MovieChat Forums > Death Comes to Pemberley (2014) Discussion > why was the groom polishing the silver i...

why was the groom polishing the silver in the dining room?

posted 11 years ago by syntinen
11 replies | jump to latest

I just can't make out at all what job Mr Bidwell is supposed to have. It's implied that he was head coachman but no longer is; but what is he now? He wears un-smart outdoor clothes which would be appropriate to maybe a groom or a gardener; certainly not to a butler, who would be the man responsible for the silver. (And, of course, an ex-coachman simply wouldn't be qualified to become the butler - totally different skill set.)

And whatever he was, why the hell was he polishing the silver in the dining room? You don't need to have heard of butlers' pantries to know that of all the places where it isn't a good idea to spread out rags and polish and get rubbing, the dining-room fully dressed for the poshest dinner of the year is a front runner. I can only suppose that they'd put so much energy into dressing the kitchen and the dining room that when the director called for a scene of Bidwell glumly polishing the silver they said 'Oh hell, we forgot to do a pantry set-up - never mind, he can be doing that in the dining room'.

That scene actually gave me a spasm of reminiscent embarrassment; I used to belong to a semi-professional group offering costumed historical interpretation. We had regular gigs at several historic houses, but occasionally we'd get a call from a new site. Our organiser would ask 'Is it just a party of gentry and a footman and maid or two that you want, or do you want a below-stairs presentation as well?' A couple of times the client said 'Ooh, an upstairs-downstairs angle would really add value, yes please', so some of us turned up in servant outfits with aprons, facsimile recipe books, utensils and tools - only to find that there were no below-stairs rooms for us to use, and the client had idiotically supposed we could 'be servants working' in the same space as 'the gentry taking tea'. And we spent the day on the landing or the corridor, or once even huddled at the other end of the drawing room, trying to find some semblance of an excuse for being there and hoping we didn't look as stupid as we felt. Maybe I'm wrong but I thought the actor looked a bit like that!

[–] JaneBingley 11 years ago

I know! It was bizzare! Just random polishing. Grooms don't polish the silver, they aren't even let into the dining room.

[–] klorentz 11 years ago

Wasn't he "put out to pasture", so to speak?

[–] syntinen 11 years ago

Well, there was a good deal of 'Mrs Darcy can't spare you', implying that he still had an important position in the household; but what it was I couldn't for the life of me figure out.

[–] klorentz 11 years ago

I got the impression that he was the former groom, but is getting on in years, and the family wants to keep him on but he's not up to the stables anymore.

[–] syntinen 11 years ago

Yes, sure, we got that, but what were they keeping him on as?

Managing a house like Pemberley was like a military operation - in 1900 there were 200 servants at Chatsworth House (which was used for the production and is usually assumed to have been the inspiration for Pemberley). To run a household like that you need very plainly demarcated areas of responsibility and a crystal-clear chain of command; you simply cannot have semi-retired old retainers pottering around making themselves useful as they see fit. If Bidwell was no longer able to be head coachman he had to have been appointed to some other post that he was fit for, and would have dressed accordingly. In the very unlikely event that he was given an indoor job he would have worn the clothes of an indoor servant; he wouldn't have worn groom's clothes indoors.

[–] klorentz 11 years ago

Ah, I see your point. Still, I think they let their old servant stay busy AND comfortable.

[–] Latoija 10 years ago

It's down to the fact that the director was trying to make sure that even the least eagle eyed watcher would make the connection. (Like when they put ribbons on fans in movies for no good reason) It is abundantly clear that the man from the stables is now in the house polishing the silver, like a visual reminder. In reality he would never have done this, he would have me assigned the correct attire for the job. But in TV world the filmmakers have to play to the "lowest common denominator" making sure even the least intelligent or observant viewer will pick up on the information easily.

_____________
Shut it down

[–] klorentz 10 years ago

And here I was wondering why Mrs. Reynolds was going over the food with Lizzy? Why not the cook? And how did Mrs. Reynolds become such a comparatively young woman?

[–] stillbeautiful2003 10 years ago

I noticed the same thing but it was worse. There didn't appear to be a head man in the position of "boss". when all the staff were being addressed by Darcy it was the housekeeper who seemed to be in charge. that would never have happened. There was always a man in charge of the staff with the housekeeper being above but the others but still under the butler.

[–] SrEditor 10 years ago

Oh, yes! I had the same thought! What was going on?

[–] ldub613 10 years ago

long answer short - read the book

long answer: Pemberley is the best place to work and Mr. Darcy is the best master. In 19th (or late 18th) century England there was no social security or pension plan. You worked until you died or got too old/ sick to work. While the groom (and carriage driver) was too old for his duties in the stables / carriages he was not too old to work. Since he and his family had a cottage at Pemberley he wanted to work. Because he was a trusted and long time employee of Pemberley he was entrusted to polish the silver.

The silver should have been polished in or near the silver pantry but that would have been another scene to set up and shoot. Because his occupation at Pemberley during the time of the murder was integral to the plot this was the way the director handled it.