ZIG ZAG/FALSE WITNESS

US, 1970, 105 minutes, Colour.
George Kennedy, Anne Jackson, Eli Wallach, Steve Ihnat.
Directed by Richard A.Colla.

Is quite an effective thriller, handsomely mounted in widescreen and colour and featuring George Kennedy in a very strong role. The plot is perhaps implausible, although it is given as a veneer of authenticity with the character that Kennedy is playing made sympathetic, especially in his dying, his great lengths in providing for his family do seem urgent, at least while on the screen. The involvement in a corrupt situation and murder veers the film from personal drama into some kind of expose of corrupt American society. An effective thriller and directed by Richard Colla, a television director who made such films as Fuzz.

1. How effective a thriller? Plausible, real? Involving? Meaning and tone of the title? An alternative title was False
Witness - more appropriate or not? Title song and lyrics?

2. The title and its reference to the structure of the film and to Paul Cameron's mind and the working out of his plan? The importance of the opening sequences and the long process of Paul Cameron's arrest and being put in jail? The attention to detail? Audience reaction to a man with this experience? Setting a tone for audience response to him?

3. Audience puzzle as regards his crime? The flashbacks to the sequences of him framing himself especially of the kidney? How interesting was the explanation? For Cameron in himself, Joe's background and shady friends, decision to work in this experience, his ability at his work? The revelation about the tumour and the decision that he could make? Should he have decided to have the operation? the risk? His decision to make money for his family? The appropriateness of the motivation? ways for making the money? Was he justified in any way in what he did?

4. His studying of the kidney files, attention to detail, the details of his plans and his involving his wife? The contrast with his plans and their execution and the American home life? his wife, bound with his daughter? The reaction of the company, the presentation, characters and the motives for their decision, businessmen? How important was this in view off what was to happen as regards the ransom, the court case, the revelation of the murder?

5. The revelation about Raymond and his ugliness, the nature of the cover up? The character of Mario Gambretti? His bond with Paul Cameron? His not being trusted? His attempts for the case? The interrogation and lies to him? This behaviour in court and his attempts to persuade the jury? The contrast with Gates and his case? The effectiveness of the verbal interchanges, the intervention of the judge? The jury and listening to such evidence and their verdict?

10. The irony of Cameron's illness and the operation and its situation? Throwing his whole process into farce?

11. The build-up to his escape, his searching out the women to find out the truth about Raymond, his tracking the car etc? His skill in trying to justify himself?

12. The involvement of Gambretti and Gates's decisions not to intervene? In view of Cameron's death should they have intervened?

13. The filling in of the background, the memories of Raymond, death and the identification of the killer and the motive? The dramatic impact of the slow motion accusations of "It was you" as Cameron died? The irony of Cameron's dying after all? Poetic justice?

14. The film's reliance on colour, Panavision, music, thriller techniques and fast pacing? Flashbacks?

15. George Kennedy's performance and giving the character more character than it might have had? How much of the film's success depended on his sympathetic performance?