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Polio Major 
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TITLE |
Walking Stick, The (1970) |
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NOTES |
Eggar is
disabled with polio, Hemmings is her lover who |
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pushes her
into helping him in a robbery. He plays on her |
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vunerability
because of her disability. |
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When Deborah
(Eggar) is asked out by an artist, Leigh, |
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(Hemmings)
she says "Why would you want to sleep with a |
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cripple?"
She has nightmares about being in iron lung. |
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The
boyfriend wants her to move in with him. And they have |
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romantic
walks along the Thames Embankment. Thus we |
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have a
rather dreary romance until he makes a dodgy deal |
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which will
gain him an antique shop. Deborah now begins to |
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walk without
a stick. Leigh apparently turns down the |
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criminal job
but under pressure agrees to it. She's against it |
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but when he
is adamant she agrees to help. But it is not clear |
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why he does
something which so upsets her. His excuse is |
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that he
hasn't a decent job. The criminal gang then ask her to |
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join in. The
job turns out to be a raid at the firm she works |
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for. She is
able to disable the firm's alarm. This involves |
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hiding in a
cupboard which brings back memories of the iron |
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After the
robbery she discovers Leigh has been lying and |
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everything
which has happened before has been to gain her |
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involvement
in the robbery. Leigh has been using her from his |
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first
approach which answers her question: why would you |
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want to
sleep with a cripple. |
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When
challenged Leigh admits using her had been the plan |
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but now
claims he has fallen in love with her. They row and |
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she says "my
mind feels as useless as my leg." Film ends |
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with her
posting a letter to a police inspector presumably |
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outlining
boyfriend's involvement. |
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Notes
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