EXPERIMENT IN TERROR
US, 1962, 122 minutes, Black and White.
Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stephanie Powers, Roy Poole, Ned Glass.
Directed by Blake Edwards.
Experiment In Terror is an above average thriller. It was directed by Blake Edwards who is perhaps more noted for his comedy, especially those involving Peter Sellers and the Pink Panther. However, this film was made in the early sixties soon after he made the more sombre Days Of Wine And Roses. The film is fairly straightforward, uses conventions of terror and involving the audience in fright. It is enjoyable and, to that extent, worth discussing.
1. Was this really a cinema experiment in terror? How? Was it really successful?
2. How can films make audiences terrified? How do they induce fear? Fear of what? How did this film gain audience involvement. especially with Kelly right from the start? Were the situations ordinary and terrifying? Which sequences were experiments in terror?
3. The film used San Francisco and its ordinariness, banks, suburban houses, as well as special locations. How did this authenticity add to the atmosphere of the film and audience involvement? Would feminine audiences have identified with the victims?
4. How well did the film portray the criminal mind? How did it show the madness of the criminal mind? Was the film humane in its presentation of its characters? What was the special effect on the murderer being an asthmatic? On the audiences not seeing him until the middle of the film?
5. The FBI and its methods. How documentary-like was the presentation of the FBI? Was this effective? Encouraging?
6. What kind of girl was Kelly - as resourceful. courageous, concerned, yet cautious and an ordinary person wanting to be advised by the police? Did she respond well to the various situations?
7. Toby - could audiences identify with her. as a teenager, boyfriends, swimming at home? Her being kidnapped and threatened? Her concern for Kelly?
8. Nancy Ashton: Her importance in the film, as being involved with the murderer, the eeriness of her studio, her murder?
9. Lisa: The Chinese atmosphere of San Francisco, Credible that she was involved with Lynch, her seeking lawyers advice, her son (was this aspect of the film too sentimental? or did it involve you against Moore?)?
10. Popcorn - what motivates this kind of person, who seeks out information, with the risk of being killed by criminals?
11. The dramatic effect of the mistaken drive?
12. The impact of the finale: the baseball game, the crowds, the FBI, Kelly, the crowds? Was this overdramatic?
13. Comment on the effectiveness of the documentary techniques, the black and white photography, the music.
