MOMENT TO MOMENT
US, 1965, 108 minutes, Colour.
Jean Seberg, Honor Blackman, Sean Garrison, Arthur Hill, Gregoire Aslan.
Directed by Mervyn Le Roy.
Moment to Moment is a lavish melodrama set in the south of France, filmed beautifully, glamorously. It was directed by Mervyn Le Roy who had begun his career with rather grim films in the 1930s including Little Caesar, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Anthony Adverse, They Won’t Forget. He then moved to MGM where he directed a number of lavish romantic films including Blossoms in the Dust, Waterloo Bridge, Random Harvest, Madame Curie. In the 1950s he directed very colourful films including Quo Vadis, Lovely To Look At and Million Dollar Mermaid. His budgets became bigger in the 60s with such films as The FBI Story, The Devil at Four O’ Clock, Gypsy. Moment to Moment was his last film although he did some uncredited work for John Wayne’s The Green Berets.
Jean Seberg was popular on the Continent at the time, having appeared in a number of French films, especially for Jean- Luc Godard, in the classic Breathless. Honor Blackman had just appeared as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. Sean Garrison was a star of only a few films and then disappeared.
The film is romantic, becomes a crime melodrama – and has been described in an old-fashioned way as a woman’s film.
1. The meaning of the title? The impact of the song and its recurrence during the film? The jigsaw pieces during the credits? The use of colour, the lush backgrounds and lush atmosphere of the film?
2. Why did audiences find the film enjoyable: the details of the plot, the characters, their interaction, the issues, the Riviera sets and backgrounds?
3. This has been called a woman's film. Is this true? What makes it a woman's film? Why would it appeal to women more than men?
4. How real was the film: in its plot, characters? How real were the values explored? What values in the audience did it appeal to? How do popular films like this come across as moral tables for popular entertainment?
5 Critics tended to condemn the film as 'sentimental and phoney'. Do you agree?
6. Comment on the structure of the film, the initial discovery of the body, the explanation of the flashbacks, the moving forward with the impetus of the flashbacks, the trying to bring Marc Dominic to his memory, the dramatic impact in the implications of this?
7. How did the film work on its audience? The initial puzzle, suspecting Kay or not? The value of the explanation and sympathy with Kay? The dramatic impact of re-creating Marc Dominic's situations? The audience wanting Marc Dominic to regain his memory, yet sympathy for Kay? The anticipation of danger?
8. How was Kay the focus of the film? Her initial panic, Jean Seberg's niceness, the presentation of Kay as mother and wife, her loneliness as an attractive woman, running the risk during a busy Sabbatical? The quality of her love for her husband, the continued phone calls? Her response to Marc Dominic? The disastrous aspects of this? The death, the help from Mrs Held? The relationship with Neil on his return? The anticipation of Marc Dominic's regaining his memory? The intricacies of the cat and mouse game with Del Parge? What kind of woman was she? An ordinary woman for audiences to identify with? How understandable was her situation?
9. How interesting a character was Marc Dominic in himself? The initial scene of him painting, his family background, his background of the Navy? As a pleasant personality? The effect of Kay on him? The effect of drink? The melodramatics of his shooting? The melodramatics of his memory and the reconstruction of events? Did he do the right thing in
his reticence at the end?
10. What comment on busy husbands was made via the character of Neil? His neglect of Kay, his busyness about his work, continually on the run? The way that he related to Kay on his return? His helping Marc Dominic? The dramatic tension as he was helping Marc Dominic to remember? ultimately, that it was Kay when he had encountered? Did he do the right thing at the end?
ll. What was the role of Daphne in the film? The contrast with Kay, the sailors visiting her place, her pushiness and style? Pushing Kay into a relationship with Marc Dominic? Helping Kay with the body? Supporting Kay during the investigation? Was her friendship with Kay genuine?
12. Del Pargo as an interesting policeman? His skill in detecting the truth? His treatment of Kay?
13. How important was the re-tracing of Marc Dominic's situations? The sentiment behind these? The city, the towns, the mountains, the winds and leaves, the games? The use of the mule?
14. What did the film have to say about love and marriage? About romance and mistakes?
