MARRIAGE OF A YOUNG STOCKBROKER

US, 1971, 95 minutes, Colour.
Richard Benhamin, Joanna Shimkus, Elizabeth Ashley, Adam West.
Directed by Lawrence Turman.

One of several films made by Richard Benjamin at the end of the sixties and in the early seventies concerning social problems and sexuality: Goodbye Columbus, Diary of a Mad Housewife, Portnoy's Complaint. This film is a look at a brittle marriage and its collapse. This theme, always popular, reappeared at the end of the seventies in such films as Ten and The Last Married Couple.

Benjamin always has a kind of nervous energy in his roles and seems to embody the nervous American. Joanna Shimkus, the star of such films as The Lost Man and The Virgin and the Gypsy is cool by contrast. Elizabeth Ashley has a good comic role as an incessantly talking sister-in-law trying to remedy the problems.

Direction is by Lawrence Turman, a film producer who tried his hand at directing only with this film. The screenplay is by Lorenzo Semple Junior, a prolific writer of screenplays including Pretty Poison. The film reflects the growing permissive styles at the end of the sixties and in the early seventies. It has some satire on the American yen for psychology and self? fulfilment. While dated, it still makes its points quite well.

1. The perennial interest in themes of marriages, break-ups? The early seventies' treatment of the theme in comparison with later treatments? Openness, permissive styles? Audience interest in themes and characters? How enjoyable, comic, perceptive, critical?

2. The film as a Richard Benjamin vehicle? The qualities of the cast and their comic skills?

3. The Californian background? The reputation of California and Los Angeles for social problems and permissiveness in the United States? The coast, homes, the brokerage office? Families? The pornographic theatres? The interest in psychology and self-fulfilment? The impact of the visuals in sunny California? The Fred Karlin music, the lyrics of the song? Southern Californian atmosphere?

4. The tone of the title? The focus on the stockbroker and American wealth? Middle class? Expectations? Middle class values and their critique? The portrait of this kind of man and his marriage? The need for the marriage to break? The critique of behaviour and attitudes?

5. Richard Benjamin's energy and style as William? How well portrayed as a character, credible? Seeing him at work? His pretence with the style of the persuasive people in finance? The impact of the death of his colleague? Phone calls to his wife? His ordinary marriage? His dissatisfaction, staring at the girls in the office? His going to the pornographic film and the voiceover debate with himself? His curiosity, urge to watch? The sequence with the binoculars and its repercussions? How bad his compulsion to watch? The interpretation of Lisa and the others? The over-reaction or not? Lisa's leaving and its effect on him? The hopes for the holiday? His wandering about by himself? The fight, the pick-up? His visits to Nan's house and discussions with Lisa? The altercations with Nan? His realisation more of the truth about himself, his giving up his job, his listening to the psychiatrist? The confrontation with Lisa and taking her away? The possibility of building the marriage after breaking it?

6. The contrast with Lisa as the American wife? At home, the holiday, the fragility of the marriage, her reaction to William and the binoculars, her leaving the holiday? The pros and cons of her leaving? Impulsive, lack of communication? Nan and her visits and pressure? The Women's Liberation themes? The woman doctor and her analysis of the situation? Lisa's participation in the session? The shower and the discussion with Nan? The new date? Her being persuaded to leave? Her wanting to break free? Could the marriage succeed if Lisa had some individual freedom?

7. The contrast with the marriage of Chester and Nan? A comic mirror to William and Lisa? Caricatures? Wealth, social background, country club etc.? Nan and her incessant talking, psychological jargon? Her visit to William and the preoccupation with voyeurism and nudity? Her engineering the visit of the doctor? Her bullying Chester, bullying Lisa? The talk in the shower? Chester pushing her away? The humour and satire in Californian types and the realistic point behind the caricature?

8. The presentation of the business world, its pressures, early death, false facades and persuasion? The need to escape from this kind of world?

9. The themes of men and women? Relationships? Mutual liberation? The contrast with the encounter between William and the woman he picked up?

10. Psychological themes? honesty, confrontation, the telling of the truth? Psychological jargon, pressure and manipulation?

11. The blend of satire, realism? Insight into modern marriages and their bases? The moral point of view the film left the audience with?