Monday, October 11, 2021

Screamer - Series 4 Episode 1 (Saturday 4th January 1975)

The story...

American Nicola Stevens is working in Britain for the US Embassy. She is travelling by train to see her friends Jeff and Virna Holt when a female passenger draws attention to a newspaper story about a rapist in the area who has not been caught - the police just have a basic description that he is man with short, blond hair. This news does make Nicola uneasy but her anxiety increases even more when the woman gets off at the next stop and a man with short, blond hair gets on and sits opposite her. Nicola is relieved to get off at the next station and makes her way quickly to where the Holts live. She opens the door, gets inside but has left her keys in the lock. When the Holts return they are horrified to see Nicola with her clothes torn and that her worst fears have occurred - she has been raped. For Nicola recovery is a long and difficult process. She often sees the face of her attacker when she looks at men - sights that terrify her but also leave her determined for revenge.

Review

Although there is concern about some of its content this is generally a popular episode among fans. Not with me though. I have never been impressed and it contends with Murder Motel for my least favourite episode. Why the discrepancy?

For almost thirty years Screamer was handicapped by appalling titles added for the ITC version which was the only one available. These gratuitous and tasteless scenes showed the prelude to a rape, although clearly not that of Nicola Stevens. They were poorly done as well - badly directed and performed and clearly shot in the USA. They were totally at odds with the subdued nature of the episode and could only mislead viewers - either into switching off believing they had stumbled upon an amateurish production, or to watch on thinking they were due to see something with lots of sex and violence. Film-Rite had a pronounced tendency for taking such liberties but these are the worst titles of all. However the DVD releases have restored the ATV version to its correct place and the ITC titles can be discarded. However even in ATV form I am not happy with the story.

The most obvious area for unease, commonly cited, is a remark by the lady talking to Nicola on the train. She warns her of the rapist and then jokes that at her age rape could be taken as a compliment. Unsurprisingly this comment has caused concern. It is offensive, even if not meant seriously, but it must be placed in context. Back in the 1970's flippant attitudes to rape were sadly quite common, and they can still occur today.

Other than this though, the story deals with rape in a sensitive and well-informed manner. Nicola demonstrates that rape can happen to any woman and is not inflicted only on those who are "sexually irresponsible" who have some way supposedly "provoked" the attack. The police treat her case sensitively and seriously, not doubting her story or questioning her behaviour as happens all too often to victims in the real world. The medical staff also give her great support. However a revelation at the end - though in some ways a remarkable twist - results in a very unsatisfactory conclusion. 

Nicola's unease escalates during her train journey

Another unhelpful aspect is the depiction of the female officer assigned to trap the rapist. This woman - an almost entirely silent statuesque plain-clothes officer - seems to be included chiefly for the benefit of male viewers. Shots of Inspector Charles leering at her and seeming sexually intimidated by a very attractive woman much taller than him could almost have emerged from a cliched Seventies sitcom rather than a sophisticated drama. The officer does skilfully physically outwit a prospective attacker, offering a different dimension to the normally physically helpless stereotypes of women, but overall the character just seems to be included for sex appeal and even weak comedy value than for more progressive purposes. In another story this would be less obtrusive but it really jars in a drama about male sexual violence.

There are further limitations of the episode for me. The Holts are a very pedestrian couple and unfortunately are on-screen a great deal. Inspector Charles is one of the most unedifying Thriller detectives and makes for very uncomfortable viewing. The German private detective Balsam (played by Wolfe Morris) is a quirky figure with some witty lines, and things do pick up with his arrival. The edge with Charles livens things a little but the end results are only mildly effective.

Nicola is a fairly interesting figure but better is expected of the chief character. Pamela Franklin does a good job in this role, especially passing well as an American. Most impressive is how she communicates Nicola's unease on the train when the man she suspects as the rapist sits opposite her. It is clear that Nicola is a complex and troubled person and there is some interest in her faltering recovery. She clearly has a good pair of lungs judging by the repeated screaming but that does become rather wearying for the viewer. Her hallucinations are a feature of the story as Nikki imagines the man's face in many different places. Some of these are very clearly signalled as men around her suddenly take on the man's face but on other occasions there is no sign which can be confusing. 

These manifold depictions of the man provide a lot of screen time for Jim Norton. Firstly he appears genuinely on the train as what we later discover to be a silent German tourist. These scenes are well-performed and directed, appropriately disconcerting. Secondly, we see him extensively and with voice as the English farm-worker. He finally appears extensively in Nicola's obvious hallucinations. Jim does a good job in these complicated parts.

There are other strengths. The direction is excellent as Nikki rushes home, closes the door with relief behind her and then we see that she has left the key in the door. The closing minutes which take place in semi-darkness are suspenseful and well done. Generally the story improves in the final part but it isn't enough to counteract the negatives.

To end on a positive note, it's rare that one can look on one of the least favourite episodes of a series and still find it worthwhile viewing. A mediocre episode of Thriller is still worthy of examination, and there are few productions for which that is true. Many other viewers have found more to appreciate and so it's particularly important to check it out and draw your own conclusions.

Notes

In contrast to the gratuitous opening titles on the ITC movie version the end artwork is comparatively subdued and avoids the curious and often inaccurate montages usually seen. 

By coincidence Nicola Stevens was also the name of a nurse in another ATV drama airing at the same time - General Hospital

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