Author:
Susan
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Date Posted: 01:33:36 10/14/06 Sat
Funny you should bring that up, Sue; would you believe that exact same question finally dawned on me after all these viewings just a few nights ago! (Gee, I wonder what could have been distracting me from following the "logic" of that scene all this time?) Not that there's much logic to the plot anyway, which, as you mentioned, Eva, except for the setting (sort of) and some of the names, is barely recognizable from the book. (Yes, Jem is Joss's younger brother--both surnamed Merlyn. There's no "Humphrey Pengallan" in the book either, BTW. Or bumbling wreckers with cute nicknames like "Dandy" and "Salvation." Harry is probably the most faithfully rendered character from the novel, where he's first introduced as "a dirty little blackguard from Redruth who had established himself wit of the assembly." I can't find much discrepancy there.)
Anyway, it certainly does seem like there's a scene missing there! On the other hand, does anybody see that lack of continuity as perhaps a bit misogynistic? As RN's character expresses it, "That's women for you: save your life one minute, then frightened for their own the next." Yup, women are so illogical; that explains everything.
Yeah, it struck me too as odd that she's followed him all that way (in the book--and in real life--Jamaica Inn is well inland, basically smack in the middle of Cornwall and, back then at least, miles from civilization, which allows Miss du Maurier to provide us with all those loving descriptions of the rugged landscape), slept the whole night beside him, and then suddenly she's scared of him and tries to run away??? I would so love to know what happened during the night ... I mean, like where they found the rowboat and how they found that cave in the dark and all. And what he was using the knife for. Did he force her to come along? That would explain her fear, but then he's *completely* unjustified in making that silly generalization about women! (Another one for Medved and Dreyfuss's "Immortal Dialogue.")
The blood on his face is left over from the night before, when Joss clocked him in the head with that tankard, knocking him unconscious so they could hang him; it's in the publicity still where she's just cut him down. But that knife beside him is definitely not the same one she used--remember she took it from her dinner tray? It had a rounded blade. From the handle, his knife looks more like a dagger, probably part of his wrecker gear. (?) I'd still love to see what led up to its being planted in the sand there by his hand! (Yes, I've seen this movie way too many times; I have a *lot* of insomnia! Plus ... isn't freeze frame just the greatest invention? Especially with the clarity of DVDs?)
I could see her being a little confused for a few seconds when she wakes up, but that's some case of amnesia ... She remains disoriented long enough to try to sail away in the boat. Then she lets him pick her up and pull her back into the cave, but then resumes struggling. If only we could see that lost or deleted scene (assuming there is one), perhaps it would make more sense. Hey, if anybody out there has it, I'm sure we'd all pay reasonably good money to see a fully restored version of the film! Otherwise, we'll just have to imagine it in our minds. (Hey, anybody feel like writing some fan fiction??)
As for the miniseries, it was much more faithful to the book, except that, in order to pad it out to four hours (I'm assuming), they too added several scenes. Like that one where Jem arrives in some kind of circus cage--that was totally not in the book! BTW, have I mentioned that I highly recommend the book? ;-) In fact, I'm overdue for another reading of it. (Yeah, in my "spare time," ha.)
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