SEE HOW SHE RUNS
US, 1978, 96 minutes, Colour.
Joanne Woodword, Barnard Hughes, John Considine, Lissa Newman.
Directed by Richard T. Heffron.
See How She Runs is an attractive telemovie relying on its success on the performance of Joanne Woodward. At the age of 47, she portrays Betty Quinn, a forty-year-old divorced school teacher with two teenage daughters. She begins to jog and enjoys running and is compelled to keep running. She uses the Boston Marathon as a goal for success and achievement - even just to finish. Despite difficulties of training. criticisms from her family, the difficulties of schedules and practising, she runs and takes all day but nevertheless finishes.
As a picture of ordinary heroism by an ordinary person, the film will have great appeal to the televison audience - and possibly encourage many to exercise and some vigorous vitality. The film was made in Boston and uses the background of the 1977 Boston Marathon. Joanne Woodward performs well and attractively and gets good support from Barnard Hughes as her father and John Considine as her rather immature husband. One of her own daughters, Lissa Newman, is the elder of her two daughters in the film. The film has a rather portentous score, more appropriate for a costume epic. However, the film is a very popular one and was released in theatres around the world.
1. An appealing film? For what audience? Qualities as a telemovie?
2. The kind of audience response desired? From the adult and middle aged audience, from women? Family audience? From an audience viewing the film within the home context?
3. The American presentation and its universal application? The presentation of Boston, the city locations, homes and school, the water, the roads, the environment?
4. The technical effects: colour photography, the collage of images from the marathon, the presentation of running sequences, the marathon itself and the use of editing? The portentous score?
5. The film’s presuppositions about health, exercise? The value of exercise,the strenuous effort, success? Its being right for people who enjoy it? For middle-aged people?
6. Joanne Woodward's performance as Betty? her personality? The carrying of the film? Audience identification especially by middle-aged women? Seeing her in the school context, her relationship with the various teachers, their friendliness, the black school teacher and the continued help and support, the kids in the classroom, the discussion about geography and exotic places, the present of the T-shirt and her wearing it during the marathon, their presence at the end? Betty's relationship with her husband, the alimony situation, interest about his girl friend, preparing the girls for the outings, the problems of getting the cheque in on time? Her being together with him, helping him? His wanting to come back and the various devices he used, her needing time to think? Her love for her daughters, their rather self-centred attitudes and demands on her, the various crises in their needing her support (the older daughter and the drinking, the cooking and the budgeting), her being able to help her daughters and discuss things readily (the discussion about periods)? Betty and her father and the light that this threw on her character and devotedness?
7. Presenting her as a middle-aged woman, age, weight, doing the shopping, walking, being puffed out? The visit to her father and listening to his complaints? The decision to run, the humorous attitudes of the people at school, having to get a taxi home, the continued jogging, the encounter with the woman with the dog, the people calling out to her? The jogging becoming more serious and her enjoying it? Her daughters' attitudes? The frightening sequence in the dark with the car pursuing her and her going to her friend, the importance of the night attack and its repercussions for her? Her daughters going on skates and bike wimi helping her? The effect of greater success in money?
8. The driving motivation for her running, a sense of achievement, the change in her personality? Coming to terms with her life and future?
9. The character of her father, his being confined in the chair, his painting T.V. shows, his compliment to her in the park and saying she ran like a man, the compliment to her mother and his not having said it, his watching her on the marathon?
10. The build-up to the marathon and her decision to run, the final training, her presence at the race and the support of her family?
11. The picturing of the race, the authentic background shots, people involved, audience knowledge of the difficulties especially the hills, the wall? Betty and her running, the support of the people, husband and daughters along the way, the teachers and their support, the blister, her falling? The croyd at the end, her endurance and not realising what was going on, the support of the black man’s betting, the policeman? her running towards the tape and the appropriateness of the film ending with this?
12. Themes of being alive and active, change in life, facing up to reality, values of self and achievement, family, self help? How is this illustrated in the character of Betty Quinn, in her relationship especially to her family?
