SONGS IN ORDINARY TIME
US, 2000, 90 minutes, Colour.
Sissy Spacek, Beau Bridges, Keir Dullea, Tom Guiry, Careena Melia, Jordan Warkol, Angelica Torn.
Directed by Rod Holcomb.
Songs in Ordinary Time is a rather special name for what is an interesting but comparatively ordinary story.
The setting is 1959, the world of that period recreated in a small American town. Sissy Spacek portrays a mother of three children, divorced from the local alcoholic (played by Keir Dullea). A stranger enters the town, a born salesman, a conman (played with both charm and insincerity by Beau Bridges). The conman insinuates himself into the family, especially with the young boy who had witnessed his confrontation with a black man which had led to a killing. The older boy and girl are certainly not impressed. However, with his charm, he entices the mother to lend him money for a scheme to sell soap. Another complication is the older son is need of a job and eventually works well with the conman. The daughter, however, becomes entangled with a rather promiscuous young curate in the parish.
The film takes on a lot of themes including confidence tricksterism, dysfunctional family, absence of father, family relationships as well as clergy and sexual misbehaviour. Direction is by Rod Holcomb, a director of many television films.
1.The interest of the film? Its themes? Impact? The world of 1959? Problems?
2.The re-creation of the town and the period? Marie and her work in the factory? The local stores? The Catholic church (not represented accurately in terms of the layout of the church)? The monsignor and the assistant priest? The church of the times? Families, the nature of divorce and the stigma? Problems?
3.The title? Reference?
4.The opening: church, Marie and the family, Sam and his coming in drunk, accosting his sister for the money, with his family, Norm taking him out? The reaction of the people? Marie and her seeming gentleness? The contrast at home, her being weary, looking after the children, the hard work, coping with her ex-husband, the divorce?
5.The portrait of the family, Marie, pregnant at seventeen? Alice, her studies, preparing to go to college? Her relationship with the priest? Norm, the clashes with his mother? Ben, young, a family favourite?
6.Sam, his background, the divorce, alcoholism? Marie becoming pregnant? Sam’s sister and her hostility? His going to institutions to dry out? His later return, visits to Marie, pleading with her? His confrontation with Omar? His seeing through him? His finally going to the institution, his hopes for the future?
7.Ben, seeing Omar and the black man in the woods? The confrontation? The black man running, the financial situation, Omar’s pursuit? Omar and his running, coming to the house, asking Marie for water? Her giving him the meal? His gratitude? His smooth manner and his charm? Norm and Alice not impressed? Their hostility towards him? Ben, warming to him, the secret between them? Omar and his care for Ben, going to the fair, helping him with work? The bonding? Marie and her being happy with this? Her understanding Omar? His explanations of what he was doing? The proposal about the soap, the franchise? Her hesitation in giving him the loan, her finally signing the cheque?
8.The aftermath, Omar and his going away, with Marie’s car? His relationship with the girl from the town? His deceit? The soap, the franchise for the people next door? Marie and her exasperation, his repentance and asking for forgiveness? Her relenting every time?
9.The situation with the dead man, finding him in the woods? Suspicions? Marie and her wanting Omar to leave? Norm and his turning against Omar after the success of the soap sales and the buying of the crockery present? Alice and her hostility? Ben, the realisation of the truth, his having to tell the truth?
10.Alice’s story, the flirtation of the priest, his giving her the lift, his approaches, her going to him? The affair? Marie and her fearing that Alice was repeating her life? But different choices? The monsignor bringing Alice home, the truth about the priest, his being sent away?
11.The build-up to the climax, Omar in the car, with Ben and Norm, his fleeing, with the car?
12.The family, the admitting of the truth, Marie and her disillusionment, her children having warned her? Her being more at peace? Omar’s proposal to her and the ring, leaving it? Sam’s arrival, going to the institution? Some hope for the future?
