THE PERFECT FURLOUGH

US, 1958, 93 minutes, Colour.
Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Linda Cristal, Keenan Wynn, Elaine Stritch, Marcel Dalio, Troy Donohue.
Directed by Blake Edwards.

The Perfect Furlough is a comedy about the armed forces - with a touch of satire, directed by Blake Edwards who was to go on to make quite a number of comedies from The Great Race to the Pink Panther series. Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, married at the time, had worked together in a number of films and are good for light comedy. The film is forgettable, a piece of Americana, but lightly satirical and enjoyably so.

1. The qualities of this comedy, the conventions of its genre?

2. The importance of the situations, the humour of the dialogue, the characters and types, the ambiguities? The importance of the happy ending?

3. The film as a product of the fifties? Its view of the army, army personnel, army morale, American patriotism?

4. Comment on the impact of the basic situation for the men, their needs, the emphasis on psychiatry?

5. The emphasis on psychiatry for jokes, application to the army, for the success of the plot?

6. The hero, the importance of his getting the ticket, the way that he did it, an ideas man, his reputation? The way that he was misunderstood, his wanting to be a hero? Comic overtones of his character? The prevention about his going to Paris? The impact of Paris, the fascination of the star? His escape? Final happiness, marriages, love? Was he a well delineated character or just a presentation of comic foibles?

7. The psychiatrist, as a woman, her very properness, success in her work, her role as a chaperone, her behaviour in Paris, bonding, jealousy, happy ending? A well delineated character?

8. The star: her wanting publicity, the explanation of her background, the trip, the various misunderstandings, the husband, enjoyment and the wedding?

9. The humorous presentation of the army personnel? Realistic, satiric?

10. The role of the chaperone?

11. Wynn?

12. The atmosphere of France, the French and romance?

13. The implications of the film about happiness, right and wrong, love?

14. A good comedy? Its reliance on audience presuppositions about what is good and right?