MovieChat Forums > Marguerite (2016) Discussion > The Butler Did It (speculation)

The Butler Did It (speculation)

posted 9 years ago by monkeygland69
9 replies | jump to latest

Does anybody want to speculate on the motives of the butler? Reviews keep indicating that the 'devoted' Madelbos is 'protective' of Marguerite - that he is constantly trying to protect her from the truth.

But I read something else into his curious behavior - he strikes me as being legitimately (and deliberately) subversive.

Madelbos only appears to be protecting Marguerite so as to indulge and/or expose the hypocrisy of the people around him. Towards the end of the film, he goes so far as to 'sacrifice' her for the truth.

Unlike the so called anarchists - who also seem to be deluded about the legitimacy of their subversive actions - Madelbos seems intent on pushing the social order to its limits.

He can readily - and literally - see that appearances are an illusion, and he keeps putting people in the awkward position of having to lie to poor Marguerite. Madelbos appears to want to perpetuate the lie in order to reveal the truth of other people's characters.

The fact that he is an amateur photographer is not without significance of course - although I'm not sure of the role that his photography actively plays: do most of the photos reveal the lie, or are they complicit with it?

Instead of protecting Marguerite, Madelbos appears to be setting out to destroy her. He seems to be playing a long con or a different game than mere 'devotion' and 'protection'. As far as I can tell, he wants to undermine the lie from within - if only so as to preserve the moment of truth for posterity.

Any thoughts welcome.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] WVfilmfem 8 years ago

Interesting interpretation, Monkeygland....My initial thoughts are that he was devoted to her, protecting her, but the end scenes rather point to your analysis.

[–] benman46 8 years ago

Nope.

[–] beantownratt 8 years ago

The butler said about half way through the film something along the lines that the photos would make him money. He photographed the progression of her delusion through many years. The last photo was the money shot to complete the series.

[–] jlprizm86 8 years ago

I saw it the same way. Until the middle of the film it seemed like he was on her side and doing his best to protect her from the truth for her own good and made it seem like the husband was the one trying to bring her down. As soon as it is revealed that he has his own intentions you can see that he is in a way harming her the most because he is basically using her "gift" so to speak to make a name for himself at her expense. His plan was something that would take almost a lifetime to achieve and as you pointed out finally at the end he got the conclusion to his work.

[–] wifey626 8 years ago

i thought he loved her, not sexually but deep love and devotion. i was mad when i figured out he was using her for his advantage.

[–] monkeygland69 8 years ago

Well, for me, the issue wasn't just that he was using her for his advantage.

It was that he also seemed to want to morally compromise everyone else too - by putting them in situations where they forced to lie to keep up appearances.

[–] ematerso 8 years ago

At first I thought he was really devoted, maybe to the point of being in love with her. But then as others have said he revealed that he was only in it to have a complete record, or actually an art expression of his own, from which he could make money. . . this based on the fame he knew she would receive. All his actions were intended for his own good, any impact had on others was not important to him.

[–] Siamois 8 years ago

I find it extremely bizarre and sad that you and a bunch of posters haven't figured this is a love story, the quest of Marguerite to find the love she craves for.

Up until that point, Madelbos has pictured Marguerite indulging in her fantasies. He is *gently* documenting her pathos. He tells the bearded lady that he will be done when he takes his last picture and already knows what it will be named: The heroine's sacrifice.

This last picture, while it appears to show Marguerite defeated, is actually her greatest triumph. It shows George Dumont at last tending to Marguerite, showing him being truely kind and affectionate.

She has gone through extreme length to touch her husband's soul. Something Madelbos understood, (unlike you bunch of juniors with your nonsensical conspiracy theories) and thus why he titled his last work this way.