SOLDIER IN THE RAIN

US, 1963, 87 Minutes, Black and White.
Jackie Gleason, Steve Mc Queen, Tuesday Weld, Tony Bill, Tom Poston.
Directed by Ralph Nelson.

Soldier in the Rain is a pleasant film about dreams and reality. It has an army setting and contrasts an old master sergeant played by Jackie Gleason in his usual style, with a young supply sergeant, Steve Mc Queen. They have their dreams and have to face up to reality. There is good support from Tuesday Weld. Direction is by Ralph Nelson at the time that he made such films as Requiem for a Heavyweight and Lilies of the Field. The screenplay is from a novel by William Goldman (Marathon Man, All the President's Men) and was co-written by Blake Edwards. Music is by Henry Mancini. A pleasing small film.

1. What did the title mean? To whom did it refer? Why?

2. Was this film really a comedy? Was it funny? Or did it present a comic view of human nature?

3. How humane was the film? Did it have a strong sense of humanity and understanding of human foibles? How?

4. Did the film keep the same style - or did it change in styles as the film progressed? Why?

5. The film presented itself as typically Arwrican. How did it show America of the 60s? American attitudes and patriotism? American proud self-consciousness?

6. The importance of the Army setting? The status and attitude towards the Army in the early 60s? Has this changed or dated? The importance of the Army setting as an isolation from the wider world. How important was this self-contained Army setting for the story. for the characters themselves?

7. How real a world was the world of the film? How much of it was fantasy? How much was fantasy in the minds of the main characters?

8. Did you like Max Slaughter? Jackie Gleeson's portrayal of him? How sympathetic. how endearing. how humane, how real? What values did he stand for? His image of himself in his own eyes, his wisecracks about himself? His taking refuge in the Army and fleeing the real world? Could audiences identify with the attitudes of Max Slaughter? Did you find his behaviour and his conmanship engaging or disagreeable? why?

9. Eustace: wes this a typical Steve Mc Queen performance? How engaging and likeable was Eustace? Why was he in the Army? Was he too stupid or engagingly dumb? Why did he admire Max Slaughter? why could he be outwitted by Max? How humorous were the sequences of Eustace's conmanship?

10. What was the relationship between the two men - the nature of their friendship? What insight into friendship did their relationship give?

11. Who was the stronger of the two? Who depended on whom? In what way did Max depend on Eustace? In what way was Max weak needing protection? How did Eustace depend on Max? What were Eustace's weaknesses so that he needed protection from Max?

12. The picture of the MPs? Their contrast with Max and Eustace? As aggressive forces of evil? As inhumane?

13. The impact of the duping of the officer about Eustace's illness? Max's role in this? What tone did this give to the film - comedy or not?

14. The girl - what was your first attitude towards her? How typical of the teenage generation? How stupid did you think she was? How self-centred? How much of a flirt? How was she transformed? Her relationship to Max? Her reaction to the insults? Max's changing of sensitivity towards her? The impact of the sequences at the fair? Did Max begin to love her? How did she respond to this?

15. The importance of the death of Eustace's dog? How important for the plot? Was his reaction believable? His turning on Max? Why? What did this reveal about them both? About the important things for men like Eustuce?

16. Why did they fight?

17. Eustace's fight in the bar - its role in the plot, Eustace as good and the M.P.s as bad and the clash of good and bad? The intervention of Max? The nature of Max's friendship?

18. Max's death, how moving?

19. What was the impact of Max's death on Eustuce? Did he realise that Max had given his life for him? Did Eustuce gain new life because of Maxs death? Was this the meaning of his remaining in the Army?

20. Would Eustuce become another Max? Would Eustuce take refuge in fantasy and in the isolated world of the Army, to avoid people? Or did he learn from Max and so was able to face the world?

21. How important in understanding human nature was this small film?