The Arrangement (1969)

Eddie is a very rich man who has everything he wants; money, family, success. But a car crash is all that needs to make him reconsider the life he leads. Searching for the happiness he lost... See full summary »

Director:

Elia Kazan

Writers:

Elia Kazan, Elia Kazan (novel)

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, Faye Dunaway, Deborah Kerr

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kirk Douglas	...	Eddie Anderson
Faye Dunaway	...	Gwen
Deborah Kerr	...	Florence Anderson
Richard Boone	...	Sam
Hume Cronyn	...	Arthur
Michael Higgins	...	Michael
Carol Eve Rossen	...	Gloria (as Carol Rossen)
William Hansen	...	Dr. Weeks
Harold Gould	...	Dr. Leibman
Michael Murphy	...	Father Draddy
John Randolph Jones	...	Charles
Anne Hegira	...	Thomna
Charles Drake	...	Finnegan
E.J. André	...	Uncle Joe (as E.J. Andre)
Philip Bourneuf	...	Judge Morris

Storyline

Eddie is a very rich man who has everything he wants; money, family, success. But a car crash is all that needs to make him reconsider the life he leads. Searching for the happiness he lost, he remembers his one time lover, Gwen. Meanwhile his wife conspires to take his fortune...

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Plot Keywords:

giraffe | extramarital affair | grave side ceremony | alter ego | paternity test | 

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Taglines:

The girl knew about the wife. The wife knew about the girl. It was all part of the arrangement.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'arrangement

Filming Locations:

Long Island, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Athena Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Faye Dunaway's fee for this film was $600,000, far more than Elia Kazan wanted to pay her. His next film, "The Visitors", was a small independent production made with unknown actors and a skeleton crew far away from Hollywood. Kazan claimed that this was a reaction to the excessive cost of "The Arrangement" and liked to say that the whole film was made for the same amount that Ms. Dunaway's agent had made out of the previous film.

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Quotes

Gwen: The screwing I'm getting is not worth the screwing I'm getting.

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Connections

Features America, America (1963)

User Reviews

A Film Whose Time Has Come.

Panned and patronized at the time of it's initial release, Elia Kazan's adaptation of his best selling book THE ARRANGEMENT plays much better now than it did in 1969. Made after a 6 year hiatus from film-making at a time when movies were enjoying unheard of freedom due to the demise of the production code, THE ARRANGEMENT clearly shows that Kazan was still a director to be reckoned with. The basic premise was nothing new. A highly successful businessman (Kirk Douglas) suffers a mid-life crisis and attempts suicide. How he and the other characters deal with the aftermath make up the rest of the story. Kazan has always been an actor's director and the film provides a showcase for the young Faye Dunaway as Douglas' mistress who gets him to reexamine his life but wants out to be with someone else. Deborah Kerr in her last major film appearance is superb in the difficult role of the wife who tries to understand what Douglas is going through but doesn't want to give up the rich lifestyle she's become accustomed to. Strong support is given by Hume Cronyn as the family solicitor who has plans of his own and from Richard Boone in a rare non-Western role as Douglas' ailing father. His slide into dementia is both heartbreaking and terrifying. Marlon Brando had originally agreed to play the lead but bowed out allowing Kirk Douglas who really wanted to work with Kazan to step in. While not stage trained like the other principals, he acquits himself well in an emotionally as opposed to a physically demanding role. The combination of raw emotions, alternating points-of-view including black humor, and touches of surrealism was ambitious then and still is today (think American BEAUTY). The movie is not without its flaws. It runs too long and is occasionally sloppy in everything from editing to make-up but the powerful writing and intense performances make THE ARRANGEMENT provocative film-making nearly 40 years later. Called everything from a harrowing emotional ride to a self-indulgent mess, it is ultimately for the home viewer to decide (my rating indicates where I stand). Kazan will always be a controversial figure because of his HUAC testimony in the 1950's but his greatness as a director cannot be denied and remains captured on film for all to see.