THE MORNING AFTER
US, 1974, 75 minutes, Colour.
Dick Van Dyke, Lynn Carlin, Don Porter.
Directed by Richard T. Heffron.
The Morning After (not to be confused with the feature film on alcoholism with Jane Fonda and Jeff Bridges) is a very strong television movie about alcoholism. Dick Van Dyke, at this time best known as a comedian and a star of musical comedies like Bye Bye Birdie and Mary Poppins, portrays a public relations man who will not admit that he is an alcoholic. Van Dyke, Emmy-nominated, gives a powerful performance. Lynn Carlin portrays his wife.
The film is brief, relies on performance to communicate the reality of alcoholism – and the screenplay, written by veteran Richard Matheson (author of a number of horror films on Dracula as well as the classic I Am Legend) gives the audience a great deal to think about as well as to respond to emotionally.
1. The tone of the title and hangovers for this film on alcoholism? A basically successful film on alcoholism or not? What impact do telemovies have? The fact that they are seen in the home? Their tailoring for commercial interruptions? The bringing of controversial and real subjects into the home? How successful was the effect?
2. What approach did it take to the problem of alcoholism the portrayal of the question realistically? The communicating of fears? The message deterrents? Did the film preach ? Did it offer sympathy to the victim of the problem? To his wife and family? Did the film take sides?
3. How accurate was the film in its portrayal of Charlie as an ordinary man and as an alcoholic? The importance of the scenes for his work and speech-writing? A skilful man? His role as father and husband and his success here? The gradual implication of his drinking communicated to the audience? His reliance on drink, social drinking, the awareness of his dependence? His behaviour at the party and his overreaching himself? His continuous fickleness? His aggressiveness at the hotel towards his wife? His continual promises and his unrealistic approach to change? His being warned by his boss? His inability to change and his dropping out? Temporary successes and ultimate failure?
4. Why did Charlie continually go downhill? What was the root of his problem? Was it weakness? Self-deception? How battered was he by life and the people he mixed with? Were people too hard on him? Why didn't the congenial holiday help him, why did he succumb to temptation? The pathos of the final images and the drain and the tunnel? Was judgement made on him? What attitude was communicated?
5. How sympathetic a character was Fran? How well did she support Charlie? Was she too hard on him? examples? She was at the end of her tether, could she have done otherwise? What might she have done to help him? Was she the one to help him?
6. Charlie's relationship with Fran? The fact that he got no help here? Memories of his act?
7. The importance of the sequences with the doctor? Charlie's reluctance to go, the nature of his treatment, his unwillingness to face the truth, the effect of the truth on him? Why was the treatment not a success?
8. Could Rudy King have helped Charlie more? Or did he have to put the efficiency of his work above all else? The effect of the dismissal on Charlie? His demoralisation because of his lack of success?
9. Could you predict what future Charlie had?
10. How much insight into the problem of alcoholism did the film give? What intellectual understanding? What emotional response to the problem did it elicit? Did it show the causes, symptoms, the complexity of the situation?
