Mr. Body didn't guess that one of them would turn on him in the dark instead of killing Wadsworth? If they kill Mr. Body then they don't get their secrets outed to the public, and the blackmail ends. He's their enemy, not Wadsworth. Surely he would have realized that, no?
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There was an easlier thread about it. Its more of a speculation but heres my take. Remember, the guy whom they called Mr Body was really just a butler fo the real Mr Body (Who was Wadsworth). For the purpose of the explanation...we will call Tim Curry's character Wadsworth and Lee Ving's Character Mr Body.
We know from Wadsworth's story, that he as the butler was being blackmailed by Mr Body because he and his wife had friends who were socialists. So if he was telling the truth, then Mr Body was forced to go there masquerading as the blackmailer. It could have been he felt there was strength in numbers or perhaps he saw so many other victims he couldnt take it any longer. WHatever the reason, he has enough and yells out "Its a hoax, I suggest we all leave!"
He storms out knowing Wadsworth (Mr Body) cannot get out of character or risk having his carefully laid plans blow up. But as he flees, he is calmly told "All the windows have bars and all the doors are locked!" When he sees Wadsworth (Body) is able to regain control of the mob quite easily, he gets more desperate. He runs to the Conservatory and is ready to break out..until...the guards dogs show up. With angry type of resignment, he looks back to see Wadsworth (Mr Body) looking back at him smugly as if to say "I've thought of everything. I have you."
He pretends to play the part but must know his life is in danger; his employer is far too smart. He was a perpetual slave and this is perhaps his only chance to survive. So he pins his hopes on these people being as afraid and manipulated as he was. knowing the only way for the key and freedom is procuring it from the blackmailers dead hands, he boldly tells the people to use their weapons on Wadsworth. We see the expression of shock on Wadsworth (Mr Body's) face at the offer. He kept pretty cool but Id bet that was a legitimate shock to him.
I could go on after that point where he was truly murdered...but thats my take as to why he had to risk it.
"Mankind cannot solve the world's problems. Mankind is the problem."
That's an excellent theory. I posted this thread before I finished watching the movie, and clearly part of the point is that it's hopelessly and hilariously convoluted by the time the conclusion is reached, so to some extent even questioning the plot is pointless or absurd. But I really like your take on it, so thanks! It's a lot of fun trying to figure this one out.
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You're most welcome :). I myself am a movie buff and I love to contemplate the reasoning and variables between the characters in a host of different movies. An awful lot of fun to speculate. Cheers :)
"Mankind cannot solve the world's problems. Mankind is the problem."
I don't know if you'll see this, but IMDB "cleaned house" of tons of old IMDB posts; and I must have asked twenty times for help understanding Mr. Body's (Lee Ving's) meaning when he shouts, "It's a hoax."
Your explanation is fantastic and took lots of brains!
It all assumes Ending C is the correct one.
If Ending A or B is correct, then the only explanation is Mr. Boddy has a death wish. He's blackmailing these people, and gave them weapons and instructs them to kill someone who isn't blackmailing them and is in fact offering them a way out.
If Ending A/B is correct, if someone had done what Boddy suggested, Boddy could go on blackmailing them AND whoever killed Wadsworth has killed an undercover FBI agent.
That just doesn't make sense.
Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment. -Michael Corleone
But C is the correct ending. The title card tells us as much. Right before we see Ending C, the title card says "here's what really happened". Ending A and B are just possible theories.
My problem with Ending C is the timing of the editing earlier in the film - when Mrs White is supposedly strangling Yvette, we are shown that she is actually trapped in the bedroom with the Jack the Box, and we hear her screaming as Yvette is walking down the stairs; by which point Mrs White is already allegedly in the Billiard Room.
Well, remember, that Mr. Body explained to the other guests that if he was brought to court on charges of blackmail he would expose all of their secrets to the world. Besides, they didn't know if he had other accomplices working for him as well, so it is plausible to think they would consider killing Wadsworth and protecting their secrets and continue to pay Mr. Body for his silence, rather than take the chance on killing Body and risking one of his accomplices exposing them anyway.
shareMany thanks!!! Glad you were able to enjoy it :)
shareThis still doesn't quite make sense to me. Ok, so the butler (Ving) is pretending to be Mr. Boddy because he's being forced to by Mr. Boddy (Curry), then during the party he suddenly gets desperate and decides to go against orders and try to escape. Ok that's fine. But if this was a sudden act of desperation, then why does he have a bag full of gift-wrapped weapons waiting to give to the guests? Why would he have brought those at all if that wasn't part of the plan?
The only possible explanation I can think of is that Boddy (Curry) is the one who brought them, and the butler (Ving) knows about them because he told him. But this doesn't make sense either...if he had told him, why would Ving show up at all knowing that the whole purpose was to get everyone there to think he's Boddy and try to kill him? Better to be blackmailed than dead, yes?
