TOYS IN THE ATTIC
US, 1962, 90 minutes, Black and white.
Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, Yvette Mimieux, Wendy Hiller, Gene Tierney, Larry Gates.
Directed by George Roy Hill.
Toys in the Attic is another of Lillian Hellman's caustic plays about the decaying South, the ancestor of which was her famous The Little Foxes. Here we have the proud Bernier family, two spinster sisters who have spoilt their younger brother who now wishes to make good. One sister, Carrie, so wishes to possess him herself that she breaks up the family with an intense destruction. The American South is a frightening world. The ingredients make for strong drama and Lillian Hellman's dialogue has bite, but somehow the film does not emerge as the major drama it might have been. Nevertheless, it does have considerable force.
Dean Martin shows that he is an actor capable of serious work. But the film is Geraldlne Page as Carrie, although it is a role she is in danger of re-creating too often (Summer and Smoke, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Beguiled). Wendy Hiller, in unexpected casting, is excellent as the wiser sister, Anna.
George Roy Hill has directed some interesting films Including The World of Henry Orient, Hawaii and Butch Cassldy and the Sundance Kid.
1. What was the meaning of the title of this film?
2. There are many films that have the Southern U.S. states for their setting and portray it as inbred, decadent and partly insane. Was this film typical of this presentation of the south?
3. What kind of man was Julian? Had he grown up? Had he been too pampered by his sisters? Why had he married Lily? Did you think he was having an affair after you saw Lily follow him and worry about him?
4. What kind of woman was Carrie? How important to her were the Bernier name and house? How attached to Julian was she?
5. What kind of woman was Anna? How did she contrast with Carrie?
6. How did the sequence of Julian's bringing home the gifts and the ship tickets reveal the relationships in the family?
7. What kind of woman was Lily? Why had she not grown up? How had her relationship with her mother affected her? Why was she so suspicious? What did Carrie and Anna think of her?
8. What aspect of the south did Lily's mother represent (and her chauffeur)?
9. What significance and impact did the short sequences concerning Walker and his wife have? Did it make what followed credible?
10. Why did Anna and Carrie quarrel? Did Anna speak the truth about Carrie's attitude towards Julian? Should she have?
11. Why did Carrie use Lily - to hurt her? To hurt Anna? To hurt Julian? To bring Julian back to her? Something of all these motives? How deliberately malicious was Carrie?
12. Was Anna right in getting Lily to stand by Julian no matter what happened?
13. When did Julian finally see through Carrie? How did she give herself away? Was this inevitable?
14. Was the ending the only ending possible? Did Anna have any obligation to Carrie? What would become of Carrie?
15. This film was heavily 'southern' in mood, tone, language. Could this story have been set elsewhere and have made the same impact?
