MovieChat Forums > The English Patient (1996) Discussion > The slap on Almasy

The slap on Almasy

posted 13 years ago by lamont-hard
8 replies | jump to latest

When they return from the dessert and she goes to his room I felt when he approached her and she slapped him before she gave in to him, It was a show of respect to her husband. Even though it was mostly symbolic she was saying to him as any married women would say that I am married. She was at least keeping a somewhat faithful commitment to what she was supposed to do and showing Almasy that even though she would be with him that her husband and marriage was still to be honored, if nothing else at lest in symbolism. She states that her husband was one of the things she loved and that lying was the worst, which she was doing by the mock fight and by being with him. I have read where some one posted they sort of had a rough type of love but i did not think this scene had anything to do with that. This part of the movie is so lost in the love stories i thought i would bring it to life

[–] konnes 13 years ago

It is not the way I saw it!

Although I am sure it can be also seen that way. And when Almasy is kneeling before Katherine and embracing her - obviously trying to reconcile her - it looks as though she is trying to shrug him off saying: 'Let go of me. Stay away. Stop intruding into my life.'

On second thought, it does not quite work for me, because when Katherine and Almasy arrive in Cairo it seems clear already to Katherine that after the night they spent together in the desert they are having a love affair or are at least somehow involved with eachother. Do you remember the scene just before the one we are talking about when they both get out of the car and Katherine expects Almasy to follow her into the hotel and how she feels rejected when Almasy refuses and even asks for his book back?

The way I saw it is that she is angry at Almasy for getting under her skin so much and yet constantly rejecting her. She is angry because by doing this she is made to come to him herself and to beg for his affection - instead of the other way round as she would have liked it and found it appropriate for a man and a woman in love. She does not understand Almasy's insecurities and inner loneliness and his behaviour and the power he has over her enfuriates her so much that she slaps him in the face.

So, eventually, no, i do not think you are right. I do not think Katherine's slap in Almasy's face is an action of self-defense or to show him that he is to respect her marriage. I think she forgot about her husband a long time ago.

[–] lamont-hard 13 years ago

I see what you are saying and just maybe we are both right as the scene may have been written to appease both ways of thinking. I felt he did not enter the hotel because he was reminding her, she should not be scene as a married women entering a hotel with him. He called her by her married name. You may underestimate her love for her husband after all she would not leave him and i don't think it was just out of duty. She told Almacy she loved him and there marriage was not fake. She told him this in the bath tub with I found strange she then became sad about the lying. All thru the movie she is sad about having to lie about them and she being pulled into something she would not be able to have. So she slaps him as the side of a respectable women would do and on the other hand she was giving in to what a lying and cheater would do all in the same scene. showing both sides of what she was..... If i may make a couple of more comments to you, I see most of your comments are to the lover part of the story and that by far is the meat of the movie and as i read your post i learned more of it. But this film Is full of small clues to so many things that I stopped counting and only when I put the lover's story on the back burner did the film become more of a classic for me....I was able to see that just because Almacy blew her away she was in love with her husband they had been together for a long time. It would not have been fit for her to dump him for the love of her life because i felt she knew she would not have been happy within her heart if she did so. It basically trumped her love for Almasy and he knew she was right. Notice in the end she wanted him burried and just not left as he was. Notice in the movie where the affair started to make her do things she was not happy with such as lowering her self to be ravaged by Almasy with her almost being caught with him by the hubby in the santa suit. she was always sad of the lying as she stated in the bath tub she knew it had to end. This is never talked about with this film and there are several more things as this, that i found. the scene where she slaps him was of conflicting things she did to try and be two people at once, which she wished she had not become. So she chose to do the honorable thing for all of them and go be the wife to her husband and keep Almasy in memory as the love of her life.

[–] konnes 13 years ago

You're right. I misworded. She always holds her husband in very high esteem. More so, she adores and loves him. And part of the movie is about her predicament and her helplessness. You pointed out the scene in the bathtub, where Katherine and Almasy tell eachother what they hate and love and she mentions her husband. Exactly! In a moment of absolute intimacy she mentions her husband. Not out of a bad conscience but because she still truly loves him - as I understand it. What I meant is that the passion was gone and she sought that in her relationship with Almasy.

Interesting - I didnt pay any attention to the fact that Almasy calls her by her last name and that he does so because he wants to remind her of her marriage. I'm convinced.

Still, I think when she slaps Almasy, her husband is not on her mind. She gave in to an affair with Almasy before that. Or as you say, maybe its just both, and left for the audience to decide.

[–] lamont-hard 13 years ago

@ Konnes....I would bet we both explained to other posters Parts and meaning of the film they may have not noticed or understood. Isn't it great to debate, compare opinions and dissect films for fun and better understanding with interesting and informative film people. It's something I love doing and we both made it enjoyable for ourselves and all who were interested in what we discussed. .......................Another point I noticed in the film, was when she danced with the young man I believe it was at a party and Almasy was sort of stalking or I guess i can say was watching her and took her smiling and being kind to the dance partner as a sign that she was interested in him being more to her then what he was, just someone who she was dancing with. He then stared to push her and made it clear that he felt she belonged to him and he did not want to no longer share her. At that moment it became clear to her that he was not understanding or could care less of whom else she is responsible to. To me this was the breaking point in the film where she realized she was not happy with the arrangement. This was the difference with the two men as Geoffrey gave her the freedom and trusted her as Almasy would smother and never trust her to be in the company with other men without becoming jealous and exhibiting his controlling nature. This was the telling scene when Geoffrey left to do a shoot and Almasy told him he should not not leave his wife with other men. In the background she is watching this and I would bet she figured out what he was telling her husband. In the film she is constantly reminded of her husband by Almas'y actions, The slap, he sort of forced her to be in a situation where she had to be more then one person belonging and acting on both men's behalf the husband was to his honor the lover to his desires. Next it was when she had to tell him that he was not the only person who needed to be with her, again forcing her to either be the honorable wife or the desire of the lover, and when she asked him to bury her husband making him honor Geoffrey and him coming back to her for there own love and desire to be together. AS i said she chose honor over desire when given the choice [her husband over Almasy] in the end.

[–] erikriveros 13 years ago

it's funny...i saw the movie again late last nite and i had missed that scene the 1st time i saw it...it's only a second long, but i too was wondering the exact reasons behind that slap

i think all the interpretations here are good ....but to me it was a last ditch act of fidelity as she knew what she wanted and was about to do....

it is better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it

[–] lamont-hard 13 years ago

You may be right about that....Just as he reminded her she was married when she casually invited him into her hotel by calling her by her married name and giving her a reminder in order to protect her reputation she in turn was reminding him she was married as she entered his room. I also felt at every turn she was so conflicted about her betrayal she would have never been happy if she would have left her husband.

It was almost the same thing near the end as her husband was dead but she took a moment and ask Almasy to make sure he buries him as her way of making sure he is honored before she thought she would belong to Almasy by default.

[–] SlackerInc (1101) 4 years ago

Interesting discussion. I love this film, and the slap does not feel false, yet I could not rationally explain why.

[–] Melton (4448) 3 months ago

You instinctively knew that women are prone to such outbursts.

Same reason we never really ask why Annie Wilkes does her stuff.