magazine? The spread of the movement?
10. The portrait of Lois, her marriage, in 1919, her father, the hysterectomy, her worries, the good times and the bad, the humiliation at the party? Going to her father and getting his help? Getting the job, working for years, asking for the raise, Bill's visit to work? Visiting the institution with their friend?. Her final exasperation? Bill's change, the men in the house, her concern about the relationship between the two? His absence in Ohio, her visit? Her trying to assess his being sober and his being drunk? The fact that she coped for decades?
11. Bill's friend, his drinking, the collapse, religion, visiting the institution, Bill returning from Akron and his friend jealous?
12. The hospital drunk and their trying out their theories, the groups and their interactions?
13. 1951, Bill going to California, Lois happy, attending the meeting, the final talk between Bill and Fred and seeing A.A. in action?
14. Alcoholism as a fact, the question of willing to stop drinking or not, alcoholism as an illness, treatment, alcoholics helping themselves, listening to one another, a ministry to one another?
