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May 13 08 8:53 PM
May 14 08 11:19 AM
Wich2 wrote: Guys- "I love this one too," It is just a terrific film. Would that Laughton had done more; geez, what would his NAKED AND THE DEAD have been like...? He studied Griffith films at MOMA, and said he wanted people to sit forward in their seats again, riveted, not lay back, blase. "but the last act seems so...misplaced and corny" "...the ending always seems totally odd and out of place..." With respect, I couldn't disagree more. It is set up by the opening, developed through Gish's phenomenal work, and tied inextricably to the "Good" thread that runs all through the film, right alongside the "Bad." Have we come to the point where we really need our psychosis to be pure and unremitting, without ever a redemption? Do the monsters always have to win, and the innocent victims be devoured?
SPOILERS I GUESS
Well, I'm not talking about the "happy" nature of the ending or Gish's speech at the end. Those are just fine. I'm talking more about the almost comical way in which Mitchum is captured in the barn after there has been such a grim, relentless buildup. And how the townsfolk turn into a screeching, murderous mob and head for the jail, only to have Mitchum quickly whisked away. Again, an ominous buildup with little payoff. I'm not saying it's a flaw in the film, just curious. I'd be interested in hearing the interpretations of critics and fans on those points. I wasn't looking for him to die like Alan Rickman at the end of DIE HARD, but it did frustrate my expectations a bit.
May 14 08 2:15 PM
May 14 08 3:41 PM
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May 14 08 7:09 PM
May 14 08 8:47 PM
When she shoots him, she's so obviously taken aback by his yells and screeches, it hardly seems played for humor.
May 14 08 9:58 PM
May 15 08 11:04 AM
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May 15 08 12:27 PM
Professor Von X wrote: Maybe that was Laughton's intent... to make the character pathetic and silly in the end. The Big, Bad Wolf, undressed. Professor Von X
That's my best guess, too. If others think it's to be taken seriously, I won't argue the point, 'cuz I'm not sure myself. I wish someone had asked Laughton or even Mitchum about this. And maybe someone did....
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