DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE

US, 1970, 93 minutes, Colour.
Richard Benjamin, Carrie Snodgress, Frank Langella.
Directed by Frank Perry.

Diary of a Mad Housewife is a contribution to the promotion of the cause of women as human beings. It is an ironic comedy about an ordinary housewife, henpecked by her social-climbing obnoxious husband and patronised by her children, who shyly enters into an affair with a conceited writer knowing that it is only a 'sex thing" with no emotions attached, and who is eventually cured of it.

Carrie Snodgress (Oscar nomination 1970) is excellent as the harassed housewife who elicits all our sympathy. Richard Benjamin is convincingly horrible as her husband and Prank Langella the embodiment of aggressive and selfish sexual arrogance. The dialogue is funny and saddening by turn about this couple who, one reviewer noted, might be the couple from Love Story ten years later had not the heroine died. As a picture of contemporary marriage, the film is illuminating as well as frightening.

Frank Perry directed his wife, Eleanor Perry's screenplay. They have collaborated in such interesting films as David and Lisa; Ladybug, Ladybug; The Swimmer and Last Summer.

1. How suitable was the title for this film? What did it mean?

2. What kind of woman was Tina? Did you get to understand her well - e.g. George's description of her growing up, her memories of her courtship with Jonathan and the Democratic Club, her years of married life and her frustration?

3. How did the opening sequence establish the theme and mood of the film - Jonathan's pedantic living his day, his nagging and criticising of everything Tina did, his expecting to be waited on, the attitudes of the two daughters? How did the film continue this theme?

4. Did you like Jonathan at all? What good qualities did he have? How did the film show his defects? Why did he nag?- Why was he so pretentious? Why was he so ambitious? Was he a snob? What expectations did he have of Tina? Did he regard her as a person at all, except for a roll in the hay?

5. Was this picture of a modern marriage a caricature or did it ring true? Why had the marriage developed this way? Did it help you to understand why marriages crack and break? Whose fault was it? Whom did the film blame? (How did it do this?)

6. How did the household scenes, especially when Jonathan was sick and the preparations for the party, as well as the party scenes where Tina found it hard to talk to people, help you to feel with Tina? How sorry were you for her? Why?

7. Did you like George Prager? What kind of man was he? Was he likeable, loveable, generous, selfish, mature? Why?

8. Can you understand why Tina began the affair with him - and continued it? What satisfaction did it give her? Did it help solve her problem? Did she get emotionally involved with him? Did he get emotionally involved with her? He wanted a straight sex thing and got it, What did she want and get? Why did she break it?

9. What comment on the situation did the Thanksgiving Dinner sequence make?

10. Why was the party such a big thing - invitations etc? Why did it flop? Were you glad it flopped? Why?

11. What had Tina learned by the end of the film? What had Jonathan learned? Were you surprised by his confession? How did Tina react? Should she have confessed?

12. What future did they have?

13. How effective was the ending? What value did the comments of the group have? Do you think they would be typical of the theatre audience? What did it show about the group and their concern for themselves?