MovieChat Forums > Brideshead Revisited (1982) Discussion > Throwing someone in mercury?

Throwing someone in mercury?

posted 13 years ago by princessfaz
6 replies | jump to latest

It is mentnioned that some students threw Antony in the "mercury". In another thread a poster who went to boys school also says they threw people in the mercury. What does this mean exactly?

[–] joyfarrah 13 years ago

It is a fountain in one of the colleges and some of the wilder students ducked Antony in it.

[–] princessfaz 13 years ago

thanks

[–] tovangar2-321-223220 12 years ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Quad

"In the centre of the quad, there is an ornamental pond with a statue of Mercury. In the past, it was traditional for "hearties" (sporty students) to throw "aesthetes" (more artistic students) into this pond. Currently, entrance to Mercury carries a heavy fine for undergraduates. The pond also contains a large Koi carp apparently worth a large amount of money and donated by the Empress of Japan. The base of the fountain was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens."

IMAGE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmichaelmyers/3152813340/

[–] Sugarminx 12 years ago

*ahem* yeah I couldn't quite work that out at first either.

I was like "someone threw that guy in mercury?! He must have been burned/hurt!" Thinking mercury the liquid metal.

Well it might have been a science lab prank gone wrong...

Then following the context of the rest of the dialogue, I worked out 'mercury' must have been the name for a fountain or lake or something.

Still, pretty embarrassing.

Tap Tommy

[–] ronfirv 12 years ago

Au contraire, he loved it.
Don't you recall his tease to the hearties, along the lines of, he could think of nothing more agreeable than being "manhandled" by them?

[–] Sugarminx 12 years ago

"Au contraire, he loved it.
Don't you recall his tease to the hearties, along the lines of, he could think of nothing more agreeable than being "manhandled" by them?"

Oh, is this response to me?

If it is in reference to the "still, pretty embarrassing" line, I meant it was embarrassing for me (thinking it was real mercury) not Anthony Blanche.

Tap Tommy