What's the deal with Peter Falk and the Chinese woman?

agreed, those sceens are so confusing, I can't figure what's going on. Some will reply about not being able to understand art, but much of this film is un-watchable.

compared to Cassavetes scenes with the English woman, you're right, it doesn't make sense (I actually really liked Cassavetes scenes, he's just acting like a complete fool and, somehow, she buys into it, for a little while until the crucial scene at the cafe). But the one thing that made it sort of interesting for me was that it tied into Falk's inability to really connect emotionally with people, how he's sort of *beep* up from something in how he lives that he's superficially able to talk with those he wants to get close to, but when it comes time to get near that, he balks. That, and he IS married, after all, though that factor of it makes it a little weaker for me.



"If it weren't for my horse I wouldn't of spent that year in college."

I think the reason Falk's character gets mad at the Chinese girl is because her responding to him begins to make him feel guilty, so he freaks out. It seems like he started out with the intention of having sex with her, but when push came to shove, he got scared and that's why he gets upset at her - trying to blame her for where things were going. It shows his character's confusion and sensitivity, especially after the intense Cassavetes' sex scene. (Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying any of these guys is a sensitive saint, by any means! But I think it shows us another layer to his character). Falk also offers the Chinese girl to sleep on the bed, (telling her he'd leave her alone), chases after her in the rain when she leaves upset, and then later tells Cassavetes that he thinks he's in love with her. It just goes to show the confusion he's going through, throughout all of their galavanting.

As for the Cassavetes/British girl sex scene - that was on the edge of creepy, but probably all the more so because the behavior and actions seemed so real. I think it just showed Cassavetes' character's twistedness and perversions that he was acting on outside of his stable married life. At first it seemed like the British gal was terrified, but apparently she found it a hell of a turn on --- so much so that she starts to really dig him and flirting with him in the cafe. When Cassavetes responds to her by joking with her and teasing her, (sarcastically joking that he'd marry her), she becomes humiliated and embarrassed and that's why she runs out into the street.

She frightens him with that kiss. Suddenly she ain't so "Inscrutable" any more. Cassavetes is trying to get her knickers off, pure and simple. Cassavetes would've had a marvellous time with the Chinese girl and Peter Falk could've pretended to attempt to seduce the willowy one, accept defeat and fallen asleep. However, Cassavetes' character doesn't deserve such honesty and Falk's needs to re-learn the lesson of the Casino.

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I agree with you when I first saw the scene. Looking at the film three more times, I've come to the conclusion that these three middle aged guys have had a sort of nervous breakdown because of the death of their friend.

It is implied that it was a sudden unexpected death since he was alive and big as life in the opening summer scene but he is buried by wintertime.

They are trying to mourn his death and come to terms with their own mortality and just can't seem to sit down and find the words. The dead Stuart isn't even mentioned except maybe one or twice in passing after his funeral. They are concerned with themselves and the things they didn't accomplish in their lives, and maybe their loss of virility in the time they have left.

Many of their actions don't seem to make sense because they seem to want to act like they are in their twenties again but know they have wives, kids and jobs.
I get the sense they are guilty for abandoning their families at least temporarily and Gus and Archie finally come back to reality. Harry seemed to need more time, if he ever came back at all. I sense he did.

So I see them all having a sort of emotional melt down throughout this film.

At first I thought Archie was the kind of guy who couldn't take yes for an answer. Then I realized the validity of whipsnade76's comment about "girl on top." Continuing to wonder about him I got to thinking about a possible "whore/madonna" complex. And whipsnade76 also mentioned that Archie was "bad in bed." So, the girl's asking for a Coca Cola is an indication of childishness, or innocence, you know, "no adult drinks for me," as it were. That is super safe for him. An innocent wouldn't know if he were good or bad in bed. But her aggressive sexuality showed that she had been around a lot and therefore able to judge his sexual performance. Too risky for him. It also would have shattered his illusion of making real, gentle, maybe inept, love with a naif.

Both she and Archie left together in the morning (as Gus and Mary did). It's just that she took off looking for a taxi when he couldn't find one. She always responded, not to anything he said but to the tone of his voice. How else could she respond? That was the case outside in the rain as well. Nothing happened between them during the night so she was cold, if not hostile, toward him in the morning. She gets off on her own rant in a foreign language when she hears his scolding voice about her looking for taxis when they just aren't there. He already looked. But she calmed down when his voice did. That "taming" of her, the more passive, open aspect of her approach to him would have been something for him to fall in love with.

The way all three women came out of the car on the way into the hotel I thought maybe they were all acquainted hookers. But Mary wouldn't take a John to a cafe where she was a regular, methinks. The women sure seemed like hookers though. And they were all, no doubt, from the gambling spot. How did Archie succeed with her in getting her to join them? That's why I thought she was just another of their coterie of hookers.