I do remember it giving a greater sense of the crappiness of the kids' situation than this movie, which seems all too blasé about such things as incest, being threatened with starvation and dying siblings.
Well I don't recall whether that particular line was in the 87 film or not but I think in a way I think the horror of all that, has become their reality by that point. At first they were horrified to see their mother's wounds and to hear that they had to stay in the attic. But after a year or so you adjust and adapt. If you don't get enough food (and it's implied in the novel that they weren't fed properly even without the week of starvation as punishment) you eat what you can find, where you can find it. Eventually you get over the squeamishness. It's not an appealing prospect but all it warrants is an "ick" face.
I think they were far less blase over the death of their brother! That was what made they realize that they were in immediate danger and needed to get out ASAP. They certainly showed grief. They cried (especially his twin) and asked about a funeral. In the next scene Cathy tries to comfort Carrie and Chris says "just leave her alone" implying that she'll need her own time and space to grieve. His death also haunts them all in different ways throughout the sequels.
Regarding a blase attitude toward incest, I don't think the film takes one. Initially the kids do: but remember they think they're the product of an uncle and his half niece (they never know, nor do their parents that they were really siblings) which is a far less close biological relationship than the one that really exists. Still not healthy but not
as bad! Also remember that the kids were kids hearing about this, in the 1950's (they weren't watching Maury Povitch on TV!). I don't know if they fully understood the taboo around relatives marrying. Chris, as the oldest, and being interested in medicine might have had some understanding but at 12, Cathy probably only partially understood (remember she was surprised to see her body changing during puberty and asked her other a lot of questions). They weren't worldly and media savvy in the way kids today are. And as for the twins, I doubt they understood it at all.
Later, when the relationship between Chris and Cathy begins to develop they aren't blase either. Chis says he tries not to look at her. That brothers and sisters shouldn't look at each other like that. After they have sex, he's horrified both the fact that they did it and the fact that he doesn't think he'll ever be able to love anyone but his sister. He makes some bitter joke about them joining the circus. Cathy is more pragmatic: her attitude is we can't undo the past, but we can make sure it never happens and again. That's not blase. She realizes it was wrong and she says that no one should ever find out about it.
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ApeLieUproar
11 years ago
I'm just saying I didn't think the execution was good. Both the acting and the direction were lousy, I felt.
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La-bibbida-bibba-dum, la-bibbida-bibbi-doo
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