...does Stewart say, "I'm glad you decided to be sensible and not put a spell on Merle". But before we see Shep at his old girlfriend's apartment, and she woofs when the repairman walks by. (because Gillian had threatened to make her fall for the first man that walked into her apartment (other than Shep, I suppose...) So are we to assume the hex was taken off quickly?
shareShe was unable to place the curse because she had already fallen in love with Shep and therefore lost her powers. If you recall she kept calling for Pyewacket, intending to use him to place the curse, but he never came. When she did find him, he ran away from her.
shareI do remember that Pyewacket went to Queenie when Gillian called him, showing that she was losing her powers as she was falling in love. But I still don't understand why they showed the scene of Merle woofing at the repairman. Was it just the "beginning" of a spell that couldn't be sustained?
shareMerle was kidding Shep, who was trying to warn her. He was telling her that she was going to fall for the first guy that she saw, at which point the repairman appeared and she jokingly "woofed" at him. She was just making a joke.
shareI've got to disagree. There must be some continuity issue with the film.
shareIt's definitely a joke Merle is making. I'm sure of it. Watch it again. I've seen this film dozens of times and I did the play a few years ago. Trust me. :)
Merle's humourous take on the situation is evidenced in this scene first when she makes the witch/b.itch comment ("Oh Shep, you just never learned to spell.") Then, when he asks her is she's had the sudden urge to travel, she says, "Only away from you." By the time the maid tells Merle the exterminator is there, and Shep says, "He'll seduce you," Merle says directly that she is fed up with all this nonsense. When the exterminator walks by, she growls at him and then looks very sarcastically at Shep. This sarcastic look (nasty smile and all!) makes clear that she has been making a joke. Her annoyance and wickedly humorous take on what he has been saying has been made clear, and this growl is just another further "dig" toward how dumb she thinks his witchcraft nonsense is. He is now fully annoyed. Having tried to warn her and seen that she isn't taking him seriously, he says, "Bon voyage," meaning, "Have a good trip." Since she hasn't listened, he knows there is nothing more he can do. If she had just actually exhibited evidence of being under a spell, he would have said, "See Merle? Why did you just growl at that exterminator?" Merle would have said, "What are you talking about? I just-- Oh Shep! Why did I do that?" And then Shep would have said, "You see? I told you, etc." But none of that happens because she was just making a nasty little joke typical of the sarcastic humor she displays throughout the scene.
Trust me. I'm right on this one. ;)
I still must respectfully disagree with you, only because for comedy purposes Shep's "Bon Voyage" would have no "meaning" comedically if he were just replying to a joke; the whole point, it seemed to me, was that yes Merle was being snide but then automatically she growls randily at the exterminator: that's the comedy. His "bon vayage" is the script's droll comedic answer for Stewart. Let's both watch again, but amiably agree to disagree! I've seen the film many times over 35 years, and you said you're familiar with it, too, so let's call it a draw! You think you're right, I believe I'm right, so...
shareWell, bgh, I won't let you off that easily! lol.
No really, think about it this way: my interpretation makes perfect sense. Your interpretation requires that there is some kind of mistake in the script. Also, if Merle's "growl" at the exterminator is serious, why does she immediately look at Shep afterward with a great big sarcastic smile on her face?
I actually fired up my dvd and watched this again, just for you. To me, it's as clear as day. If I get a chance, I'll see if I still have my old script to see what notations there are there. That may clarify things a bit.
But hey--I'm just happy somebody else likes this fun movie. :)
I know, I love it too. When I see it again, I'll take another look. BUT I AM RIGHT! Grrrrr. Just kidding, it's nice to communicate with someone who enjoys the film as much as I do to take the trouble to "argue" over a particular scene. Anyway...Merry Christmas!!
shareNo, you're wrong.
I just watched the movie last night, and Merle is obviously making a joke.
Not only that, the editing of the film makes it undeniably clear that Gillian has not had a chance to place a curse because Pyewackett was not available.
