SPOILER QUESTION
When Richard leaves Lydia waiting for him at their love nest, and the old man returns with his letter, what did it say? What reason did he have for not returning to her?
I stepped into the kitchen to make tea and missed it. :(
Also, what was the significance of the rings he kept sending her?
Always the officiant, never the bride. http://www.withthiskissitheewed.com
He Of The Lousy Memory/Character said he had some sort of business to resolve with another woman, but loved Lydia and asked her to wait for him. Said the ring in the envelope was his grandmother's, I think, and that he'd send more.
shareThe first ring was his mother's. The entire "other woman" part didn't ring true to me, because if he was married, to sue for divorce would have been too scandalous at that time, and he would have to tell her. Some other woman he met and from whom he wanted to get disentangled? It wouldn't have taken months to do so. It must be that he was just a liar and one of those who love intensely and then move on, which I find incredulous. At the end when he doesn't recognize her, that seemed contrived---spending a month with someone in a remote cabin on an otherwise uninhabited island and not remembering? He must have had Alzheimer's (also, he should have remembered Fitzpatrick, as they both served in the Marines in Cuba together!!).
shareI agree---Richard was a real d-ckhead, didn't even remember the woman to whom he had professed such a great love?? Come ON! He said the woman "had a claim", which I assumed was a child with him, but of course, marriage was also a "claim". Wasn't it sad when he stood her up at the altar? That got to me. Had I been Lydia, I sure would have said, "Hey, stupid! It's ME, Lydia!!!". I would not have just gone out to the balcony, that's for sure.
shareYup. Richard's nickname should have been Dick. Cuz that is what he was. He was just lying. I am sure he met some wench somewhere and made up his story. And I think I would have thrown him off the balcony!!! He was just a cad. I hated his character. She put her life on hold because of him, but she did a lot. And lots of people loved her.
sharespending a month with someone in a remote cabin on an otherwise uninhabited island and not remembering?No one said he didn't remember the month. He didn't remember this old bag he was shown. Remembered Fitzptrick? Hell, it's been 40 years! And who says they saw anything more of each other than just riding the boat to Cuba?
Still, he'd have had to have the beginnings of Alzheimer's or just a really, REALLY bad memory to not remember the face of the woman to whom he'd written letters and sent gold rings. And 40 years isn't very long.....I feel the make-up artists on this film did a piss-poor job; they made up these poor actors to look as if they were in their 80s! Supposedly, they were only in their 60s, for heaven's sake. "Granny" looked a hell of a lot better than did Lydia, who (in the up-to-date scenes) was only in her early 60s, if that.
share