THE GYPSY MOTHS (1969)

Director: John Frankenheimer

Writers: William Hanley adapting James Drought’s original novel

Producers: Hal Landers, Bobby Roberts

Cast: Burt Lancaster, Gene Hackman, Scott Wilson, Deborah Kerr, William Windom, Bonnie Bedelia, Sheree North, John Napier, Carl Reindel, Ford Rainey 

Mike Rettig (Burt Lancaster), Joe Browdy (Gene Hackman), and Malcolm Webson (Scott Wilson) are a team of skydivers that drive from town to town to perform their aerial stunts for public exhibitions. When they arrive in young Malcolm’s childhood hometown of Bridgeville, Kansas, Malcolm suggests that they stay at the home of Elizabeth and John Brandon (Deborah Kerr and William Windom). The Brandons are Malcolm’s aunt and uncle that he has not seen since he was orphaned. It soon becomes apparent that the Brandons are an unhappy and distant couple. While the skydiving trio prep for their performance that July 4th weekend, the risk-taking Rettig seems drawn to Elizabeth. 

The Flashback Fanatic movie review

The attention-getting skydiving sequences may distinguish this film, but The Gypsy Moths is primarily a strange drama. The trio of Rettig, Browdy, and Webson are always on the move in a nomadic existence of travel, promotion, and performance to score some quick cash before packing up and moving on. One can’t really say that these guys are just trying to find themselves. Their motivations are mostly unspoken. We don’t know much about their background or why they risk death time after time in their performances. They never define goals they are striving for. At one point Browdy does suggest that maybe someday he’ll head to Hollywood to become a stuntman, yet no one is listening to him.

Burt Lancaster’s Mike Rettig is the uneasy subcurrent running through this story. Rettig keeps taking greater risks in his performances. He spends a lot of the film saying very little and we learn almost nothing about him. We only become aware of some of his feelings when he tells Deborah Kerr’s Elizabeth Brandon what he wants. Afterwards we are still left to wonder just what is running through Rettig’s mind and how he will react. 

This film’s stunt casting is the reunion of Lancaster with Deborah Kerr. From Here to Eternity (1953) had immortalized them with their iconic love-in-the-surf scene. Here they are two characters with different temperaments that are drawn to each other, yet both are risk-takers. Rettig’s risks are how he makes his living and that deadly edge seems to validate his life. Elizabeth risks upending the joyless security of her marriage by taking a growing interest in Rettig.

Scott Wilson, as Malcolm Webson, is the youngest member of the skydiving team. Although it is not stated, Webson was probably the replacement for a previous member of the group killed during a performance. This “kid” in the group shows the most safety-conscious sense of the trio. He is aware of Rettig’s growing recklessness in the act and tries to express that concern to him. Even though Webson is having his group stay with his relatives, he is not close to his aunt and uncle. He has not seen the Brandons since he was a child and still seems as alone in the world as his co-performers.

Bonnie Bedelia makes one of her earliest film appearances as Annie Burke, the college student also rooming with the Brandons. Despite the chemistry Annie has with Webson, there is still a bit of awkwardness between them. While this is perfectly natural between people that have only recently met, it seems that all of the main characters in this story have difficulty communicating and connecting at an emotional level. 

The live wire that provides most of the energy in the cast is Gene Hackman. As the boisterous Joe Browdy, he usually does most of the talking and provides some good humor. Browdy seems to be an absolutely carefree character, but this good-time Charley can be a bit sensitive about his devout churchgoing. Whether he does this to atone for his bawdy nightlife, to pray for safety during his daredevil performances, or to be sure he is ready to meet his maker if one of his stunts goes wrong is unclear. 

With this cast and some very impressive free-falling camerawork capturing the skydiving action, anyone should become involved with this unique story. However, Sheree North, as the Paradise Club waitress and stripper Mary, is the film’s most bedazzling spectacle. With her world-weary wit, big blue eyes, and fine form, her character deserved to headline a film all her own. This flashback fanatic has been hopelessly smitten once again.

The Gypsy Moths is an odd film that may leave many unsatisfied. Its characters are often defined by what they will not say or the choices that they won’t make. It does not provide the predictable and pat resolutions that we probably wish for some of its characters. Most viewers may find this sort of narrative frustrating, but those same people probably felt something along the way and are made to ponder whether the characters’ decisions will make them happy.