BOARDWALK

US, 1979, 98 minutes, Colour.
Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg, Janet Leigh, Joe Silver.
Directed by Stephen Verona.

Boardwalk is hard to categorise, but critics have not found it hard to castigate. As a story of an elderly Jewish couple in Brooklyn, it is pleasant, at times very sentimental, with an affable, open-minded Lee Strasberg and Ruth Gordon, with her eccentricities toned down. The generation gap is highlighted, especially with Janet Leigh their cautious, conservative daughter and her overreacting, rebellious son. As a story of gangs on the warpath, it gets its audience angry and takes it to a vengeful, eruptive ending in the recent (Death Wish) vigilante vein, a disturbing finale to say the least. Episodic, sometimes obvious, often pleasant, a mirror of contemporary frustrations. An earlier film by director Stephen Verona was Lords of Flatbush (1974) with Henry Winkler and Sylvester Stallone before they came to prominence.

1. The impact for American audiences? Non-Americans? The aged? Jewish audiences? The criticisms of the film, overall negative attitudes? Accusations of the film's fomenting racism?

2. How satisfying a film as an emotional story, its sentiment, portrait of old age in the modern world, qualities of love, social observation, racial observation, plot and character within the conventions of an emotional story?

3. The film as a symbol of contemporary America? The range of generations? The pioneer and building generation? The more comfortable next generation? The modern rebellious generation? The violent?

4. The title? Reference to Coney Island and situating the plot in New York and Coney Island? The streets, houses, cafeterias? The sea and the beach? The flavour of the Coney Island area? The ability of the film to involve the audience in its particular world? Impact of the credits sequence?

5. Musical score, the variety of themes, tones for characters, generations? The religious background and the overtones of religious Jewish music? Music for sentiment ? danger of sentimentality?

6. The portrait of the Rosens? the building up of the story of their life, their meeting, flirting, marrying, working, bringing up the family, surviving? Family traditions? Religious and social traditions for Jews in the United States? The film's tribute to the place of the generations of Jews in the United States?

7. The Rosens at home, David and his work, his love for Becky? His affable nature, love for the children? Television watching, meals? His tolerance and understanding e.g. about Peter? Becky and her music lessons? Clothes? Visits? Jokes between them? His enjoying walking on the boardwalk? life illustrating their lifestyle?

8. The sketch of the Italian neighbours? Jewish neighbours and friends? Talk? The family that was bashed, their ultimately committing suicide? David and his friends e.g. at the baths? The clash with the gang? The changing aspects of the neighbourhood, old peace, threats, law and its absence? The building up towards violence and surviving?

9. Violence underlying life in American cities? Unemployment, racial tensions, the place of the Jews, the inability of the law to control gangs? The eruptions? David and the confrontation with the young boy, his going to jail? The thieves and their stripping the houses? Setting fire to the cafe? Mindless vandalism? The bashings, the desecration of the synagogue? The films cumulative presentation of violence and its unleashing violence in David himself? Did his ultimate violence seem possible? Credible?

10. The picture of the older generations ? David and his sons and daughter? The running of the cafeteria? The sons and their families and life styles? Florence and her marriage, Peter, working for the cafeteria? The lack of profit and the decision to sell? The range of customers? The bombing, the closing? The family meetings about it? The family sequences and David presiding, discussions about policy? Meals, television? The build up to the celebration of the anniversary?

11. Peter and the younger generation, his clashes with his mother, ways of dressing, his talent with music, his anger? His living with Marilyn? Her charm towards Florence and the family? The disapproval of Florence? The recording sessions? His ambitions? Strengths and weaknesses? His absence from his mother's funeral and the confrontation? David being able to talk to him? His response to Becky's death and moving in with his grandfather? The bonds between the two? The possibility of his settling down?

12. Florence and her attitudes, narrower than her parents, angry with her son? Her comments on his clothes, furniture, way of life? Her disapproval of his living with Marilyn? Her marriage to Charlie, family approval and disapproval, the ceremony? Her telling Peter? Her fear at the cafeteria, the fire? The celebration of the anniversary? Her reaction to the negro neighbours ? on what basis did she make her racist statements, especially considering the attitudes of her parents?

13. The sketch of the gang, their operating on the boardwalk, dominating it? Racial component, black, Puerto Rican, white? The young boy and David's encounter with him and his hostility? The religious comments and antiJewish attacks? Bashing and looting, smashing? Afraid? The confrontation with the leader? The irony of his name, Strut, and his being killed by a man like David?

14. The incidental characters in this world, the neighbours, shop owners etc? The environment of New York and Coney Island, the hospital and Becky's illness, cafeteria people, the people at the recording studio, Ruth and her being persuaded to have dinner with David and their mutual discovery that their children had arranged it?

15. The theme of old age, love and the expressions of affection between David and Becky? Illness ? the doctor and his not being supposed to tell David? Becky and her pain? The build-up to the anniversary celebration, Becky getting dressed, her hair, the family, the toast, the dance and her dying in her husband's arms?

16. The souring of the American dream? Built on pioneering and sentiment, its being shattered by the violence of the age? The age range and attitudes towards contemporary American society?