SILVER STREAK
US, 1976, 113 minutes, Colour.
Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Pryor, Patrick Mc Goohan, Clifton James, Ned Beatty, Ray Walston.
Directed by Arthur Hiller.
Silver Streak is a good comedy. The first fifteen minutes do not indicate how enjoyable this film is going to be but once the body appears. Afterwards, it is hard to work out how, but this comedy has one laughing fairly continuously (especially in a large audience) and it achieves its effect by both using and parodying the disaster trend (and some of its hyperbole) at the same time. Gene Wilder can be thrown off a train, the Silver Streak, in the desert, soon be milking a cow and yet soon be on the train sixty miles away and so on. And then there's the murder mystery and the runaway train and... Most enjoyable.
1. Why was this film so popular? Its entertainment impact? The appeal to the audience?
2. The film as an example of comedy in the aftermath of the disaster trend of the 70s? Yet the film is using all the details and styles of the disaster?
3. Audience response to films on train journeys, murders and robberies, comedy? How well did these ingredients blend?
4. What were the qualities of the comedy? The portrayal of the characters, the farcical situations, the quality of the dialogue, the parody of the disaster films? The satisfactory interplay of all these elements?
5. The film presented impossible events. Why were these so enjoyable? Audience response to this kind of fantasy and achieving the impossible?
6. The importance of the journey structuret the departure of the train and its arrival. the sense of progress in the journey, the ordinary man and his involvement in the impossible? The blending of reality and fantasy?
7. How typically American was the film? The American types of hero and heroine? Villain? The American landscapes.. the train from Los Angeles to Chicagot the desert and the mountains, countryside and the city? The various types of people along the wayp the cross-section of the American people? The people on the train, passengers, goodies and baddies, police, blacks and whites? A big scale look at America via comedy?
8. The portrayal of the Silver Streak itself, its presentation as a train, its journey, luxury, porters etc.? The porter and his introduction of George to the train and its conveniences? The picturing of its streaking through the countryside? The impact of the final crash?
9. How enjoyable a character was George Caldwell? His arrival at the train, the ordinary man getting on, his motive for travellingt his initial seeing of Hilly in the adjacent compartment, the discussion with Sweet about sexuality on the train,, his relationship with Hilly and their dinner together? The humour and the irony of their lovemaking and the talk about editing gardening books?
10. The impact of seeing the body and the change of tone in the film? The atmosphere of mystery and suspense? George's disbelief, hallucination? The adventure ingredients and the suspense, the laughter within these?
11. How attractive a heroine was Hilly, an American wormn, her work, her involvement in the plot, her love for George, her acting as a heroine during the dangers? The ambiguity of her behaviour, especially with Devereau, her concern for George, her becoming a victim, sharing the final dangers? Jill Clayburgh's performance and making the character better because of the strength of the portrayal?
12. The character of Grover and his helping of George? The black and white together? The humour of his introduction in the car, as a thief, his help with the driving, portraying the servant on the train, helping in the dangers? The deadpan nature of his dialogue, character portrayal? The bond between the two? Comment on the adventure ingredients and the humour of the train events: the death of the professor, the searching of the cabin and George being thrown off the train, the personality of Devereaus henchmen, of Devereau himself and his sinister cool control, the encounters with Sweet, the revelation of his being a FBI agent, his death? The gun battle on the roof, the death of the giant crook? Devereau and his revelation and sense of menace?
13. The adventures and comedy off the train: George wandering the desert and suddenly milking a cow, the personality of Rita and her way of life, the humour on the plane and the sheep? The encounter with the Sheriff after falling off the train again? The police, the communications and the police she?riff watching television and acting like a television character? The car destruction derby and the pursuit? The final jumping off the train? Joining the police for the final gun siege?
14. How well did everything come to a head? George and Grover off the train and the police besieging the train, Devereau and the final gun battles on the train. Devereau and the brutality of his death? The irony of the train being out of control? The humour of the lack of preparedness at Chicago for the arrival of the train? The build-up to the final crash? The final images with the train crashed into the station, the people fleeing, a strange kind of monument to destruction? The happy ending for Grover, George and Hilly?
15. How satisfying a piece of 70s entertainment?
