Ginger in the Morning (1973)
Dynamic DVD (region 0 PAL UK)
d. Gordon Wiles; pr. Clark L. Paylow; scr. Mark Miller; ph. William K. Jurgensen; m. Don McGinnis; ed. Chuck McClelland; cast. Sissy Spacek, Monte Markham, Susan Oliver, Mark Miller, Slim Pickens, David Doyle (90 mins)
The social changes and sexual upheavals in America in the late 1960s and early 1970s saturated film in that period. Specifically there was a subtext amongst these reactions to an exploding youthful morality that surfaced in a number of works examining the feelings of that generation of men too old to participate fully but young enough to know what they thought they were missing out on. This idea of a generation of patriarchy’s moral representatives losing out on what freedom promises informs films as diverse as Joe through to the recent The Ice Storm and has always been developed with much circumspect self-awareness as the emblematic dissatisfaction and subsequent social-moral disaffection of a generation finding their leadership and control eroded. Such entrapment is thus the dilemma of patriarchy in transition. This unusual paradox of patriarchal reaction to social and sexual liberation whole-heartedly informed Ginger in the Morning, a minor movie now most notable as the debut of actress Sissy Spacek who would achieve stardom several years later in her more celebrated role in Carrie. For a debut role, however, there is much in her work in Ginger in the Morning which suggests the film had an initializing influence on her often airy, free persona in the 1970s and early 1980s, one she would carry through into such diverse films as Three Women and especially Coal Miner’s Daughter.
A newly-divorced middle-aged man (Monte Markham) flies into town to make a new start, whereupon he is informed by his free-wheeling friend that he should seek out young women for fun without fear of commitment. On the road, he passes a young hippie hitchhiker (Sissy Spacek) and impulsively decides to pick her up. He is soon attracted to her innocent, naïve sense of wisdom and she to his old-fashioned morality and awkwardness, although it is clear that Markham seeks what other men have. She agrees to stay with Markham over the New Year’s changeover period. At his house an enthusiastic Markham prepares for the sexual encounter he greatly anticipates. However, a drunken male friend (writer / co-producer Mark Miller) shows up at his doorstep and invites himself in. The friend, also recently divorced, hears Markham talk about his expected dalliance with a young hippie and reacts with a certain male envy. But, Spacek also hears these comments. Upset, she is convinced by Miller to stay at least until the morning, whilst Markham feels that Miller is now merely trying to steal the young girl away from him, for sex. The burgeoning triangle is further complicated when Miller’s ex-wife (Susan Oliver) arrives. Not only must these three responsible adults deal with the disruptive presence of the young Spacek but Spacek too begins to realize her catalytic effect on their tormented emotions. read more