The Arrangement

The Arrangement

Year: 1969

Runtime: 125 mins

Language: English

Director: Elia Kazan

RomanceDramaMoving relationship storiesEnduring stories of family and marital dramaHeartbreaking and moving family drama

If your wife insists you see it together, be careful. An adman attempts to rebuild his shattered life after suffering a nervous breakdown.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Arrangement (1969)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Arrangement (1969). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960s

The Arrangement unfolds during the 1960s, a period of rapid cultural change and evolving attitudes toward marriage, career, and therapy. The era's glossy consumerism and interest in psychoanalysis color Eddie's crisis and the characters' responses. The setting reflects a world where wealth and social status are tightly controlled through 'arrangements'.

Location

Los Angeles, New York City, Long Island

The story moves between a gleaming Los Angeles advertising agency and a grand Victorian mansion on Long Island Sound, with important moments in New York City hospitals and offices. The juxtaposition of sunny, high-profile workspaces and a lush, insular home highlights the movie's tension between public wealth and private turmoil.

🎬 Settings

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:18

Main Characters – The Arrangement (1969)

Meet the key characters of The Arrangement (1969), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Eddie Anderson (Kirk Douglas)

A wealthy Los Angeles ad man whose outward success masks deep self-loathing and volatility. His life is governed by the 'arrangements' he perpetuates, even as his marriage, affair, and family fray at the edges. Flashbacks and confrontations reveal a man wrestling with identity, anger, and the need for control.

💼 Ambitious 💔 Infidelity 🧠 Fragile psyche ⚖️ Family conflict

Gwen (Faye Dunaway)

Eddie's lover and a catalyst for the unraveling of his marriage. She navigates a web of loyalty, desire, and secrecy, offering affection while pursuing her own complex ambitions. Her relationship with Eddie intensifies the conflict and test of loyalties within the family.

💘 Romantic entanglement 🗺️ Complicated loyalties 🗝️ Hidden motives

Florence Anderson (Deborah Kerr)

Eddie's wife, emotionally distant yet fiercely protective of the family status. She pushes for reconstruction of the marriage while leveraging legal and social power to secure their future. Her jealousy of Gwen and hunger for security drive much of the drama.

💍 Marriage 🧭 Control 💼 Wealth

Sam Arness (Richard Boone)

Eddie's aging Greek father, a once-successful importer who resists acculturation and resents Eddie's changes. His paranoia and deteriorating health provoke family tensions and moral questions about duty, tradition, and care.

🧓 Patriarch 🧠 Mental decline 🧱 Obstruction

Arthur Houghton (Hume Cronyn)

The family lawyer who mediates crises and represents the legal and financial interests at stake. Cool and pragmatic, he embodies the system that enforces the 'arrangements' Eddie seeks to escape.

⚖️ Legal authority 🧭 Mediation

Dr. Leibman (Harold Gould)

Florence's psychoanalyst who weighs in on Eddie and the couple's dynamics. His clinical observations frame the crisis as much as they illuminate it, blending therapy with the unfolding drama.

🧠 Psychology 💬 Therapy

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:18

Major Themes – The Arrangement (1969)

Explore the central themes of The Arrangement (1969), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧭 Identity

Eddie defines himself through the approved life of success and wealth, yet flashbacks reveal a fractured sense of self. The film probes how personal identity becomes entangled with what others expect or demand. Eddie's struggles expose the fragility of a life built on appearances rather than inner truth.

💔 Love & Infidelity

Love is treated as a volatile currency, with Eddie and Gwen's affair destabilizing the marriage and family dynamics. Florence's jealousy intensifies the conflict, turning affection into a weapon within the 'arrangements'. The story tracks how romantic entanglements collide with duty and ownership.

💼 Wealth & Arrangements

Wealth is the backbone of the family’s power and their 'arrangements'—marriage, property, and status. The legal and financial pressures throughout the film push Eddie toward surrender or collapse. The mansion, the law, and the medical system all serve to regulate and critique this wealth-driven world.

🧠 Psychology & Catharsis

Psychological insight—via Dr. Leibman and the hospital sequences—drives the narrative toward self-understanding or surrender. Therapy scenes juxtapose rational analysis with emotional chaos, highlighting the limits of clinical interpretation. The film frames mental struggle as both a personal crisis and a social performance.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:18

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Unlock the Full Story of The Arrangement

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Arrangement in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Arrangement is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Arrangement Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Arrangement, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Arrangement Summary

The Arrangement Timeline

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The Arrangement Timeline

More About The Arrangement

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More About The Arrangement

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