MR BUDDWING

US, 1966, 100 minutes, Black and white.
James Garner, Jean Simmons, Suzanne Pleshette, Katharine Ross, Angela Lansbury, Jack Guilford, Raymond St Jacques.
Directed by Delbert Mann.

Mister Buddwing is an amnesia story. James Garner appears as a man wandering the streets of New York City with only a few clues like notes in his pocket, a phone number, a ring to indicate how he might find out who he really is. He encounters three women who remind him of the woman who ultimately is revealed as his wife.

This is a pleasing star vehicle for James Garner who was emerging during the 1960s as a very successful romantic lead. He was to consolidate his popularity with his television series Maverick, The Rockford Files. The film has a very strong cast of leading women to support him.

The film is similar to another amnesia story from the year before, Mirage, starring Gregory Peck.

1. How enjoyable a thriller was this? Why does a film about amnesia create interest? Did you find Mr Buddwing's search for identity engrossing?

2. How did the film make us identify with Mr Buddwing? The important sequence of his waking up and finding an alien city? Of seeing through his eyes? Of not knowing himself? (And the fact that the film ended with the same kind of sequence?)

3. How closely was the audience supposed to identify with Mr Buddwing? We knew as much as he did. We felt with him. The loss of identity and the need for an identity? The importance of his choosing a name? Of wanting to know something about himself? (The film was not realistic. He did not go to a doctor etc. Did this matter for this film?) The film seemed a journey for identity. How well was this done? Did this give the film some kind of allegorical or parabolical significance? Why?

4. What were your impressions of Gloria? As a person? Her needs? Why was she so compassionate towards Mr Buddwing? Her giving him the money? Did this impression later change when he rang her at the end of the day? What good did she do for him?

5. What good did Mr Schwarz do for Mr Buddwing? His friendliness at talking at breakfast? Their talking about being Jewish? How did this illustrate human kindness and goodness? How important was it for the film?

6. Why did Buddwing think that Janet was Grace? Why did he remember and start talking in the presence of this girl? What did you learn about him in what he remembered, thinking that Janet was Grace? Of him as a man? In love? Janet as an innocent young person supporting him? Their discoveries together? Their marriage and their love?

7. Why was she a different person from Janet but yet Grace? How important was what Buddwing remembered with Fiddle? How had Grace changed? Why had she changed? The unhappiness of the years together? Buddwing's losing of his ideals and changing? His callous attitude towards the pregnancy? The significance of Grace's attempted suicide? What had happened to Grace how had she changed?

8. The blonde, why did Buddwing see her as Grace? What had happened to Grace in the meantime? What had happened to their marriage? Their love for each other? Her attempting suicide?

9. How well did each of the women correspond to the image of Grace in Buddwing's story? How well was this done? From innocent and happy youth to middle age and desperate towards life? To a break-up and degeneracy? How did each of the women in herself illustrate this theme? The student? The would-be actress? The wild women and her gambling? How did all this illustrate the relationship between man and woman? Husband and wife?

10. What insight into his personality did this give Buddwing? He feared at one stage that he was a madman. What did his memory reveal to him about himself? How mad was he? The significance of his being confronted by the policeman? Especially by the man who thought he was god?

11. How significant was the gambling sequence? The importance of the blonde and her urgings him to risks? The fact that she was lucky? The continued frenzy of the gambling game? How important was it for Buddwing that he risk all and gamble: for his memory, for his personality? How shocking was the discovery that he made?

12. The significance of the name of Grace? The fact that she was offering him some kind of salvation? Was it obvious why he didn't want to remember? Was there a chance through the purgatory that he had suffered for his redemption? For his offering himself for Grace again? Was this the basic meaning of the film?

13. How important was it that it was a search film? A search in a city and in city types? City styles and life? Buddwing as the everyman searching in the city? Everyman meeting everywoman?

14. How successful was the technique of using three actresses to portray Grace? Why?

15. Was this a good film? Were its intentions equal to its execution?