CALLIE AND SON

US, 1981, 97 minutes, Colour.
Lindsay Wagner, Dabney Coleman, Jameson Parker, Andrew Prine, Michelle Pfeiffer.
Directed by Waris Hussein.

Callie and Son is a very entertaining telemovie. It has the ingredients of popular soap opera and the tones of the bestseller. It spans three decades of a woman's life and highlights the American background of the period: the end of the war, Texas lifestyle in the '40s, the sophistication of the '50s, the changes and ambitions and wealth of Texas/Dallas in the Kennedy era, the disillusionment and protest of the '60s and '70s, the echoes of Watergate in
the '70s. Ultimately the film becomes something of a telemovie Dallas or Dynasty.

The film is acted very well, especially by Lindsay Wagner in the central role. The settings are convincing and the change of era well communicated. There is an excellent supporting role by as Callie's friend Jeannie. Direction is by Waris Hussein, director of a number of English films in the late '60s and early '70s including The Six Wives of Henry VIII. He made a number of telemovies, e.g. Divorce His, Divorce Hers, in England and in the United States. The film may be seen as first class soap opera - and also as an allegory of America in its post-war era.

1. The quality of the film as telemovie? Length, scope, impact? Entertainment? Impact on a home audience? Relationship to American dramas? Soap operas?

2. The range of time, characters, characterisation, period. issues and interests? Lindsay Wagner's skill in performance and holding the film together?

3. Callie and the atmosphere at the end of World War Two? Her being wronged? The girl from out of town? The child and her being tricked into giving it up? Her never being healed of this loss? The irony of her gentleness, her move to the city. her gradual development and push? The support of Jeannie? Opportunity and study? Her meeting of Bordeaux - in passing, marriage? The innocent and wounded girl and the American dream?

4. The change in the '40s and '50s? Her being spurned but her managing? The narrative of Kimberley Smyth and his support? Her sharing Bordeaux's experience, learning the paper, coping with society? Her pregnancy and losing her child? Her grief? Her moving to greater maturity but the continued wound with the loss of her child?

5. Bordeaux's finding her child for her? Her love for him? Her love for her husband? Her getting more and more involved in his work? Their lifestyle? Her bringing up Randy? Her growing possessiveness? Clashes with Bordeaux? obsessive mother? The change of the '60s with prosperity and yet fear, paranoia and the Kennedy assassination? Bordeaux and his moral collapse? Death? Callie clinging to what she had? The Dallas assassination experience and her becoming more defiant and powerful?

6. Randy getting older. experiencing the rebellion and dropout status of the late 1960s? Callie's pressures on him? His runaway marriage? Her work on the paper, ambitions for her son in politics - state level, federal level? Her defiance moving towards ambition? Her growing older and more experienced, controlling people, lacking scruple? Her transformation into a woman of power and evil?

7. Her being consumed with ambition for her son? Love-hate? The court case and her hypocrisy? The prison visit and Randy's knowledge of his mother's guilt? Audience response to the new birth and Callie's becoming a mother again? The ironic funereal car. her dress as she became a mother- and the comment that she would be obsessive again?

8. Callie and Randy and the importance of frustrated mother love throughout the film? Randy's unknown origins, his birth and his being taken away from his mother, legal contracts? His return to his mother and her discovery of him? The birthdays, her pampering? His father's death and its effect on him? The reasons for his dropping out? Adopting the rebellious lifestyles of the '60s? Vietnam issues, drugs, refusal to study, social protest and associations? His bargaining with his mother to study? To work on the paper - and the journalists' comments on his inabilities? Political background and his fighting for his place in government? His defying his mother? His memories of his stepfather? The plans for a politically advantageous marriage? His rebellious marriage? The brittle relationship with his wife? His exasperation with her and yet his love for her? Her past and the blackmail? The grounds for people's suspicion of his killing his wife? His behaviour in the court? His fears? The continued appeals and his mother's pushing these? His wanting to die? The final sequence with his mother and his love-hate-forgiveness? Young America, young post-war America, full of future and possibility stifled by mother's obsession and manipulation of power?

9. The character of Bordeaux: his visits to the cafe. the libel case and Callie acting as his secretary. the date. their friendship and warmth, the transition to the wedding and its social impact in Dallas, the social occasions and Bordeaux's love for his wife and supporting her, especially in the face of social criticism? His skill in his work, integrity? His response to Callie's losing the child? His search for Randy? His devotion to Randy? His supporting Callie? His wisdom in warning her and her disregard of it? His power in the press. in relation to Washington. with the Kennedys? The impact of the Dallas assassinations? His wanting to opt out? The symbol of his own assassination and the futility of his death? The symbol of American integrity being assassinated?

10. Kimberley and his friendship, support, cynicism about Dallas society and his explanation of people and their origins and pretensions? His being present for Callie? Love for her. helping her, knowing the truth about her?

11. Jeannie and her friendship? A vivid portrayal of friendship? Style, manner, boisterousness? Helping Callie move out into society? The touching sequence of receiving the telegram about the death of her husband? Her marrying into society and enjoying the company of her husband? His death - her sadness, Callie's visit? Her working on the paper and answering questions? Her support of Callie during the trial? A vivid sketch of an American type?

12. The range of presentation of American society: the initial hospital sequence and staff, the law and shady practices. especially as regards adoption? Dallas and Jeannie and the landlady? Work at the cafe? Callie's study as a stenographer and her teachers? The people involved in the libel case? Dallas society and the stories of frontier life and the changes in status, wealth and hypocritical values? The world of newspapers, government? Power? Protestors? The Presidency?

13. The film's Dallas setting and Dallas as a symbol of post-war United States?

14. Randy's wife and her past, marriage, the motel sequences and Callie's handling of it? Her subdued behaviour? The blackmail? Her standing up to Callie and the cruelty of her death?

15. Audience response to the change in Callie - initial sympathies and understanding, hesitation about her obsession, disgust and revulsion at her violence and lies?

16. A film of insight - into the American woman as woman, mother, wife? Love, needs, possession. obsession? Hurt? Ambition? Power. life and death? Still waters running deep?

17. The film as an allegory of the United States from the '40s to the '80s?