JUSTINE

US, 1969, 116 minutes, Colour.
Anouk Aimee, Dirk Bogarde, Robert Forster, Anna Karina, Philippe Noiret, Michael York, John Berman, Jack Albertson, Cliff Gorman, George Baker, Michael Constantine, Marcel Dalio, Barry Morse.
Directed by George Cukor.

Justine is based on one of Lawrence Durrell’s quartet, The Alexandria Quartet. One of the difficulties of the film is that the complexity of the novel and its myriad characters have to be compressed into two hours’ running time. Critics were severe on the film, complaining of its being over-complicated with characters coming and going, not well explained.

However, the setting is Egypt in 1938, the atmosphere prior to World War Two. The focus is on Justine, a mysterious character who begins affairs and intrigues a young British official, Darley, played by Michael York. There is another British official who observes what is going on and negotiates the complexities of intrigue, Pursewarden, played by Dirk Bogarde.

The film has a very good cast, recreates the atmosphere of Egypt between the wars, the atmosphere of intrigue. It is interesting that Justine is found out, especially in her plots for arming Jewish dissidents. She finally goes to prison. Perhaps, the screenwriters hoped that the further novels in the Alexandria Quartet would be filmed.

Joseph Strick, better known for more offbeat films of difficult novels such as Ulysses, began to direct but was fired. The veteran George Cukor was brought in and brings his skill and craft to the film. Cukor had won the Oscar five years earlier for his direction of My Fair Lady.

1. What was the purpose of this film? How entertaining was it? How interesting in its characters and picture of another world? Was it a successful film? Critics said not.

2. How well were we immersed in an alien world by the character of Darley? His commentary and the flashback techniques? Were these effective? Were we meant to see through Darley’s eye? Did we?

3. Comment on the presentation of Alexandria as a city in the thirties, the visual beauty and visual ugliness of the city? The location photography and settings? The city was referred to as obscene and having to come to terms with its obscenity? How evident was this? was the obscenity of Alexandria convincingly presented or did it seen too contrived? Was there enough normality to balance the life of Alexandria?

4. How interestingly did the film integrate the political situation in Egypt, the role of the British in Egypt? the Muslim ascendency there, the revolution of the Coptic Christians?

5. How was Justine a central character within this atmosphere? How much good and how much evil were in her? How did she represent this world to the outsider? How clear was her character? Was it opaque?

6. Considering Justine and the people in their relationships with her, how pessimistic was the film? Any hope or optimism?

7. The character of Darley, how weak was he? Was he a good poet? How was he used? Is he typical of the naive young man who is about to involved in situations out of his depth and becomes a victim? (Does the film imply that this is how most of the audience would be in similar situations?)

8. Why did Darley become involved with Melissa? How interesting was the character of Melissa? Could you understand her - in her background as a dancer? Her illness? her weakness? her dependence on Darley and her being hurt by his infidelity? What hope did she have in her life? Her reliance on drinks and drugs? Her prostitution? How typical of a victim in Alexandria and the world was she?

9. The emotional commentary in the sequences of Mrs Cohen and infatuation with Melissa? The barber's sequences and the irony of this microcosm? The emotional dependence of Mr Cohen? emotional overtones of his death? How convincing were these? Justine's presence there and Darley’s involvement?

10. Why did Darley allow himself to be involved with Justine? How did she seduce him? How important were the sequences on the beach with the horse? the swimming, the growing infatuation? Why did her husband permit this? What was your immediate reaction to this? Was it changed when the truth was revealed?

11. Reaction to Justine and her husband's life? Their social standing and outward behaviour? His allowing her to act as a whore? The truth of their dependence on each other? His using her for political purposes? Her Jewish background and the fact that they were helping the Jews in Palestine? The inter-relation of emotion and politics in the two of them? How ugly was this? How idealistic?

12. The dramatic importance of the brother for the film? His savage intensity? His involvement in politics? As a man from the country and a bachelor? His religiosity? The irony of the murder at the party? The irony of his death when he was too much of a risk? What commentary on the Egyptian character and the intensity of politics did this character give?

13. How important for the drama was the character of Pursewarden? As portrayed by Dirk Bogarde? The fact that he was so British? His relationship and infatuation with Justine? His involvement with his work in Egypt? His expertise? His decaying, especially with drink? The dramatic intensity of his relationship with his sister? How well and discreetly was this done in the film? His relationship with Mountolive?

14. How important was his growing disillusionment with Justine? Her trying to use him with the prostitute? Her refusal? His disappointment with his sister and Mountolive? His discovery of the truth about Justine? his disgust with this and his death? The political overtones and nationalism of his death? How important was Pursewarden's view for our appreciation of the whole film?

15. How was disillusionment a key for understanding the film and its characters? The sequences of the disillusionment of Darley? Of Justine's continuing to p1ay with his affections? The disillusionment of the husband when the truth was told? The disillusionment with Justine as the world changed?

16. What ironic and dramatic comment did the end of the film give? Of Justine's ability to survive in an evil world, how ugly was this?

17. How well did the style of the film portray the world of the characters their interior and amoral or moral world? How much value does a film like this have in terms of revealing good and at evil to its audience? Was the film successful in this way?