MovieChat Forums > Straw Dogs (1971) Discussion > What was the point of the reverend scene...

What was the point of the reverend scene?

posted 8 years ago by RynoII
14 replies | jump to latest

The earlier scene in the movie, had the reverend come over, and David and him didn't really get along or share the same views on subjects.

But the reverend never comes back so I don't really know what was the point of this scene. If the reverend were part of the group that wanted to break into the house to get Niles, then I can understand how David judging him, making him feel antagonized, would build to a pay off.

But since the reverend was not part of the group of villains, and just forgotten about after, what was the point of that scene?

[–] KosParasite 8 years ago

The major and the vicar are the intellectuals of the town, and are definitely separate from the other meatheads. However, the short interaction with the Vicar shows that the David character is very alien, even to them.

But I think the most important part of the scene is the way Hoffman reacts to the Vicar's wife. He calls her lovely after barely speaking to her ( she barely speaks at all ), and even comments to Amy about how attractive she is. The vicar's wife represents a pre-feminism wife in a traditional role, the opposite of Amy.

[–] samstraper 8 years ago

David wants to fack the minister's wife and Amy notices him slobbering over how attractive the wife is. This causes even more resentment of Amy toward David and partially explains why she is so eager to entice Charlie by flashing him her breasts.

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[–] chrismartonuk-1 8 years ago

David is a bit of an asocial nerd who cannot even interact with the educated Vicar - who have even been to Oxbridge. His sense of superiority doesn't just extend to the locals.

[–] RynoII 8 years ago

Okay so David is attracted to the Vicar's wife, because she is pre-feminist then? But if David hardly knows her and barely met her at all, how would he know that she is pre-feminist?

[–] Wuchak (8732) a month ago

Everything about her -- the way she dressed, carried herself, whom she's married to and so on.

[–] tstudstrup 8 years ago

Exactly. And the message of the movie is that she brought the rape on herself, because she acts like a slut (not my opinion) Another message is that the teenage girl having her neck broken by the pedophile was also her own fault.

[–] wiiztec (258) 5 years ago

Where are you getting that henry was a pedophile from?

[–] tstudstrup 8 years ago

It was probably not the sexist directors intention, but I think it was a payoff to the following scene where David, the worlds worst husband, tells Amy how attractive he thinks the reverends wife is.

Because something that hurtful is something a husband says to his wife. At least when he doesn't love her.

And definitely something it's okay to say in this sexist disgusting movie.

[–] RynoII 8 years ago

So you think that Peckinpah's intentions were sexist perhaps?

[–] tstudstrup 8 years ago

Well I can't say for sure. But it seems to be the movies intentions.

Funny thing is it backfires. At least with me. Amy is the only likeable character in the entire movie.

[–] RynoII 8 years ago

I dunno, I don't find Amy to be a likable character. I didn't like how she decided to enjoy her rape about halfway through with Charlie, and I felt like she had no respect, as no one should decide to like being taken advantage of and forced like that on shear principle.

I also didn't like how she was going to choose to allow the invaders into her home, not only so they can torture a helpless man, but also she still wants to let them in after they kill a law enforcement officer, thereby putting her and her husband at risk of being murdered.

Even though her and her husband were having their problems, I feel that she still shouldn't have done that, and that David is the more sensible character perhaps. But that is just my take on it.

[–] tstudstrup 8 years ago

At that point when the men wants the pedophile, I thinkn she has realized David don't love her anyway. And she knows they won't leave untill they get the pedophile. And she's afraid of them, because they raped her.

As far as her behavior goes, I think you have to blame the director for that. The way he portrays Amy and the girl the pedophile murders, shows what he thinks of women.

[–] tstudstrup 8 years ago

What do you mean that she had no respect? Should she be scared and respect her rapist?

I think I already wrote that, it was David's lack of attention and lack of love that made Amy enjoy it, because, she got none of that from David.And she only enjoyed the first rape.

Again it's the directors view on women that is the problem here. She may not be acting realistic, but that's the directors decision.

[–] wilvram 8 years ago

I think the point is the reverend is a fairly streetwise kind of guy, never lost for words and who can deal with and deflect the boorish banter he gets from the thugs while doing his hackneyed magic act at the social. This is something the Hoffman character could never achieve, and so the sense of him as an isolated character is increased.