SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
At the end of the film, when Bette Davis realizes the real love of her life is dead by her own hand and that she can no longer hold her husband's love, she knows that if she walks out into the courtyard in the moonlight that there is great danger waiting for her for which she had no defense. Yet she walks out in the moonlight...and she is murdered for revenge. Essentially, was it suicide, even if by another's hand?
I completely disagree. She was too superficial to even contemplate suicide for her evil existence. She was a total sociopath.
shareThe question, itself, makes no sense. Of course it was not suicide. Suicide has a distinct meaning. It means the person takes their own life. I realize it's popular these days to say things like 'suicide by cop' or suicide by something else by the fact of the matter is for it to be suicide it has to be the person's intention and their actions that lead to their death.
Even then, there are cases when suicide would not be the appropriate term. If, for instance, someone knowingly risks their own life to save someone else, we don't call that suicide. If also, as in this case, someone steps into a situation in which they can reasonably predict they will be killed, that's not considered suicide either.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
"for it to be suicide it has to be the person's intention and their actions that lead to their death."
Just for argument's sake, using your definition, it was suicide, right? Her intent was to die, and her action of walking outside led to her death....
She was drawn to her death. She may have been in too much of a daze to articulate the death wish, but it was there.
shareReminds me of the "death wish" end of Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone which TCM ran recently.
shareI was getting ready to post that very example. Under The Volcano is another example, as is The Painted Veil (another Maugham story), where the protagonist's misery compels them to stand in harm's way.
shareI saw the remake of The Painted Veil with Naomi Watts. Great film. True, the husband knew there was a chlorea epidemic in China, but he was heartbroken she cheated. Never saw Under The Volcano.
shareThanatos and Eros.
shareI believe it's suicide because she knew the widow is out there, and she walked in the courtyard knowing her fate...she just confessed to her husband about the guy she killed and she didn't care enough to live anymore after that.
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