BLUE SUNSHINE

US, 1977, 95 minutes, Colour.
Zalman King, Deborah Winters, Mark Goddard, Robert Walden.
Directed by Jeff Lieberman.

Writer/director Jeff Lieberman made the surprisingly excellent animal menace horror "Squirm". Once again, he offers successful horror in a context of social critique, especially of American politics, but these themes would have repaid stronger, more explicit development. The screenplay has a tantalisingly puzzling credits sequence and then interestingly uses the detective story framework, where the hero, to clear himself of murder charges, has to track down the meaning of 'Blue Sunshine'. The horror (U.S. massacre style) is effectively communicated and the film has a didactic tone highlighting potential long range effects of the hallucinogenic drugs of the mid-sixties. Not a polished film, but very good of its kind.

1. The interest in science fiction, science fiction presented in documentary style and fact. The appeal of the horror genres and style? The combination of horror and science fiction?

2. The film received great critical praise. Why? Themes, treatment, message?

3. The importance of the ending and the giving of statistics. The moral drawn and the tone taken. The importance of the drug world of the mid-sixties and the repercussions even years after?

4. The use of the detective story framework? Audience puzzle over the behaviour? The clue of Blue Sunshine? The hero being pursued and victimized by the police? His trying to detect what went wrong? How well was the detective style blended with the violence and horror?

5. The impact of the prologue? The glimpses of the various people and their strange behaviour, the clue of the air falling out? The repetition of the title with the blue globe?

6. The atmosphere of the opening party? The mood, the young people? The sudden change in the singer, his hair, the violence of his killing, especially the two girls and their being in the fire? The hero and his running away, confronting the murderer? The truck and the truck death? The effect of these change of moods on the audience? Puzzle about what was going on? In the light of the prologue?

7. How sympathetic a hero was Gerry? The credibility of his behaviour? His personality, background, work? Being suspected for the killings? The frantic atmosphere surrounding his behaviour? His being on the run, relying on Alicia? His involvement with Fleming and the politics? The way that he conducted his investigation? His experience with the O'Malleys and the reconstruction of the deaths in his imagination? The confrontation of Fleming's ex wife and the violence, the children, the girls' death? The build up to the bar and the confrontation and the fight in the store?

8. Alicia as an attractive heroine? Her presence at the initial party, support of Gerry, contact with the police, making investigations? Her flirting with Wayne, agreeing to go out with him? Her participation in the final fight?

9. The political background, Ed Fleming and the television presentation of the campaign, his smiling personality and his insincerity, his relying on Wayne? The facts about the past, drug peddling? The posters and the future identified with him? His hypocrisy? His winning out and the ominous nature of the future?

10. The O'Malley family, their place in the prologue, the intimations and violence? The importance of the information and Gerry's inquiring of the neighbour, going into the house, imagining the deaths? The visual and audio techniques to communicate this?

11. Fleming's wife during the prologue, her interest in her husband, her friend, the children? Her hair and her reactions? The children and the episode with the knife? The fierce fighting with Gerry and her death?

12. Gerry's friendship with the Doctor? His place in the prologue? Audience anticipation and fear? His conducting of operations? The fact that he had not taken the drugs? His help and supplying counteractive drugs?

13. The truth about Blue Sunshine, the painting, Fleming’s drug peddling, the L.S.D. and the drug-taking in the 60s and the later repercussions?

14. Wayne and his work with Fleming, attraction towards Alicia, the information about his drug dependence, his dating Alicia and the crisis in the toilet, in the bar and his bashing people, the crisis in the shop?

15. The visual impact of the violence and the horror? The ending? Appropriate for the film?

16. Effective science fiction, horror? Influence on audiences?