EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

US, 1999, 107 minutes, Colour.
Ewan Mc Gregor, Ashley Judd, Patrick Bergen, k.d. lang, Jason Priestly, Genevieve Bujold.
Directed by Stephan Elliott.

Eye of the Beholder is Stephan Elliott's fourth film after his Australian features Frauds, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and Welcome to Woop-Woop?. It is quite a change in tone from those satiric films.

It is based on a novel by Mark Beim and focuses on a surveillance officer. He is called in the film The Eye. He pursues a woman he knows is a murderer but ultimately becomes her guardian angel, watching her from afar, saving her sometimes from violence. Elliott has a quote from Francis Bacon: "In the theatre of man's life it is reserved for only God and angels to be lookers-on."

The film is visually stylish with many special effects (and was filmed in Montreal even though it looks as if it was filmed around America, including Alaska. The film has a strong cast led by Ewan Mc Gregor and Ashley Judd as the murderer with whom the audience is invited to be sympathetic.

The film joins a number of thrillers of the '90s which had surveillance as their theme, including The Net and Enemy of the State.

1. An entertaining thriller? Chase? Techno-thriller? A film of the end of the '90s, the century and the millennium?

2. The range of American cities, Washington, San Francisco, New York City, Alaska? The film as a piece of Americana (from the pen and the director of an outsider)? The musical score and its range of themes and styles? The songs?

3. The visual design, wide screen, special effects, the creation of the world of surveillance? The range of decor and costumes? The costumes ranging over styles of all of the 20th century?

4. Surveillance and technology, the increase during the latter part of the 20th century? The abilities of surveillance, the invasion of privacy? The possibility of saving people? Technology and isolating individuals into watching screens and communicating without speaking? Surveillance and voyeurism, especially with regards to sex and violence? The director and the audience becoming voyeuristic in this film?

5. The theme of God as all-surveying, guardian angels and their surveillance? The visual imagery of guardian angels, the final song? The Eye as moving from spy to voyeur to saviour?

6. Ewan McGregor's performance as The Eye: his British background, the gun and the photo during the opening credits, the mockery of putting the photo on the computers screens - the touch of the anarchical? His range of jobs, the contact with Hillary and her communication, orders, favours? Her common sense and accountability?

7. Taking on the new job, following the diplomat, the museum and the mysterious woman, the case of money? Joanna and her later remembering that she saw him take the photo? The sexual encounter and the vicious killing, the money? Joanna and her apartment, moving, her disguises, the range of her wardrobe, wigs? The train and the dead man in the carriage? The nature of the victims - preying on her? Her picking them up, seductive, violent? The Eye and his devices, for hearing and seeing, his suitcase and its contents? His phoning in, changing his mind, deciding to protect Joanna?

8. His stalking her, living next to her in New York, his skill of following her in the street? Her having the bath and the wall between them and the moving between the two rooms? The landlady giving information to Joanna? She following him and his escape? Her moving away, the airport and her encounter with Leonard?

9. The plane, his listening and watching, the screen? San Francisco and the opening of the shop? Leonard's lavish home? His warning Leonard? The character of Leonard, his wealth, attraction to Joanna, the preparation for the marriage?

10. Her settling into San Francisco or not? The newspapers and the information about her moving into society? Marrying? The Eye and his shooting the tyres, Leonard's death?

11. His visiting Dr Brault, her work with the offenders, teacher, the wigs and Joanna imitating her - and the irony of Dr Brault actually creating monsters rather than helping? The disbanding of her project and its lack of success? The irony of her coming to Alaska, her sympathy with The Eye and allowing him to help Joanna escape?

12. The arrest, helping Joanna to escape, the shootout in the street? Joanna and the encounter with the drug man, the brutality of his attack on her? Her being in hospital, the information to The Eye about the baby? Her going to the grave? The discussion about the guardian angel?

13. The Eye, his decision to shoot, his saving her, taking her to the hospital? His going to Alaska?

14. The apparition of his daughter, the background of the mother and daughter leaving? His conversations with his daughter, the naturalistic way in which this was presented moving towards a more surrealistic presentation of her being in the various parts of the room? Her advice? His talking to his inner feminine child self and her guiding him? The loss of his wife and child, jobs? His being on the edge?

15. Settling in Alaska, becoming well known at the cafe, Joanna and her working as a waitress, their discussions, the link between them? His seeing the police and Dr Brault? The audience attitude to Joanna by this time - a mixture of horror at what she had done and sympathy for her as a person, her life story, orphaned? The parallels between her father and The Eye, his daughter and Joanna? Dr Brault also as a mother figure?

16. The escape in the car, the crash and the ice, the rescue? The Eye as the protector?

17. The blend of Hitchcock-style chase thrillers with film noir? The technological thrillers of the '80s and '90s? Technology and surveillance and privacy?