MovieChat Forums > Saboteur (1942) Discussion > So did Bob Cummings save the battleship ...

So did Bob Cummings save the battleship or not?

posted 15 years ago by tdefores
24 replies | jump to latest

SPOILERS INCLUDED:

Though I'm a big Hitchcock fan, I never got around to watching this movie until last night. I enjoyed it--Bob Cummings was very likable as the hero and it was, of course, visually fun to look at.

But I do sympathize with some of the criticisms of this film. It does end abruptly--we don't get to see anything about the fates of Tobin, Snooty Old Nazi Lady, or the guy who had long curls as a kid. They were too important to the film to just drop away like that. Are they caught? Does Tobin get away to Central America? Gee whiz, I really wanted to see Snooty Old Nazi Lady in handcuffs!!!

I am a little more forgiving of the fact that Cummings keeps stumbling over people willing to help him get away from the cops. That was to set up Cummings speech to Tobin later on about the kindness of people living in a free society. It's still a bit corny, but I'm willing to buy it for the sake of the movie's theme.

But there's one thing I have a question about. I thought Cummings saved the battleship by keeping Norman Lloyd from pressing the button on time. But later on, Lloyd looks our the taxi window and smirks at the site of a capsized ship in the harbor.

Having only watched the movie once, I realize I might have missed something obvious. But I wasn't clear on whether that was the same ship, showing us that Cummings DIDN'T save the ship. Or was Lloyd gloating over some previous bit of sabotage? Does anyone know?

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Prismark10 8 years ago

Cummings did save the ship when it was launched in Brooklyn.

The capsized ship was on his way to the Statue of Liberty ship. The confusion is understandable though.

It's that man again!!

[–] pete36 8 years ago

Sorry but he did not save the battleship : Hitch used the shot specfically of the "Normandie" on its side for that purpose. From the shot it is really difficult to spot if it's a battleship or a passenger liner. If it would have been saved you should have at least several shots of that battleship normally afloat in the harbor and I can't remember there are any.

[–] lexyladyjax 8 years ago

Pete36, the ship was safely launched in spite of the boom. It went past the dynamite on the slide before it exploded, therefore no damage was sustained. That's what's in the script.

The shipwreck in the harbour was meant to remind Americans to be vigilant against sabotage. It was wartime.

Or you could read the thread.

Bored now.

[–] Jonhny 8 years ago

I watched Saboteur a few years ago.

When I saw the bad guy Loyd in the taxi smiling at the sunk battleship, I thought Loyd was thinking 'Haha! my backup plan to sink the battleship succeeded!'.