I would speculate it was simply a plan b. He showed up to play the part of the blackmailer as he himself was being blackmailed. Once he sees how many powerful people his owner has under his thumb....and how they have become desperate...he begins to realize this isn't just one of perhaps many masquerades he has been forced to partake in. He plans to escape knowing he is a lamb before the wolves. When he cannot escape...he relies on the others being as scared as him. Surely he would have learned a thing or two after these years serving Mr. Boddy. There was no other way as he had already been playing the part and any attempt to claim otherwise would be met with skepticism at that point. The rest of the "guests" would see him as the blackmailer afraid and confronted...only confirming their suspicions and perhaps emboldening them. He couldn't use his weapon....he was no murderer. But maybe some of these powerful people with ties to criminal activity would be up to the task. Unlikely it would work but it may have been his best shot.
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Once he sees how many powerful people his owner has under his thumb....and how they have become desperate...he begins to realize this isn't just one of perhaps many masquerades he has been forced to partake in. He plans to escape knowing he is a lamb before the wolves. When he cannot escape...he relies on the others being as scared as him.
LOL - thanks for referencing me :)
Though look again - when they first look for the cook, both Plum and Peacock are absent in the doorway to the kitchen briefly. When the camera pans back, they are both standing by the entry.
What the heck; it's Saturday morning. Between 34:08", when everyone runs from the study to the kitchen, to 34.12", when Professor Plum appears, there is *no* time when he is missing. Maybe it's my DVD.
share@35:00, the camera pans to the cook falling out of the ice box, Scarlet screaming, and Green struggling under her lifeless body. Then the camera goes to Wadsworth standing on the landing, but Plum and Peacock are missing for nearly 45 seconds, while Mustard and White go on about flies. :)
This gives Plum time to kill Boddy, but where's Peacock?
Oh no! My--4635th re-watch ?
shareWhen you look - after Boddy has switched off the lights, and Peacock turns them back on, she gasps, and drops the dagger (the camera shows the location where it was dropped). The entire "bullet broke that vase on the mantle" part happens - all (including Peacock) look over to the wall, the camera pans back, and you get a good shot of the dagger missing from in front of the Study door (this coincides perfectly with the #1 ending). Peacock screams about the poisoned brandy, Green slaps her across the face - Yvette screams, and they all run to her... perfect opportunity for Yvette to kill the cook. Yvette is also missing when they all go to check on the cook in the kitchen, also giving her the opportunity to hit Boddy over the head with the candlestick. :)
shareAvast there, rye9969. Now I'll really have to watch it again. In all my 4600+ viewings , I swear, the idea that a lot of thought went into the mystery part of Clue never occurred to me.
I am easily amused.
Is why I firmly find that ending #1 is the most realistic of the endings.
shareMe too. You can follow the thought that went into that ending most easily. Doesn't matter--we'll still be re-watching more than any other film (at least it's my most re-watched).
shareTry smoking 420 - it really changes the way you see it! LOL
shareHa! You cannot be relaxed by any substance and watch this movie. It's too frenetic. I keep hoping someone will "mistakenly" slip Wadsworth's "socialism" speech into Mrs. Clinton's "Hope, Arkansas" video at the convention. Sorry, I'm still feelin' the Bern .
shareTim Curry is sui generis; there has *never* been another actor like him--handsome as hell, asexual, but (in the first ending) funny and heroic. He's the main reason any remake will flop
I don't watch Dr. Who. I tried one episode; I don't like sci fi or alternate reality premises. I'm not surprised at all though that Curry was considered for the role.
However... Tim Curry is a pretty mysterious actor. There are lots of actors who pretend not to care about celebrity, but something about Curry...I can't articulate it except to say that his aloofness never seemed an act. It seemed as if stardom and continuing to get cast in high-profile roles wasn't his priority.
Tell you what, though. Despite his stroke, I'd pay severe money to see him reprise the role of Wadsworth in a "Clue, Part Two." Darker and scarier, like rye9969 suggests. Don't care how restricted his presence in the film would be, just that he'd be in it.
I definitely view C as the definitive ending.
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Long ago men competed on a show to date a woman who competed on a show to date Flava Flav.
For Ending A/B: Mr. Body was using the "Trust the Devil you know" philosophy. Meaning if they turn him in to the police, he will expose them. If they kill him, then they risk their informants telling someone worse, or even Wadsworth deciding too blackmail them. This was before they knew about his wife. But if they kill Wadsworth, then they can just go back to the status quo. They will continue paying Mr. Body what they were, and he would keep their secrets. He even turned off the lights so no one would know for sure who killed Wadsworth.
Ending C: He was obviously ordered to pretend to be Mr. Body as part of his blackmail. Obviously Wadsworth didn't tell him that he would probably be killed, but it's unknown what he was told would happen. Maybe Wadworth told him that they would call the police and he would be arrested, but by the time the police realized he wasn't Mr. Body, then the real guy would be lone gone. However the butler knew not to trust his employer and brought the weapons as a back up plan. When he got there, saw the glares he got and realized how much danger he was in, he tried to warn them and escape himself. When that failed he got the weapons and desperately tried the same logic as the other endings, hoping one would buy it and kill the real Mr. Body by mistake, and then revealing himself and they would all leave, free of their blackmailer.