THE SENTINEL

US, 1976, 92 Minutes, Colour.
Chris Sarandon, Cristina Raines, Ava Gardner, Martin Balsam, John Carradine, Jose Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, Deborah Raffin, Sylvia Mills, Burgess Meredith.
Directed by Michael Winner.

The Sentinel is a hellish thriller one enjoys unashamedly but admits to enjoying most ashamedly. Offbeat Catholicism and hints from Paradise Lost provide the basis for plenty of mystery plot (but why should the entrance to Hell be in New York?). Attractive Cristina Raines makes a credibly distraught heroine and there are entertaining vignettes from Burgess Meredith, Ava Gardner and Eli Wallach amongst others. Five ghastly minutes not long before the end transform the entertainment from a lesser classification to a stricter one, limiting the audience unduly. Directer Michael Winner is noted for unsubtle zest and zip and he uses it here to intend and do nothing more than make a pop occult thriller well.

1. How enjoyable a film? Critics were very hostile? Why? Fitting into the post-Exorcist trend for the occult? Derivative of so many films of the occult?

2. Of what appeal and what interest was the basic idea: how far-fetched, realistic? Latin sayings, Paradise Lost and the entrance to Hell, the overtones of Catholicism and exorcism? Death, heaven and hell? How well were these ingredients used for popular kind of entertainment?

3. The importance and relevance of the initial Italian sequences? The introduction to the prelate, to the priest, to the atmosphere of the traditional church, Italy and religion, superstition? The authority for searching out the sentinel? The transition to New York and the world of fashion, the apartment, the music? (The importance of having so many guest stars in small roles?).

4. Comment on the special effects: the Italian atmosphere, the New York atmosphere, the atmosphere of the apartment with the priest sitting in the window, the apartments themselves, the people who were there, darkness, the creaking, the flashbacks, the appearance of Allison's father and her killing him, the freaks at the end and their menace? Atmosphere of death and madness, fear? Audience fear?

5. How credible were the characters, the events? Did this matter? Audience fear and thrill? An example of pop religious fiction?

6. Why is Italy so associated with this kind of storp? The clerics themselves, their personalities, what they stood for? The importance of time and religious and superstition? The old and the new in comparison with America? (Why should the sentinel be in New York?)

7. How attractive was Cristina Raines in the central role? The fashion collage during the credits, her personality, her work? The importance of a fashion model being attacked or being chosen for this kind of work? How much implicit criticism of the world of photography, the model, persuasion and exploitation? Is she a victim of the modern advertising world?

8. How interestingly was Allison's character drawn: her work and skill as a model, her popularity and fame, seeing her alone and wanting to be alone, the background of Michael and her love for him, his wife's suicide? The importance of her searching out her apartment, the sequences with Jennifer and the bond with her? Her love for Michael? The collage of both seeking out apartmeents? The ordinariness of Allison's life with a sinister background?

9. The importance of her father's illness and death? The effect on her? Her arrival back home and the importance of her wealthy background? The menace of the flashbacks and the way that they were designed with Allison actually watching herself and present in her flashbacks? The horror and disgust with her father and his debauchery? The importance of these visuals for later, hallucinations and hell? Her fear, her girlishness, her slashing of her wrists because of her father? The importance of the Catholic background? Her inability to go to the funeral? Her mother and the pathos of her mother's situation?

10. The encounter with Miss Logan, Ava Gardner as Miss Logan and her style? The attractiveness of the apartment? Sinister hints? The importance of Father Halliran and his sitting blind at the window? Visualised from afar and only seen in close-up at the end?

11. Initial response to Charles Chazen, his visit, smiling but sinister, his cat? His talk and invitations, atmosphere of mystery, hints about his reality? The comparison with Sandra and Gerde? Allison's visit to them, their relationship, explicit sexuality, disgusting Allison? The importance of Charles Chazen's invitation to the party, the guests and the way they were visualised, their sinister overtones, the enjoyment of the party, the ironic revelation of their death and their crimes? The bizarre aspect of having a party for a cat?

12. The building up of tension when Allison visited -Miss Logan, brought her to the apartment, the tour of the apartments and seeing them empty when the audience had seen the party? The atmosphere of mystery?

13. The character of Michael, his love for Allison, his selfishness? Their absences? Tenderness? Michael as suave? His hiring of Brenner? Brenner's watching, the irony of Allison and her fear in the night, the creaking, going upstairs, atmosphere of fear, use of light and darkness, the haunting by her father and her stabbing him? The irony of the death of Brenner? (The realism with the discovery of Brenner's body in New York?) Michael and his sinister hold over Brenner?

14. The police, their ironic touch, barging in? The assistant? Their pushing of Michael, their knowledge of the truth? Their discovery of the murder? Their understanding of the file and the names that Allison gave as being criminals?

15. The importance of the clue of the Latin, the humorous visit to the absentminded professor and the change of tone, a laugh at this stage of the film? The significance of Paradise Lost?

16. The effect of all this on Allison, her work, her not being able to cope, collapsing? (The film's great attention to detail of the filming of commercials? The number of takes etc., her collapsing?) Her wandering the streets, her visit to the church, the encounter with Father Franchino? (The clue with the ring and its emblem?) The character of Father Franchino, his presence in the church and encounter with Allison? The revelation of his role in the diocese? The presence of the Italian prelate? The discussion about sentinels and their waning, their history?

17. The atmosphere of break-in and its particularly American overtones? The knowledge of the truth? Michael's panic? The midnight deadline? The background of the party and keeping Allison safe?

18. The build-up to midnight: Jennifer and the party, Michael and his return to the apartments, Allison not feeling well and lying down but going back? Father Franchino's presence? Father Halliran and the ending of his period as sentinel? Michael and his stroll with Father Franchino and his death and condemnation to hell? The atmosphere for the struggle against Allison?

19. Response to the freaks and the hell creatures, led by Charles Chazen, the people from the party, Sandra and Gerde? The diabolical overtones, the indications of greed, sensuality? The physical horror of the freaks? The build-up of terror for Allison? The irony of Michael appearing amongst them? The blood flowing from him? The struggle with Father Halliran, the struggle with Allison? The music, the camera movement, the build-up?

20. The calm atmosphere and the new visitors, Miss Logan's tour, the irony of the new sentinel and the visualizing of Allison as the nun?

21. The flamboyant camera style and oomph in the presentation of the film? Audience being carried along? The values, overtones of religion, superstition, the occult, good and evil, sin and responsibility, heritage?