The Drowning Pool (film)
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''The Drowning Pool'' is a 1975 American
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
directed by
Stuart Rosenberg Stuart Rosenberg (August 11, 1927 – March 15, 2007) was an American film and television director whose motion pictures include '' Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Voyage of the Damned'' (1976), ''The Amityville Horror'' (1979), and ''The Pope of Gree ...
, and based upon Ross Macdonald's novel of the same name. The film stars
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
,
Joanne Woodward Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...
, and
Anthony Franciosa Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of t ...
, and is a loose sequel to ''
Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...
''. The setting is shifted from
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.


Plot

Los Angeles-based private investigator Lew Harper flies to Louisiana to do a job for his former lover, Iris Devereaux. She believes the family's ex-chauffeur is the person who is blackmailing her with the knowledge that she has cheated on her husband. The husband does not care, but his mother, Olivia Devereaux, is the family matriarch and runs the family estate with an iron, unforgiving grip. Even before his investigation begins, Harper is propositioned in his motel room by a teenaged girl. He sends her away, but later he discovers that the teenager is Iris Devereaux's daughter, Schuyler. Their meeting in the motel room brings Harper to the attention of police chief Broussard and the disagreeable Lieutenant Franks. Broussard accepts Harper's explanation, but tells him he will be following what Harper does, as he has a personal interest in the Devereaux family. Harper is abducted by two hoods working for the oil magnate J.Hugh Kilbourne, who thinks Harper might be useful in his efforts to get ownership of some of Olivia Devereaux's oil-rich properties, which she is content to maintain as bird sanctuaries. Harper is noncommittal towards Kilbourne, and the hoods return him to his car. On Harper's return, he learns that the dead body of Olivia Devereaux has just been found and the police's prime suspect is the ex-chauffeur. While searching for the chauffeur, Harper is abducted again, this time by hoods working for a mysterious woman. He does not have any useful information for her and is released; he later finds out she is Mavis Kilbourne, the wife of the oil magnate. She is working behind her husband's back trying to find an account book containing information of his illicit business dealings, which he is desperate to recover and would kill her over if he knew she had a hand in its disappearance. Harper tracks down the chauffeur, Pat Reavis. He finds Reavis with $10,000 in his possession and believes that Reavis was paid to kill Olivia. He calls the police to say that he's bringing Reavis in and makes Reavis drive at gunpoint. En route, Reavis denies involvement in blackmailing Iris and murdering Olivia, claiming he was only at the scene of the murder because he had been having an affair with Schuyler. However, he admits to having information that he expects will yield a lot of money, and offers Harper a share of it if he will let him go. The car they are in is forced off the road by masked gunmen, who shoot Reavis dead but miss Harper, who wounds one of the gunmen. The next day he is informed by Broussard that, mysteriously, there was no report made to the police of any gunfight, but that Lt. Franks has been injured in a "hunting accident". Despite Iris's pleading with him to give up on the case and go home, Harper continues investigating. He correctly deduces that Reavis came into possession of the missing account book and must have given it to a trusted girlfriend for safekeeping. Knowing that Franks was involved in the killing of Reavis, Harper ambushes Franks in his own home and forces him to admit that he does jobs for Kilbourne. When Harper later confronts Kilbourne with the information, the oil magnate admits to having hired Reavis, but insists it was only to spy on Olivia Devereaux, not to kill her. When Harper tells Kilbourne he knows about the missing account book, Kilbourne offers him a fortune for it, but Harper just walks away. This leads to Kilbourne and his henchman kidnapping Harper and Mavis to find out where the notebook is, torturing them with a fire hose in an abandoned asylum. When Harper refuses to give up any information, Kilbourne leaves them overnight to suffer. During this time, Harper uses their clothes to plug the drain, and he and Mavis flood the room in an attempt to reach the skylight. When the water is finally high enough, they find that they can't break the window, and are near drowning when they are ironically saved by Kilbourne returning to torture them more. Harper gives Kilbourne's gun to Mavis, asking her to watch him while Harper finds a phone to call for help. As Kilbourne brags to Harper that he has too much influence and that he'll get away with it all, shots suddenly ring out. Harper returns to find Kilbourne dead, with Mavis admitting that "He's right, he would've gotten away with it". Returning to the Devereaux estate, Harper finds that Iris has committed suicide in the night with a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol. Chief Broussard is also there, devastated. Broussard asks Harper, "Did she tell you about us?", to which Harper replies, "She didn't have to". Harper confronts Schuyler in the bird sanctuary, where she has released all of Olivia's birds into the wild. Harper lays out how Schuyler was behind the whole affair, and she insists that "they really did a job on" her father before admitting that she hated both her mother and her grandmother. Harper then reveals that Broussard has been listening the whole time. Broussard lets Schuyler go and lashes out at Harper, before breaking down in tears and confirming that he is Schuyler's real father. Harper tells Broussard, "That's YOUR kid out there. How are you gonna handle that?" before leaving. Harper visits Reavis' girlfriend, Gretchen, giving her $9200 (the $10,000 he confiscated from Reavis, minus the $800 in expenses he racked up during the case). He asks Gretchen to send the account book to "the biggest newspaper in New Orleans". The film ends with Gretchen telling Harper, "you're not such a tough guy."


