Sydney Pollack Week: The Slender Thread

Hey there again readers and boy I am just digging the nuance of this film today. Day 4 of Sydney Pollack Week and this is a stunning bit of footage and story.  How does a mere college student save the life of a woman that has long lost all hope?  Will there be tragedy?  Will hope reemerge itself? Two things are for certain, one it is in black & white and two I am so digging the opening aerial shots.    So put down that bottle of pills, stay on the line and for God’s sake think of what you are doing.  This is The Slender Thread.

Who loves ya, Sidney?

Spoilers don't just give up, dammit! 

Psychology student Alan Newell (Sidney Poitier of Lilies of the Field, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, Shoot to Kill and The Jackal) a volunteer worker at the Seattle’s Crisis Clinic, probably earning work credit for his scholastics and genuinely cares for people as well receives a call from one Inga Dyson (Anne Bancroft of The Last Frontier, Nightfall, The Miracle Worker, 7 Women, The Graduate, The Elephant Man, Garbo Talks and Agnes of God) an everyday housewife and mother but with a sorted secret of her past.   She explains to Newell she has taken an overdose of sleeping pills and that it is best to end it all.  While she appreciates the compassion of this total stranger she simply refuses to devulch her whereabouts.    

Get milk and then commit suicide. Got it.

Desperate to save this woman Newell gets ahold of his professor Dr. Coburn (Telly Savalas of The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes, Escape to Athena, Kojak, The Muppet Movie, Faceless and The Commish)  in order to get a trace on the line via the police.   Through a series of flashback sequences it is hinted that Inga’s son may not be her husband’s biological child and has wedged distrust in their already rocky relationship.  Counseling never really covered this area I am guessing.   Her husband Mark (Steven Hill of The Fugitive, Mission:  Impossible, King, Eyewitness, Yentl,  The Firm and Law &Order), a commercial fisherman hoists himself out to the sea he loves and attempts to throw himself into work at the same time his wife is throwing herself to the brink of death.  Blissfully unaware (as most men are) that his wife is at the end of her rope he is out in the deep blue pushing past his pain.    Through the coordinated efforts of Detective Judd Ridley (Ed Anser of Police Story, Insight, Roots, Mary Tyler Moore, Lou Grant and Batman the Animated Series) and his fellow policemen they race a dangerous clock trying to find Inga before it is too late.

Hmm do I have any nitpickings?  Well I was blown away by the aerial shots of Seattle; I love how with absolutely no dialogue whatsoever showed these complete strangers’ lives would intersect and soon.  This huge cast of folks that have either or already made or just making it in the Hollywood and TV mainstream and the performances by all actors was sublime.    Now clearly the overall film was shot on studio location and most of the downtown Seattle shots had to be a bit rushed.  I get that and hey it looks like the editing was sound.  While I do thoroughly enjoy a good black & white I am proud to say I did not even know of this film’s existence and was pleasantly surprised of its overall creation.  

No, you shove off.  Heh Nautical humor.

  

I read a similar review on this film and the critic was just pointing out the goofs, like Inga’s previous suicide attempt she dove into the waters but when she was rushed to the hospital her hair was perfect.  Okay points for observation but the point of a review should be objective not simply what you like or thought was painful about a movie.   I just realized that this film was referenced in the latter film Three Days of the Condor.  So thought we would give a negative and a positive.  Bravo on this film and hurrah for those that give it a fair chance.  I can safely say you will not be disappointed.