Insignificance

This ‘alternate history film’ is a clever idea from versatile dramatist Terry Johnson who also wrote the screenplay for this 1985 movie based upon his 1982 Royal Court stage success. Set in a New York hotel room in 1954 the plot concerns four famous characters (who aren’t named though everyone will know who they are supposed to be) as they converge for one night.

The four protagonists in question are The Actress, the Professor, the Ballplayer and the Senator. You don't need to be too clever to work that these characters are based on Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Joe DiMaggio and Senator Joseph McCarthy (yes, he of the notorious McCarthyism witch-hunts). At the beginning we see ‘the Actress' (Theresa Russell) filming the famous white dress lifting sequence from 'The Seven Year Itch' whilst being observed by her jealous and not overly bright husband, ‘the Ballplayer’ plus countless sleazy onlookers. She then manages ‘after the wrap’ to persuade her cab driver (against his instructions) to take her to the Roosevelt Hotel where it is her fast intention to pay a visit to 'the Professor' (the real Einstein was in fact in his 75th year and but a year away from his departure). Intrigued by the man's genius she wishes to impress and seduce him. Admittedly the likeable old fellow is quite entranced by the actions of this not together dumb blonde. She even demonstrates, with a toy train set, just how the theory of polar opposites (or relativity) actually works. However, earlier that day the Professor (Michael Emil) has been visited by the notorious and odious Senator (Tony Curtis) who threatens him into appearing before a committee where he is supposed to be interrogated over his various ‘dubious’ activities. Suffice to say the Professor has no intentions of bowing to the Senators demands. As the Actress is busy demonstrating her theories her husband, the Ballplayer, turns up and begins knocking on the door – disturbing other hotel guests in the process. Yes, the Ballplayer followed his wife to the hotel room; having a pretty good idea of her intentions. And the Professor soon finds himself in the position of an agony aunt to the slightly confused baseball star, though eventually he decides to leave the couple alone and spents the rest of the night in a different room. En route he makes the acquaintance of the hotel’s elevator attendant, a native Cherokee Indian (Will Sampson) who serves as some sort of wisecrack shaman. Meanwhile, the Actress and the Ballplayer discuss the state of their obviously troubled marriage.

On the following morning, the Senator returns to the hotel to pester the Professor again but instead finds the naked Actress in his bed, initially mistaking her for a hooker. Of course this makes for a welcome opportunity as he feels that he can expose the Professor further though what doesn’t make sense is that the Senator then punches the Actress so hard in the stomach that she starts to bleed heavily from the genital area. While this is going on the Professor returns and catches the Senator just as he intends on confiscating countless pages of the scientist’s work though the Professor manages to grab the pages just in the nick of time and chucks them out of the hotel window. The Senator realises he has no real case against the Professor any longer and leaves the room, only for the Ballplayer to return at the same time – once again using the Professor as his agony aunt and lamenting about the state of his marriage. The Actress meanwhile has locked herself in the adjoining bathroom and continues to bleed heavily, suggesting that she may have been pregnant and thanks to the Senator’s punch has just suffered a miscarriage. Putting all her courage together she confronts the Ballplayer and – tears streaming from her face - lets him know that their marriage is over. Returning to the Professor she observes that he seems somewhat nervous and continuously looks at his watch which has stopped at 8.15 am precisely… before a surreal scenario turns the hotel room and in fact the entire city of New York into an inferno of deadly destruction caused by the A-bomb... a harrowing and nightmarish vision that goes on for at least three minutes too long before the room is returned to normal and the Actress smilingly waves goodbye.

Dramatist Johnson has given himself and us plenty of room for speculation here. As to whether it all ties up may of course depend upon individual viewpoints. The players all deliver theirs parts with admirable gusto. Tony Curtis (the biggest name in this production) was only available for a week’s shooting and is sweating heavily in every scene - was this intentional? His character of the Senator does not suggest anything of the real nature of Joseph McCarthy and gives a portrayal that’s almost too sympathetic. Gary Busey is totally acceptable as the unlucky in love Baseball player while Theresa Russell (director Roeg's then wife) is stuck with a Monroe-type accent throughout and tries hard. But one can’t help wondering what the real Marilyn would have done with this part? The real revelation here is unknown London-born actor Michael Emil's finely textured performance as 'Einstein the Professor'. Does ‘Marilyn the Actress’ really have to ask him at the film's denouement “What is troubling you?” WHAT! The man who split the atom? Are you kidding? As can be expected, Nicolas Roeg directed with his usual deftness though at 145 minutes running time and with most of the action taking place in a hotel room it does tend to drag on a little - not an unusual thing where stage plays are concerned.

INSIGNIFICANCE has just been released newly restored on Blu-ray and with selected Bonus Material including ‘Making of…’ / Trailer / Interviews etc.