Cast


Production

The novel was published in 1950. The ''New York Times'' called it one of the best mysteries of the year. In 1966, a film was made of a Lew Archer novel called ''Harper'', starring Paul Newman. The character of Archer was renamed "Harper" for the movie. It was based on a script by
William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...
, who then wrote a follow-up Archer adaptation, based on ''The Chill'', but that movie was never made. In April 1973, producers David Foster and Lawrence Turman announced they had optioned the rights to the novel ''The Drowning Pool'' for director
Robert Mulligan Robert Patrick Mulligan (August 23, 1925 – December 20, 2008) was an American director and producer. He is best known for his humanist dramas, including ''To Kill a Mockingbird (film), To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), ''Summer of '42'' (1971), ' ...
and had hired Walter Hill to adapt it. Hill did a draft, saying he "tried to toughen up the material and put a little more muscle in Lew Archer's pants, which was probably a mistake. Certainly, the studio and the producers ended up feeling that way; their main criticism was MacDonald's fans don't respond to physical action. They may have been right, but I thought going in the direction they wanted with the script was a highway to dullsville." Hill said this prompted him to "more or less jump ship" to go and make his directorial debut ''Hard Times''. Hill says that when he became involved, Paul Newman was not attached to the film, and that when Hill left the project, so did Mulligan. Eventually, Paul Newman agreed to star. This meant the film was co-produced by First Artists at Warner Bros. By July 1974, Joanne Woodward had agreed to co-star and Lorenzo Semple had rewritten the script. Producer Foster says it was Woodward's suggestion to relocate the story from California to Louisiana, as she felt it would offer a point of difference. By September 1974, Tracy Keenan Wynn, who had earned a strong reputation writing TV movies, was working on the screenplay. Hill said that later
Eric Roth Eric R. Roth (born March 22, 1945) is an American screenwriter. He has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay — for ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Munich'' (2005), '' The Curious Case o ...
did some writing on it.
Jack Garfein Jakob Garfein (July 2, 1930 – December 30, 2019) was an American film and theatre director, writer, teacher, producer, and key figure of the Actors Studio. Growing up in Bardejov, Czechoslovakia during the rise of Nazism, Garfein was deported ...
said his agent pitched Garfein to direct the movie and Newman was agreeable, but then Stuart Rosenberg approached Newman asking for the job, saying he was going through personal problems and was "desperate" for the job, so Newman chose Rosenberg. Originally, the plan was to call the lead character "Dave Ryan" so the film would not be confused as a sequel to ''Harper''. Then a few weeks before preproduction, it was decided that it was "foolish to make this change" (Foster) and the character ended up being called "Harper". Newman said, "a character like Harper is very easy. It's great fun to get up in the morning and play Harper." The film was shot in late 1974. Location filming occurred in Lafayette and New Orleans. The melody to the international hit song "
Killing Me Softly with His Song "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a song composed by Charles Fox with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. The lyrics were written in collaboration with Lori Lieberman after she was inspired by a Don McLean performance in late 1971. Denied writing credit ...
" is heard playing in the background of several scenes in the film. At the time the film was being made, Paramount was producing a TV series based on the Lew Archer novels starring
Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...
. Before the movie came out, a film buyer said, "you're sure it's going to be a disaster because Stuart Rosenberg-ooh! What has Stuart Rosenberg got on Paul Newman? I mean, after ''WUSA'', how could anyone . . .? This man has got to be the Otto Preminger of grade-B movies. He just hasn't made a commercial movie in years, and people still give him big properties." Hill later estimated that only two minor scenes in the film were true to his adaptation."Hard Riding", Greco, Mike, ''Film Comment'' 16.3 (May/Jun 1980): 13-19,80. He said, " ewasn't too crazy about the movie."


Reception

The movie was nominated as best picture of the year by the
Edgar Allan Poe Awards The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
. A.H. Weiler of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said in the review: "Under Stuart Rosenberg's muscular but pedestrian direction, the script, adapted from (Ross Macdonald's) 1950 novel, transports our hero from his native California to present-day New Orleans and its bayou environs. ... Of course, Mr. Newman's Harper survives beatings, traps, and a variety of enticing offers with quips, charm, and inherent decency projected in underplayed, workman-like style. If his performance is not outstanding, it is a shade more convincing than the characterizations of the other principals, who emerge as odd types and not as fully fleshed, persuasive individuals. ... Unfortunately, the performances and such authentic facets as Cajun talk, bayous, New Orleans and an imposing, white-pillared, antebellum mansion set amid wide lawns and ancient live oaks, serve only to make ''The Drowning Pool'' a mildly interesting diversion."
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave the film a mixed 2-stars out of a possible 4 rating. He wrote that the basic premise of ''The Drowning Pool'' was "straightforward thriller material, and could have made a decent
B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
, but since "The Drowning Pool" is a Paul Newman vehicle, it goes first class, and that turns out to be fatal. So much attention is given to making the movie look good visually that the story gets mislaid..."
Stanley Kauffmann Stanley Kauffmann (April 24, 1916 – October 9, 2013) was an American writer, editor, and critic of film and theater. Career Kauffmann started with ''The New Republic'' in 1958 and contributed film criticism to that magazine for the next fifty ...
of
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...
described The Drowning Pool as a 'rotten thriller'. The film was a disappointment at the box office in the United States and Canada, earning rentals of $2.6 million, but it performed better elsewhere, especially in Italy, France, Spain, and South Africa, and was expected to earn worldwide rentals of $8 million.


Home media

''The Drowning Pool'' was released on November 14, 2006, as part of the Paul Newman Collection DVD box set.


See also

*
List of American films of 1975 A list of American films released in 1975. '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The highest-grossing film of 1975 was ''Jaws''. __TOC__ A–B C–G H–M N–S T–Z See also * 1975 in the Uni ...


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drowning Pool, The 1975 films 1970s mystery thriller films American detective films American mystery thriller films American sequel films Films based on American novels Films based on mystery novels Films directed by Stuart Rosenberg Films set in Louisiana Films shot in Louisiana Films shot in New Orleans First Artists films Films with screenplays by Lorenzo Semple Jr. Warner Bros. films Films scored by Michael Small Films with screenplays by Walter Hill American neo-noir films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films