BLACK SUNDAY

US, 1976, 143 minutes, Colour.
Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fitz Weaver, Bekim Fehmieu, Michael V. Gazzo, Steven Keats, William Daniels.
Directed by John Frankenheimer.

Black Sunday is a long gripping thriller that sustains considerable suspense. While the last part of the film is purely disaster material (expertly and excitingly done - farfetched realism), the intensity and audience involvement
comes from a 'dates and places' structure, but more from the political overtones of terrorism and memories of the havoc of Black September militancy. A chase sequence in Miami in mid-film is fine cinema and truly frightening as fiction reality meet with the F.B.I. pursuing terrorists in crowded streets. Marthe Keller is a coldly convincing terrorist and Bruce Dern effective as her pathological collaborator. Excellent characterizations, including Robert Shaw's Israeli commando, strong political themes.

1. Title, impact? Thriller, disaster film, political film, terrorism? Combination of both?

2. Audience response to the Black September movement, to the facts of Munich, to terrorists in general? The threat to innocent people? The political and historical facts behind terrorists and their causes? Do any of these facts justify terrorism? The terror of terrorism of this type on such a large scale?

3. The quality of colour, Panavision photography? The music, especially in the crises? The importance of the action sequences, pacing, editing? Audience involvement in the structure: names and dates and places, mounting suspense and tension?

4. The use of international locations: Beirut, Los Angeles, Washington and the focus on Miami? The atmosphere and environment of these places? The culmination in Miami in the streets, the buildings, the Super Bowl, the aerial photography?

5. The introduction to the film by way of Dahlia and her arrival in Beirut? Curiosity. sympathies and distaste because of terrorism? The nature of the Beirut meeting,, the people involved? The information about Black September and their ruthlessness? The importance of the film and Michael's introduction and his attacks on America? The importance of the associates, Dahlia and her decision to record? A well-paced atmospheric beginning for such a long film?

6. The counter-balance with the preparations for the raid: the introduction to David. to Robert? The knowledge of the audience about the schools of Israeli commandos? The editing: of Dahlia, the bedroom scene, Faisal and the arrival of the Israelis? The speed and the skill in the raid? The explosion? The rights and wrongs of such raids? Terrorism and counterterrorism?

7. The dramatic importance of David's not killing Dahlia? The focus on close-ups of faces and Dahlia's terror? David's decision and indecision? The important consequences of this? David's discussing what he should have done later? The importance of the face to face encounter at the end? A bond and a bond hostility?

8. The transition to the introduction of Michael Lander? Audience response to his film from Vietnam? The explanation of his background? Dahlia treating him as a mad child? His approaching Dahlia to do something against America? Seeing him at home and his erratic behaviour, his dependence on her? Seeing him at work in the blimp? His friendliness with the men, his hostile attitude towards authority? His work at home and his intensity? The significance of his interview with the doctor and the filling in of his background - his being humiliated in waiting for the number,. the revelation about his imprisonment and the long years, the explanation of his wife and the means taken to adapt her to the problems and not himself? How did this build up in his participation in the getting of the cargo from the ship, of his killing the Japanese captain? His intensity and his desire for a rehearsal of the explosions and his exhilaration at this? His lack of scruple in killing people? The importance of his dressing up in his uniform and medals when the project seemed to fail? The significance of his desperate speech about himself and his imprisonment, his photo of his family and his worrying about the shadow etc.? A desperate man? How mad? The importance of his motivations? America to blame for producing this kind of person? Justice and injustice towards him? The bond with Dahlia and their going into the project at the end?

9. Michael and his place in the operation, his initial skills, his job with Goodyear and the preparations for later tensions? His preparations for the Super Bowl? The audience prepared for it? The skill in his work, the erratic pulling of the gun on Dahlia, his exhilaration with the explosives? The importance of the sequence in the hangar and his genial treatment of the man whom he was to kill, his making Dahlia share in his exhilaration at the explosion and its symmetry?

10. The impact of the speedboat sequence and their skill in avoiding the coastguard?

11. The introduction of the F.B.I.? Audience interest in the F.B.I., their files, their covers? Their involvement in the case? Corley and his skill? The relationship with the Israelis? Especially with David? Corley and David working together? Their presence in Miami with so many cover police? Their involvement in the chase, David's saving Corley's life? The supervision of security by the F.B.I.? The skills in determining identity of criminals and terrorists etc.? The need for the F.B.I.?

12. The film's focus on David Kabakov? As leading the raid, his relationship with Robert? The beginning of his disillusionment, especially after the search of the ship, the experience of the Japanese captain and terrorising him? The hospital sequence and his ruminations? Robert saying that he was seeing both sides of the question? His treatment of people and murders over thirty years e.g. the terrorism of the merchant with the gun in his mouth? How was he affected by the murder of Robert? The feeling in the sequence of the coffin going on the plane? How well did he represent the relentless Israeli?

13. The importance of his decision to liaise with the Egyptians? The diplomacy and fencing of the discussion in Washington? The blackmail? The importance of the Egyptian co-operation and producing identity and file?

14. The transition to Miami - Dahlia taking the boat? The build-up to the Super Bowl match, the President being present? The possibilities of such destruction?

15. The importance of Faisal's arrival in Miami? The pressurising of Dahlia to stop? Her decision to go because Michael was dependent on her? The interaction between the two? The revelation that the F.B.I. had them covered? The importance of the chase sequence and its staging through the streets of Miami on to the beach? The importance of Faisal’s death by David? How well-paced was this action sequence in its contribution to the whole film?

16. The decision to go, the murder of Farley? How important were the deaths of so many people, especially those who worked on the blimp on the ground?

17. The atmosphere of the match, the long introduction to the football players, the singing of the national anthem? The arrival of the President? Kabakov and Corley and the suspense in trying to discover what was to happen? The importance of the collage of security measures and the way these were visualised? The discovery with the death of Farley and David's decisions? The interrogation of the TV people, the rushing to the blimp?

18. The fight of Dahlia and Michael with the blimp crew? Their desperate attempts to get the machine into the air? Their ruthlessness?

19. How important were Kabakov's decisions, especially about the helicopter? Such deaths? The movement of the blimp towards the stadium and the manoeuvring with the helicopter? How plausible, how exciting?

20. The confrontation between David and Dahlia and death? David on the blimp and the chaos in the stadium? People's reactions? Michael's attempt to light the fuse?

21. How interesting was the film in portraying people, characters? Fanaticism, ideology? Politics? Security?

22. The views on Israeli-Arab? relationships eg. through Dahlia's history as explained by the Egyptian to David? The American role eg. as blamed in Dahlia's tape?

23. The presentation of the violence, the terrorism, so many people killed? The victims and rights? What really was the film about?