SUMMERTREE

US, 1971, 89 minutes, Colour.
Michael Douglas, Brenda Vacaaro, Jack Warden, Barbara Bel Geddes.
Directed by Anthony Newley,

Summertree is a minor film, but quite an effective one, especially in its look at the younger generation and the generation gap. Kirk Douglas son, Michael, is a guitar-playing twenty year old about to be drafted. This is the occasion for decisions about his future, his love and talent for music, the expectations of his parents, his love for a girl, his social work with an African American boy.

The film obviously has point and is on the side of youth. However, it has a sincerity and human interest that overcomes any preaching and obvious messages.

1. What was the significance of the title of the film and the symbolic nature of the tree (the flashbacks to childhood and the tree as a refuge)?

2. Was this a convincing portrayal of average Middle Americans, their style of life, ambitions, difficulties, conflicts? How?

3. Did you like Jerry as a character? Was he typical of twenty year olds? How?

4. Why did Jerry not share his father's ambitions for him? What was he really interested in - his 'big brother' assignment to the black boy, his guitar-playing, Vanetta, his parents? Would this have been enough for him to live a good life and find happiness?

5. How important was the issue of the draft - his father's attitude of broadmindedness (changing from previous attitudes) and wanting him to have credits to avoid the draft, his mother's concern, Jerry’s unwillingness to fight in the Vietnam war, his attempts to join the conservatory, Vanetta's husband, his father's foiling his plans for Canada, his death?

6. Was the essence of the film the war and draft issue or was it something deeper? What did Jerry's relationship with the boy reveal about him? What did his love for Vanetta reveal? The sequences of his playing the
guitar and the conservatory test?

7. How idealistic or unrealistic had Jerry been? How did he react to the conservatory failure, the boy's rejection of him because of his brother's death, the truth about Vanetta, the call-up, his father paying the garageman to tamper with the car? Did Jerry have enough choices to make his own life? How much was made for him?

8. Were the McAdams? presented in a sufficiently sympathetic way for the audience to sympathise with them as well as appreciate Jerry's dilemmas? Was Vanetta presented satisfactorily?

9. How ironic was the ending with the McAdams? in bed and Jerry’s injuries being shown on TV ? Was this too heavy-handed or did it fit into the film?

11. Was the film too confined to a particular American situation to be of great permanent interest?