The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Lucise on September 18, 2008, 12:38:19 am ---
Gosh.
Where shall we begin this discussion.
I think tomorrow, my thoughts would've settled down a bit.
My heart still aches for Margaret. :'(
Shall we continue tomorrow? :)
There is much to discuss, I am sure.
Night.
~M
--- End quote ---
Night Milli!
Sure enough! We should certainly continue to discuss tomorrow.
And, I agree that my heart bleeds for poor Margaret. She's really a great character. She seems to be this sweet, intelligent, open person surrounded by all these really difficult people (not to mention deceptive people).
The actress who played Selina was fantastic too I thought (and really gorgeous).
But, yes! More discussion tomorrow. :) For now I'm a little sleepy.
Lumière:
Hey Amanda, :)
I might be able to check back here on and off through the day, but I've been thinking of Affinity (of course) and thought to get the ball rolling.
I'll come back with my thoughts too...
What part/scene of the movie haunts you the most?
*** Affinity Spoilers below... *** 8)
Brown Eyes:
--- Quote from: Lucise on September 18, 2008, 11:46:26 am ---Hey Amanda, :)
I might be able to check back here on and off through the day, but I've been thinking of Affinity (of course) and thought to get the ball rolling.
I'll come back with my thoughts too...
What part/scene of the movie haunts you the most?
--- End quote ---
Well, I don't know if it haunts me the most. But, some of the most complicated questions seem to swirl around what Selina's true feelings were at the end. As she's going to bed her last night in the prison (when Margaret is still there) she says she's sorry (in an enigmatic way, and Margaret doesn't understand what she means... of course we realize what she might mean by the end of the film). She seems remorseful (but it's hard to know how to read Selina to know if she's being honest). Also, I'm very curious about her thoughts at the very, very end when she's in Venice. The filmmakers make it seem like she's (mysteriously or psychiclly) responding emotionally to Margaret's suicide. But, her emotions may be tied to simpler notions of guilt, regret, etc. I wonder if she had true feelings for Margaret?
The interesting thing, to me about my emotional reaction to Selina, is that (prior to the revelation of just how much of a con artist she is) I find myself really wanting to believe she has these magic, spiritual powers even though I know it's preposterous (and even though I know the story from the book).
Lumière:
I should start by saying that I agree with you Amanda - about the overall production of the movie, the actresses, the performances, the sets. It was wonderfully done and the script was pretty faithful to SW's book. That was something I appreciated immensely.
Selina definitely embodied the mystery that she had in the book. She had that quiet beauty which caught Margaret's eye the moment she first cast eyes on her. I loved that scene - the image of Serena sitting in the light with a purple flower in her hand...couldn't have been truer to the picture SW painted in her novel. Selina is definitely a fascinating character.
Like I mentioned in my post last night, Anna Madeley really was Margaret personified, IMO. She looked exactly how I saw Margaret as I read the story. She spoke volumes with her eyes, her posture.. she just brought Margaret to life.
Speaking of Selina and Margaret's relationship...
I personally think that Margaret is attracted to Selina the instant she sees her sitting alone in her cell with that little flower in her hand. She looked almost ethereal. I think after a few visits to Millbank, she finds an escape from her own claustrophobic life in Selina's prison cell, ironically. I would really like to believe that Selina developed a genuine attachment to Margaret. After all, each one saw in the other something she wanted:
- Margaret found the possibility to love again after the devastating end of her relationship with Helen. I believe she felt like Nan was feeling when she said, "I was beginning to sense a bit of my old self back" (after she saw Flo for the first time). Margaret rediscovered her buried sexuality, her longings, the more Selina drifted into her life. She began to leave Helen behind.
- Selina, on the other hand, saw Margaret as a way out of Millbank, no doubt. I don't know when exactly she hatched out her plan, but she must have been aware of Margaret's feelings very early on in order to set the plan into motion. She was desperate, anyone would be if they were cooped up in a dingy place like Millbank. She might've loved Margaret but that love was clearly not enough to keep her from betraying her as thoroughly as she did.
One of the moments that stay with me still - when Margaret visits Selina to tell her that she has everything ready for their escape. When Selina starts to get ready for bed, Margaret says, "Let me look at you"... you can hear the longing in her voice and see it in her face. That moment was captured so beautifully. If only Margaret knew what Selina meant when she said, "I'm sorry.." *sigh* :(
Now, what did you make of that Theophilus fellow? He was not in the novel.
All I'll say for the moment is - that beard irritated me to no end. LOL
Lumière:
--- Quote from: atz75 on September 18, 2008, 01:28:22 pm ---
Also, I'm very curious about her thoughts at the very, very end when she's in Venice. The filmmakers make it seem like she's (mysteriously or psychiclly) responding emotionally to Margaret's suicide. But, her emotions may be tied to simpler notions of guilt, regret, etc.
--- End quote ---
The idea that Selina can somehow 'sense' Margaret's suicide suggests that perhaps they are 'Affinities', perhaps they are two halves of the same soul as Selina had described it to Margaret. Perhaps she (Selina) is also a victim, a puppet in her life with Ruth Vigers.
Then again, like you said, it might've been a simple combination of guilt, regret.
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