BLOODLINE

US, 1979, 111 minutes, Colour.
Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, James Mason, Irene Papas, Romy Schneider, Omar Sharif.
Directed by Terence Young.

Years earlier, Terence Young directed a terrified Audrey Hepburn in Wait Until Dark. He has her terrified again here as she presides over a multi-national pharmaceutical company, whose board consists of cousins all capable of murder - a multi-starred group including James Mason, Romy Schneider, Omar Sharif (and all, including heroine, looking regrettably older). Gert Frobe, as a scruffy inspector enjoying detection by computer, is excellent. But the stars, international settings, Ennio Morricone's very-varied score and intrigue keep us guessing and overlook the fact that the screenplay is extremely formula material and that red herrings, tricks abound and motivation is scarcely explained. But this is the staple material of the movies.

1. The appeal of this kind of multi-starred glamorous murder mystery? The perennial appeal of big business, human conflict? Violence? Sexuality? The ingredients dressed up in '70s style?

2. The multi-starred cast and their various styles? The use of American and European locations? Glamour, wealth, clothes and decor? The contribution of the score and its variety of tones e.g. during the inspection of the factory, the score for Audrey Hepburn?

3. Audience response to the world of multi-nationals and their aura, power and intrigue, violence, greed, crime, perversion? How real is the world of this kind of best-selling film?

4. The building up of the private firm by Sam Roffe? The opening of the film with his death and its repercussions? The strength of Roffe, his diary and the importance of the flashbacks? The visualising of his origins, humble beginnings, Poland and his experiments, his success with his father-in-law? Elizabeth and Kate visiting Cracow? The dramatic insertion of the flashbacks in Elizabeth's mind? Sentiment and feeling for the firm and her holding on to it?

5. The credits and the red ribbon for a bloodline, the model? The later taking up of this for the pornographic films, the murders? The connection of glamour and lust with Sir Alec and his young wife and her gambling, her torture? The perverted tone - the perversion as shown and the motives for the killings?

6. The repercussions of Sam Roffe's death, the advice to go public, the various business deals, the attitudes of the banks - and their being persuaded by Elizabeth, sabotage? The need for money as the motive?

7. How satisfying a murder mystery? The threats to Elizabeth? Was the screenplay fair with giving clues, the possibilities for each of the suspects to do the murders? The red herrings, the trick suggestions, the standard manoeuvres for murder mysteries? The end with Elizabeth having to choose? How satisfying was the range of suspects and playing detective with Inspector Hornung?

8. Inspector Hornung and his personality, scruffiness, the scenes where he discussed with the computers and his joy in working with the computers? His skill in investigation? His having to see the pornographic movie and his comments on it? His presence at the end and saving Elizabeth? A strong characterisation?

9. Audrey Hepburn as Elizabeth? Her presence, beauty, age? Seeing her at work at the start, the music to introduce her, the glamorous focus on Audrey Hepburn? Her background, relationship with her father and love for him, her glamour? Her friendship with Rhys? The board meetings after the walk in the park? Her persuading the cousins of her own views? The clash with the cousins? Her reading of the diary and the visit to Cracow and its impact on her and her feelings? Her decisions? Kate and her support? The visit to Sardinia and the bond between the two women, the threat on her life with the failing brakes, her being in hospital? Coping with the threat. dealing with the banks, the promise of the pill to delay old age? Her decision to marry for the good of the firm? The hearing of the tape and its later disappearance? The build up of her fears? The impact of Kate’s death and her narrow escape? The marriage and her happiness in it, the visit to Paris and her suspicions of Rhys, the clash in the restaurant? The discovery of the tape in his drawer, her fleeing from him, the final choice and acting against Rhys? The happy ending - for herself, for Rhys, the business? A strong performance to sustain the best-seller aspects of the film?

10. Rhys and his businesslike attitudes at the start, discussions in America, his not being part of the family, his observations at the board meetings, his relationship with Sam and his rise in the firm through him? His marrying Elizabeth and yet having an affair with Helene? Audience suspicions of him, Inspector Hornung's suspicions, the growing evidence against him? The restaurant scene with the girls, the discussion with Elizabeth in the street? The menace at the end and her not choosing him when she should have? The future running of the firm with them both?

11. The build up of the cousins - the information given about them, the introductions to them and the information about Sam Roffe's death? Editing in the episodes about them to the whole film? Hornung's comments and the information from the computer and the way these were visualised? Their presence at board meetings? The red herrings to suggest that each was capable of murder?

12. Sir Alec and his gambling, political background and his references to it, his devotion to his young wife, her gambling debts, the criminals and their threats, his fears and the need to raise money, his denial of being able to traffic in morphine, the relationship with his wife, her torture, his presence at the board meetings and protectiveness towards Elizabeth? James Mason's suave style? Was he a credible killer, murdering the scientist, setting the factory on fire, the pornographic movies? His presence at the end and his threat to Elizabeth?

13. Helene and Charles and their French attitudes? Helene's strength and her driving the racing car, her dominance of Charles, his speculation in vineyards etc? Their business acumen, Charles and his debts, his stealing his wife's jewellery? His being blackmailed by Rhys with Elizabeth present? Rhus and his affair with Helene? Charles robbing Helene and leaving? Helene's plots - a credible killer?

14. Ivo and Omar Sharif's style? His relationship with Donatela and the three boys? The return to Simonetta and the three girls? The humour of their names being the same? His need for money, his background of violence, his marrying into money? His fawning attitudes at the meetings? The Tivoli Gardens sequence and the various threats by Donatela?

15. Kate as efficient secretary, companion to Elizabeth? Her death?

16. The insertion of the murders of the prostitutes and the pornographic film? Their purpose, the credibility of Sir Alec's commissioning them?

17. The background of computers and the detection by computer?

18. Old fashioned affluent melodramatic murder mystery - and its continued appeal?