Man on a Swing (1974)

Man on a Swing (USA, 1974) 110 min color DIR: Frank Perry. PROD: Howard B. Jaffe. SCR: David Zelag Goodman, based on the novel, The Girl on the Volkswagen Floor, by William Arthur Clark. MUSIC: Lalo Schifrin. DOP: Adam Holender. CAST: Cliff Robertson, Joel Grey, Dorothy Tristan, Elizabeth Wilson, George Voskovec, Lane Smith, Christopher Allport, Richard Venture, Dianne Hull, Gil Gerard, Josef Sommer. (Olive Films)

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Frank Perry’s work was among the most interesting in the crowded pantheon of notable filmmakers in the great renaissance of American Cinema during the 1960s and 70s. While often imperfect, his films (including those written with his ex-wife Eleanor Perry) remain fascinating though quirky studies of idiosyncratic human behaviour. Then as now, Frank Perry never truly received his due. (Even when his career became erratic in the 1980s, with the camp classics Mommie Dearest and Monsignor, the underrated comedy-thriller Compromising Positions shows he still had his gifts.) Thus, it is a joy when any of his work gets resurrected.

Man on a Swing is a mystery-thriller with occult undertones that until now has never received any exposure on home video or DVD. Olive Films, in their impressive tenacity in unearthing many unsung gems, has typically released this in a barebones edition, but as always, it’s forgivable, because we should be fortunate alone that the movie is made available. Cliff Robertson plays small-town police chief Lee Tucker whose investigation of a young woman’s murder is offered help by psychic Franklin Wills. What begins as a whodunit, when Tucker interviews people close to the victim, shifts into a fascinating character study once Wills appears in the narrative.

David Zelag Goodman’s screenplay (based on the novel, The Girl on the Volkswagen Floor, by William Arthur Clark) de-emphasizes the murder case, and instead concentrates on the characters’ attempts to prove Wills’ credibility as a psychic. Although this film has a long list of players (look for a young Gil Gerard as a friend of the deceased), the focus is almost always on the psychological sparring of Tucker and Wills. While the chief investigates Wills’ true abilities, he also suspects that Wills could be the killer.

This low-key film still however commands one’s attention because it finds its own odd syntax: it isn’t quite a murder mystery, and isn’t quite a supernatural thriller, either. It is however a moody drama of one man’s acceptance of things that aren’t so easily explained. Cliff Robertson’s haunted screen appearance adds to Tucker’s bewilderment of Wills’ sometimes-irrational behaviour. As Wills, Joel Grey steals the movie in a perfect role. The elfin Broadway star dominates the frame, as his character never seems to stop moving. Grey’s instincts as a musical performer are crucial for Wills’ often-possessed character physically acting out the visions he receives. In many ways, this film feels dance-like. (Perry directs scenes with few camera set-ups, allowing the drama to be conveyed more through actors’ movements than with editing and coverage.)

Its one misstep occurs late in the movie, when Tucker and his emotional wife (Dorothy Tristan, also very good) become harassed from unknown parties. These scenes aren’t logically wrong- indeed, they add to our central character’s gradual acceptance of unexplained phenomenon. However, they are directed in a sledgehammer way (Lalo Schifrin’s score suddenly becomes bombastic) that seems out of touch with the otherwise delicate, subtle handling of the material.

Man on a Swing is another Frank Perry film that remains unclassifiable despite being a commercial narrative picture, but is rewarding for those willing to explore. Now, could someone please release Play It as It Lays?

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Originally published in Vol. #1, Issue 25.