THE STEAGLE
US, 1971, 87 minutes, Colour.
Richard Benjamin, Chill Wills, Cloris Leachman, Susan Tyrell, Diane Ladd.
Directed by Paul Silbert.
The Steagle is something of an unknown film. It was written and directed by Paul Silbert, the twin of Richard Silbert, set designer. Paul Silbert himself won an Oscar for the set design for Heaven Can Wait, 1978.
The film was cut against the director’s will by studio head, Joseph E. Levine. The experience is written up by Silbert in his book, Final Cut: The Making and Breaking of a Film.
The film stars Richard Benjamin who appeared in a number of films like this at the time: Goodbye Columbus, The Marriage of a Young Stockbroker, Portnoy’s Complaint. Benjamin then went on to be a successful director. Cloris Leachman in this year won an Oscar for best supporting actress in The Last Picture Show. Chill Wills does a spoof of his eccentric cowboy screen image.
The film is set in the time of the Cuban missile crisis. Richard Benjamin portrays a professor who, thinking that the end of the world is at hand, decides to travel across the United States and become a different person in each different city where he stays. This leads to eccentric, 1960s and 70s-style satire.
1. How enjoyable was this film, how interesting? How much a curiosity item?
2. The significance of the title and its explanation in the film? A hybrid and artificial creature? The meaning of the theme from the title?
3. What are the characteristics of 'black' comedy? Its power on the audience? Provocative and telling? The use of irony and humour? How good a black comedy was this film?
4. How important was colour, music, location photography?
5. The importance of the structures a sense of journey, the atmosphere of realism, the living out of fantasy?
6. What are audience reactions now to the Cuban crisis? Does it seem dated? Did the film communicate the reality of the crisis well? Later history not justifying the fears of the crisis? response to this atmosphere?
7. How was the crisis used as a metaphor in the film? The threat for the end of peace, the end of the world, the end of known values? Was it convincingly used, and well?
8. How was Harold an ordinary man? The American everyman, the picture of him with his family, his work, lecturing? What values did he stand for? The presentation of ordinary American values of the sixties? His relationship with his wife? His wife and family as the ordinary American family?
9. Why did the Cuban crisis and its symbolism change him? The party and then his making love at the airport after the broadcast? The irony of the broadcast? President Kennedy's words, the airport and the noise? What happened to him then?
10. Why did he decide to set out on a journey of wish fulfilment? Not keeping his own identity? Is this what happens to people in crisis? Eat, drink and be merry?
11. The importance of the visit to Chicago? The fact that he was out of date? Louise and his liaison with her? The truth about himself?
12. As presented in the plane trips? His way of behaving? Impressing people?
13. The importance of the Las Vegas sequences? Las Vegas as a metaphor for ‘eat, drink and be merry’? The Reverend and his letting go of things? The hostesses turning into goodtime girls? Gambling, drunkenness, fornication? The last image of the Reverend?
14. Why the Hollywood setting for the end? The artificiality of the film world of Hollywood? The irony of the old actor and his stunts? His taking off of Humphrey Bogart and the accident? Re-fighting old battles in the light of the Cuban crisis? The achievement of Hollywood and America?
15. How disillusioning was this for Harold? How could he remake his life when the crisis was over? The significance of the train returning to New York?
16. What values did the film stand for? Explore? How valid a commentary on American society and life? How valuable was the film in sympathy for the hero, and insight through him?
