The story...
Serial killer and psychopath Arthur Page is nicknamed "The Carnation Killer" after the "trademark" carnations he wears and leaves after every murder. He has just been convicted but the prison van crashes and he is able to escape and is now on the loose, Meanwhile legal secretary Julie Marsh is due to hand over a briefcase of cash to a client called Michael Graham and then transport him to a country house, both of which he has inherited. However a terrible misunderstanding results in her mistaking the escaped Page for her client and then boarding a train to the house. Julie cannot be contacted and both her solicitor employer Baverstock and Mr Graham are fearing the worse - Baverstock fearing for the safety of Julie; Graham fearing for his money. The police are searching for the pair but it's a bleak scenario unless Page can somehow be stopped.
Review
Among fans in general this along with The Eyes Have It are considered the "classics" of Series 1 and two of the most popular and best-remembered in the show's history. While I am a little lukewarm about The Eyes Have It this leaves me with fewer doubts. it is undoubtedly very strong and memorable. The "psychopath" is one of the chilling staples of the thriller and suspense genre and while viewers had to wait a few weeks for Thriller's first venture into that territory they were certainly not disappointed and this is probably the show's best psychopath story.
The opening teaser is arguably the best - at first bizarre, then utterly chilling - and does a great job of capturing the viewer. The story is a strong one and really sets the style for the show - an attractive young woman, menaced by a deceptively charming but ultimately dangerous man. However the marvellous character of Page, brilliantly conveyed by Norman Eshley, makes this truly memorable. Such is the quality of his performance it can lead the remarkable display of Katharine Schofield as the understandably nervy Julie to not receive the great acclaim it deserves. Her character's discomfort and vulnerability are all too evident. Her performance is even more remarkable given that she was a late replacement for the intended lead actress (possibly an American guest star - this is one of the few stories with no American actor) who had to drop out, The scenes involving the pair are superb and exceptionally directed.
 |
| Julie (Katherine Schofield) feels uncomfortable with travelling companion Arthur Page (Norman Eshley) |
The masterstroke is the extraordinary twist late on. Page is also not a straightforward villain. He does largely seem to delight in his toying behaviour but it is also clear near the end that he is a tortured soul and this evokes some viewer sympathy. It requires great writing skill to do this and it is interesting that even at this early point Brian Clemens was happy to present a more nuanced picture.
Page's escape at the start is rather unlikely, but if such a device were fine for The Fugitive then why not for Thriller? In this era of the mobile phone of course it would be very unlikely that someone like Julie would be incommunicado but this makes for such great drama. It does seem remarkable though that her employer and client would be happy for her to hand over money with almost no security or identity checks at all. However realism can be the kiss of death to great drama and this is an acceptable plot device to place her in such a predicament.
There are some small limitations. The patronising attitudes to women are present right from the beginning with numerous references to Julie as a "girl" and stress placed on her prettiness, and this remained a hallmark throughout the show. Thriller though was far from alone in its era in this kind of depiction of women and largely reflected the less than progressive culture of the early 1970s. The solicitor Baverstock is the chief offender in this regard and the character is not a strong one. The scenes in his office and the police station are patchy partly for this reason but still have their moments. They are definitely lifted by the character of the client - Michael Graham - who is suitably shady and his frustration and tactlessness are purveyed excellently by Geoffrey Chater (an actor more commonly seen as upright, establishment types). There is great natural humour in Graham's bluster but impressive drama as well. Graham cares far more for his money than Julie's safety and this sets up some biting exchanges with Baverstock.
Thriller detectives were generally either rather conventional, "by the book", unremarkable types or eccentric or even unscrupulous. The latter were usually rather more engaging viewing but here we have the former. The Detective Superintendent (played by Malcolm Terris) is unquestionably competent but not particularly memorable - indeed he isn't even named on-screen or on the credits perhaps indicating the generic nature of the character - and that applies to his colleagues except one. The blundering Detective Forbes does make the wrong sort of impression when he manages to confuse Michael Graham with the escaped Page and arrests him to the understandable chagrin of Graham and the embarrassment of his colleagues. This not entirely flattering depiction of police officers and detectives did mark Thriller out from police and detective shows of that time which tended to portray officers in a much less critical or ambivalent manner.
Although this was the fifth episode broadcast in the UK it was the first one produced and shows that all concerned had hit the ground running. The early episodes of a production - and especially its very first - often have their problems as cast and crew try to get to grips with a new show. This is especially so for a series with ongoing characters and situations; as an anthology series Thriller didn't have that problem but it still had to get the mood and style right and this episode does so with great skill. Director Robert Tronson deserves particular credit but everyone involved on both sides of the camera contribute to delivering a "model" Thriller outing. This would have been a fitting choice for the first broadcast but maybe the lack of American presence on-screen led to others such as Lady Killer appearing earlier.
The climax is first-class. The final scene in the station is superbly done and is then followed by another briefer one which has very much stuck in viewers' minds, rounding off a deservedly acclaimed tale.
Observations
This is the
only episode to feature ethnic minority characters, both very briefly during
the train journey. It is also one of only two episodes to feature a court verdict
(the other is A Coffin for the Bride.)
Geoffrey Chater died recently at the age of one hundred and - as far as we know - the only Thriller actor to reach that remarkable age.
The US titles are some of the most amateurish and tasteless, which is unfortunate as they have a certain tension and excellent music. "Page" drags a woman who is visibly distressed up to a room . A hammer is foregrounded yet there is no evidence in the episode that he ever used such a weapon. The woman is heard sobbing but when sat at a table while "Page" makes her a cup of tea she is absolutely motionless, even though someone distressed would be visibly trembling. Finally Page moves to strangle her - even though her neck is already lolling back suggesting she is dead.
The credits incorrectly bill Derek Smith as "Dereck" on the openers and Roy Sone as "Stone". Two extra actors are credited as policemen (Barry Ashton and Michael Stainton). This is the only instance of different actors being billed on the ATV and ITC credits.
No comments:
Post a Comment