White Walls and Olive-Green Carpets - Episode 8, Tuesday 23rd February 1971

The story...

Lena – a theatrical make-up artist – and Robert were once lovers although Robert was married at the time to Marian. One day Lena is at work when she receives a call from Robert telling her that Marian has been killed in a car crash and - although the two women had never met - she is shaken by the news.

Later Robert takes her to the country house he shared with Lena, asking her to help him to decide which items to take to his new flat but later admitting his real purpose was to discuss their former relationship. It proves to be a distinctly awkward encounter. Lena is frustrated by how her life has turned out and outlines her resentment at how she has been treated, particularly by men including her ex-husband and Robert; Robert is also frustrated at what he sees as her self-pitying attitudes and unwillingness to perceive her own faults. Lena feels that she is being needled by Robert throughout the encounter but is also unnerved by some small but strange events such as fresh milk and flowers being found in a house that has apparently been unoccupied. She feels unwell and also has a disturbing dream – or was it reality? She is to find that the line between dream and reality, truth and lies is becoming increasingly blurred…

Robert (Ian Bannen) keeps an eye on Lena while she is sleeping

Review

This is one of my top three Shadows of Fear episodes and I’ve always found it a joy to watch. However it’s also the lowest-rated episode by viewers on the Internet Movie Database although not by a large margin and it’s true to say episode ratings for the show on there are generally rather modest. For all my admiration for this outing I’m not surprised it’s not been a hit with the wider audience and in many ways, it is the Shadows of Fear style taken to the greatest extent. There is a tiny cast with only three speaking parts and ninety percent of the screen-time is Robert and Lena talking in the same room.  There are no great dramatic incidents and I can understand why others would find it hard-going, especially those expecting a more conventional “thriller”. Even the apparently bizarre episode title (a reference to Lena’s preferred décor) gives no clue that this is a suspense story. However there is a spirit of foreboding throughout and for me the interchanges between the two characters are riveting. A dead relationship is dissected in both the sense of an examination but also a dismemberment. The strange goings-on that spook Lena are very subtly done in the tradition of the show and I like this understated approach. Robert and Lena are essentially everyday people with everyday aspirations, concerns – and resentments. However given the nature of the show those resentments veer off in a rather twisted direction. Robert in particular seems to delight in the discomfort and disorientation he is creating but both characters are quite capable of hurting the other – and others around them.

Ian Bannen (especially) and Natasha Parry give excellent displays as the central characters. There is a neat cameo at the beginning by Geoffrey Wright as an actor in skull make-up which contributes a powerful image at the start of the first scene - indeed an image (below) that have misled some viewers into thinking they were about so see a horror / occult story rather than one about a disintegrated relationship. 

For me the writing by the talented Hugh Leonard makes this a magnetic story although others may well disagree. James Gatward directed his only Shadows of Fear instalment here but does a good job in setting up some mysterious happenings ultimately leading up to a creepy conclusion. Particular commendation should go the splendid additional title and incidental music by Harry South. Harry is now best remembered for his excellent title music for The Sweeney but his roots were in jazz and not unlike Roger Webb he contributes a darkly jazzy musical backdrop to the visuals. Incidental music was used sparingly in the show and often consisted of library tracks by different composers but it helps here to have a specially-written score by the same composer and gives the episode its own special character as well as holding appeal for even those viewers who might not have liked the episode as a whole. There are even some special sepia-tinted episode title screens (top of the page) which all add up to a very distinctive outing that could have readily functioned as a distinct play as well as part of the Shadows of Fear anthology.

Torrid times for Lena (Natasha Parry)