THE SECRET LIFE OF AN AMERICAN WIFE

US, 1968, 92 minutes, Colour.
Walter Matthau, Anne Jackson, Patrick O’ Neal, Edy Williams.
Directed by George Axelrod.

The Secret Life of an American wife was written and directed by George Axelrod, writer of such films as The Seven Year Itch and How to Murder Your Wife (as well as the more serious Breakfast at Tiffany’s and The Manchurian Candidate).

Perhaps Axelrod was influenced by such continental films as Belle de Jour with Catherine Deneuve. In that film, Deneuve plays a housewife, bored with her life, who becomes a callgirl by day and wife by night. In this American variation, Anne Jackson portrays a bored suburban housewife who becomes a callgirl for a movie star (played by Walter Matthau) in order to prove that she is still attractive to her husband, Patrick O’Neal?.

Some eyebrows were raised at the film at the time of its release, although it reflects the change of perspectives on presenting moral values on screen of the 1960s. Walter Matthau who had won an Oscar in 1966 for The Fortune Cookie made a number of prominent films at this time including The Odd Couple, Cactus Flower and Hello Dolly.

1. The appeal of this kind of sex comedy? Laughter, mockery, moralising, observation, a criticism shown humorously of American moral attitudes? Was the film an overall success?

2. What were the emphases in the comedy: in character, situations, the American way of life?

3. What were the basic moral stances taken by the screenwriter? The American code, traditions? The questions about external American morality and what goes on in people's minds and hearts? How trite did the treatment seem, how true?

4. The focus on the average American wife, as portrayed by Ann Jackson? What type of person was she? The importance of her monologues, the communication with the audience and the audience able to identify with her? Middle age, the nature of her memories, her growing up? The truth about the past and
her romanticising of it? Her longing for the past, her satire on the present?

5. How did the film move to the focus on sexuality? Questions of age, memory, people getting used to one another, the sexual appeal? The humour of her encounter with the milk boy and his not noticing her? The nature of her
yearnings? The irony of the call-girl as a symbol for her yearnings? Audience response to this kind of symbolism?

6. How was Tom, her husband, presented? Realistically, satirically? The relationship between husband and wife? The memories of their past, that they had got used to one another? His involvement In his work, his lies and his smiling, the artificiality of advertising, of being an agent, of
providing for the needs of someone who was despised? The fact that he was a slave to his job and to the movie star?

7. The satire on the movie star, Walter Matthau's style? The parody of the Moll-type, his self-regard, his poses, his physical look, his fans? His difficulties and pettiness as regards the piano, the room and his meals? How accurate was the parody of the movie star?

8. The importance of the encounter between Charlie and Victoria? who learnt the truth? What were the true sides of each of them? The motherliness and the wife attitudes of Victoria? The ordinariness and emptiness of the star?
The significance of their talk and encounter, Victoria's fussing over Charlie's illness? Comment on the sexual symbolism of their union and its value? The significance of Victoria's succeeding as a call-girl and her being paid
the money?

9. What was the achievement for Victoria? How questionable was the morality of this? The relationship then with her husband?

10. Comment on the incidents and the comedy highlights and their success? Their balance within the themes?

11. The importance of the minor characters, for example the assistants to the film star, the woman Susie Steinberg of the imagination? The children?

12. The emphasis on the title was 'the American wife'. What kind of Americana was this film? As a reaction of the sixties?