There's really no ambiguity here at all.
Shep's bon voyage comment only shows that HE is still convinced that a spell was cast, not that there was any actual spell. In fact, in the continuity department, she is still trying to catch Pyewacket AFTER the scene with the exterminator, and is totally unsuccessful.
shareYeah, this thread is a non issue. It's pretty clear that Gillian can't complete the spell sans Pyewacket and that little "Grrr" from Merle is obviously designed to tweak Shep about his "seduced by the plumber" comment.
That's why the bug spray guy was such a lout, or perhaps oaf--take your pick.
I wouldn't think anyone would have a hard time figuring out what's right in front of your face.
I just saw this movie for the first time a few nights ago (thanks to TCM On Demand), but for what little my opinion may be worth:
The only interpretation that even occurred to me when watching that scene was maison's.
The "Bon voyage" applies because at that point Shep still *thinks* that the spell has been cast on Merle.
He knows that the "Woof" was a sarcastic dig at him ...... He never expected the spell to completely alter Merle's behavior (and the bark *would* be completely out of character for Merle); after all the spell on him hadn't fundamentally altered his behavior, he just behaved as he would have IF he had become that smitten without the spell.
However, at that point he is convinced that Merle is so disdainful of his warning that there is no way that she will do anything about it (certainly not go to De Passe to have the spell broken). Therefore, he says "Bon voyage" because he expects her to go on the trip (and fall for the repairman) because of the spell that he thinks has been cast on her.
We know that Pyewackit wouldn't come to Gil and that the spell never got cast; but Shep does not know that. So from his POV the "Bon voyage" makes sense, even without the spell actually ever having been cast.
Oh, gosh, this will go on forever!! hahaha. Okay, okay, I'll take another look.
shareWell, it's on TCM now, so I hope you're getting another chance to reconsider. I'm seeing it for the first time now, but I agree with everyone else -- you're wrong, bgh48. Right after Merle growls at the repairman, she gives Stewart another sarcastic look. If it were really a spell, her reaction would not have been so sarcastic, but rather bewildered and maybe a little scared. She's clearly not under any spell -- Novak's powers are gone, and the cat is MIA, as others have already pointed out. Stewart's "Bon Voyage" is just like Novak's earlier "Well, I tried, if you still don't believe me it's on you" as she's heading for the door after confessing to Stewart.
shareYeah, there's no question that she's joking about the repairman. Without the cat, Gil couldn't cast a spell. And when she tries to catch Pyewacket out in the street and is unsuccessful, she starts crying, showing that she's human. When she and her aunt look at her tears in the mirror, Gil says, "I've been coming down with it all along, I guess."
shareI agree with Mitch and maison, but also with Pillow Rock. The spell was not able to be cast, so Merle's "woof" was a sarcastic dig at Shep. When Shep says "bon voyage" he THINKS the spell is cast (and that the woof is genuine) and leaves just as Gil left, saying "I've done my best to explain to you and you don't believe me."
"Klaatu barada nikto"
You are free to disagree all you like, but that's the exact interpretation - look at "Merle's" face next time you watch it - she's clearly laughing at "Shep".
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Those who study history are doomed to watch others repeat it.
Merle "woofed" to TEASE Shep because she didn't believe a word he was saying.
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Those who study history are doomed to watch others repeat it.
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Don't forget that in the last scene of the film, Stewart says, "I must say, it was decent of you not to hex her after all. What, did you think better of it?" And Novak says, "Yes." She hasn't yet told him that she's no longer a witch, so she just makes it sound like she changed her mind.
And a few minutes earlier when Novak and Lanchester are looking at the tears on her cheeks in the mirror, Novak says, "That's why Pyewacket ran away. I've lost my powers." I.e., she had already lost her powers before Pyewacket ran away; and in fact losing her powers is what made the cat run away.
So it's crystal clear that she never hexed her. And when she couldn't find the cat, that's when she started crying, proving that she was now human instead of a witch.
Case closed.