Hi,
Towards the beginning of the movie Joan Bennett's character is looking for a shopping list that she thought she'd put in her coat pocket. She can't find it, but at the end of the movie, just before she meets Nagel in the boathouse, she finds it. It seems to be given quite a bit of prominence by Ophuls, and I was just wondering if it had any plot significance, or if I was just reading too much into it.
Thanks.
I think she was afraid that she'd lost it while dumping the body, leaving incriminating evidence behind.
shareThanks.
shareI think so to, but I think there's another plot point that was cut from the final print. Was it the list that she had when she went to the drugstore with James Mason? Why was it in the fur coat? I think there's more to this than meets the eye.
"Don't worry. I'm not on the side of the saints yet."
It's a nod to the book. In the book the list was found with the body - the police turn up and keep asking her about different brands - she is formally suspected of the killing and it is assumed Donnelly helped her.
I guess - as they always had the changed ending in mind (he just gives himself up in the book) they still wanted to keep it in the film as a source of worry.
The book is called "The Blank Wall" by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding and a much better read than many new novels published today.
shareI also highly recommend the book. You can easily read it in a day -- and you won't want to put it down.
I haven't seen either of the two movies yet, but I'm curious why they both went with the Donnelly character dying (or at least having a near-fatal accident) instead of using the book's ending. The book may have been less "cinematic," but it was more poignant, I thought.
I read the book 2 or 3 years ago (The Blank Wall), but have to admit that I forgot about the ending.
The book is located on Long Island if I remember it correctly. I prefer the movie location though.