JENNIFER ON MY MIND

US, 1971, 90 minutes, Colour.
Michael Brandon, Tippi Walker, Lou Gilbert, Chuck McCann?, Peter Bonerz, Renee Taylor, Robert de Niro, Barry Bostwick.
Directed by Noel Black.

Jennifer On My Mind is very much a film of the early 70s, a focus on the emerging drug culture, a story of a rich girl rebelling against her family and leading astray an upright young man. The film is trendy – and seems dated in retrospect.

It was also unsuccessful on its first release and was sent back for recutting by the studio. One of the victims of the recut was Kim Hunter as Jennifer’s mother – her part was completely removed from the film.

Tippi Walker appeared in a number of films at this time, Michael Brandon was more successful over the decades and had a successful stage career, especially in Jerry Springer the Opera. In the supporting cast are Renee Taylor who, with her husband Joseph Bologna, was to appear and direct in several films including Made for Each Other. Robert de Niro has a small role – as a taxi driver, gypsy style.

The film was directed by Noel Black whose career was mainly in television but who in these years made a couple of controversial films including Pretty Poison and Cover Me Babe as well as Jennifer On My Mind.

1. Critical response to this film was exceedingly negative. It was sent back for re-editing. It was not shown in many countries except on television. Did your response to the film agree with this negative approach? Was the negative approach credible?

2. How well did the film picture and reflect the drug situation in America and internationally in the early seventies? Does the film seem dated now? Was it too particularly involved in the kind of people and issues of the time? Has it any more universal interest?

3. The original title was 'Heir'. In this a better title than the present one? The focus on Marcus? The present title and Marcus's involvement with Jennifer? Does this indicate the type of response the film-makers were hoping for?

4. The importance of the colour, settings in Venice, musical accompaniment, a rich and affluent background in Venice and in America? The atmosphere of the film? Could Jennifer and Marcus be considered in any way typical young people of the time, typical Americans?

5. Critics were particularly harsh on the quality of the dialogue. Does it merit this harsh judgment? One commentator said it should have been called 'Drug Story', parodying 'Love Story'. Is this so?

6. What genre did the film fit into? Was it a romance, a comedy, a black comedy, a parody of love stories? Were there elements of each? Which predominated? In the dialogue, in the finished product?

7. The value of the flashback technique? The initial mood of Jennifer's death, Marcus's response. the eccentric comedy of Selina’s visit, his tape-recording his response? The continual return to this theme, in the light of the flashbacks? Did they illuminate what was happening to Marcus at Jennifer's death?

8. How credible a character was Marcus? His qualities as a young man, the influence of his family, his grandfather as a gangster, the inherited wealth, a rich man, trying to hide Jennifer, burying her in the piano? The contrast with his meeting Jennifer and falling in love with her? Could you understand what kind of person he was?

9. How attractive a character was Jennifer? Her affluence, her mother getting divorces, a girl of whims, involved with drugs, with no purpose in life, so easily bored? Was she credible? Sympathetic? Which sequences illustrated her character best?

10. Comment on the varying closeness and distance between the two? Marcus close to Jennifer in his dreams, hopes and visits? Jennifer keeping her distance? Tantalizing him? The lapses of time when they didn't see each other? The visits and the eccentricity? The importance of the return to Venice? The fact that Marcus never was really close to her?

11. The build-up to the final visit when she was desperate? Her appeal to Marcus and his response? The fact that he had always given her drugs when she wanted them? His using drugs as a means to contact her? Her eccentricity on the balcony and wanting to dive into the pool (the way that this had been prepared for at his visit on her birthday when she was on the roof etc.?)? Was Marcus right in administering the drugs? How responsible was he for her death?

12. The serious side of the plot in trying to bury Jennifer? The humorous side and the black comedy with the corpse? In the piano? The visit of Selena, and the psychologist and their leaning on the piano and Marcus's telling the truth? The good Samaritan on the way helping with the tyre? The wharf and Marcus's inability to put her in the water? The final irony of the car crash and Jennifer's being incinerated?

13. The contribution of such characters as Selena? her psychologist friend, Marcus's friend who helped him bury Jennifer, the Good Samaritan, the gypsy taxi driver, the guitar drug-pushers?

14. How well or badly did the elements of comedy and romance blend?

15. The quality of the film as an ironic love story?

16. How significant was the film in its exploration of human nature and modern America?