There were tripwires during the robbery sequence, about 10 inches off the ground. Seemed very easy to step over but they go through great trouble to slide under them.
Anybody else find this strange? Was it explained? Seemed a little silly to me...
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shareI assumed there was more than one, higher up.
shareThey're not tripwires, they're light beams projected between photocells (called "electric eyes" here), but are invisible. That's why they have to be so careful.
shareI didn't know they had technology like that back then.
Last Film Seen:
* The Terminal (2004, Steven Spielberg) – (7/10)
no they're trip wires. they mention it once and you can see it in one scene.
shareNo, they mention them as the electric eye alright. It's hilarious that they dramatically cross the eye by sliding under it, but then they just reach across the boxman's toolbag.
shareThe electric eye sensors were high enough off the ground that the crooks wouldn't be able to merely step over them. They would have had to jump over them, which would have been more risky than merely sliding under the electric eye.
shareWell, from what I saw the sensor was no more than 40 centimeters off the ground. You could easily step over it.
shareYou could easily step over it.
To me it looked like the eye was so close to the ground that sliding under it was much more of a risk than stepping over it, but oh well, we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. Anyway, it doesn't spoil my enjoyment of this great film in the slightest.
shareNor did it spoil my enjoyment. I think its an absolutely amazing classic film. Can't say enough about it. When John Huston made a great film he didn't mess around!
I love seeing everybody else's comments. Thanks for the input, folks!
I thought it was funny they kept their hats on the whole time. The first time I saw it I was sure their hat brims would trigger the alarm.
you could easily step over them, but it still risky
shareOnly if you could actually see the beam.
If you didnt know exactly where the beam was in front of you, but knew that it was at X height off the ground, its no risk to slide under it. You just start way back and go further than you expect, and if you stay low enough youre guaranteed to not set it off.
If you're stepping over the beam and dont know exactly where it is, it is a huge risk. Theres a lot more complicated angles and distances involved when you are essentially arcing over a point rather than just going in a straight line underneath it.
By the way, how expensive could those have been? It seems like 1 beam you could go over or under it, but if they added one more it would be much harder. Double the cost, but way more robust.
Yes that is hilarious that there is something they need to avoid that is about 1 1/2 foot off the ground as well as about 3 1/2 feet off the ground to where they could easily reach over but not step over it.
shareWhen you look at the chair right beside the box with the electric eye, you can see the small eye is about 10 to 15cm above the seat, and as a chair is normally 44-45cm high that gives 55-60cm(24inches) above the floor...
sharesuspension of disbelief?
it was a great noir, anyway!
Electric eye technology has existed since at least the late 1930's. In THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940), Alan Hale makes a big deal of demonstrating how an electric eye opens his garage door.
"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did."
I remember sometime in the 40's seeing a short subject explaining electric eyes.
I'm the kind of guy, when I move - watch my smoke. But I'm gonna need some good clothes though.
Key scientific fact makes sliding under, rather than stepping over, inherently less risky: Gravity.
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I remember seeing a WWII movie where a team allied spies cracked a safe located in the offices of the German high command. They had to thread their way through an intricate web of beams to get to the safe.
I realize it was a MOVIE but
if this information was accurate, yes, the technology was available in 1950 to the largest jewelry store in the Midwest (lol.)