Why Candles?


During Rick's first night in the house, we see him reading with candles. At first, I thought they didn't have the electric turned on yet, or in 1944 they weren't allowed to use it due to rationing resources. However, he was listening to the radio.

People knew it was bad for the eyes to read by candles, why not have a small lamp?

I suppose I can see carrying a candle to the restroom at night since few people would have wanted to turn on the chandelier to wander the hallway. However, it still seems odd to read by candles.

Would anyone care to shed some light on the subject :)

reply

I'd like to know the answer to that, too. I noticed the electric radio and what seemed like a lit gas lamp in the parlor at the end. It could have been due to wartime blackouts, but I don't remember them mentioning it.

reply

I would have to look at it again, but I don't think they had blackout drapes across the windows...and any kind of light would travel very far across the water if they were supposed to be using them. When they wander around the furnished house the windows high up have no curtains at all, such as the ornate round one. I just watched it this past weekend, but I can't remember. I will have to check it out this weekend.

I will keep you posted...

reply

Throughout the film, they use oil lamps and candles exclusively at both Windwood and the grandfather's house. Scanning the scenes, I note candle lamps on the walls and even the chandelier over the spiral stair has candles. (Check/pause the scene when Rick is playing for Stella and she bolts.) I see no wall switches anywhere in the film. If you asked me, I'd say there's no electric or phone service in the house. I can't account for the radio(shown only once) other than a gaffe.

Contrast that with Miss Holloway's place. She's got two phones and what appears to be electric lights. Rick calls the Dr, but he's not shown speaking on the phone. There's no way to tell where he called from, possibly Stella's Dr's place.

Later, when they return from the first cliff episode, we see Rick's flashlight for the first time. He probably sprung for it after hearing the ghost sobbing his first night there. Maybe the radio is has batteries too? I never heard such devices were available.

I think the notion of wartime blackouts and rationing is a stretch. There's no mention or innuendo of it. In fact, every night scene I can remember, they make a point of showing curtain-free windows with the wind blowing trees and the sea raging in the background. You'll note Rick's studio is curtain free when they move in. Later, we see curtains hung presumably to control the sun rather than for blackout or privacy.
........
How about these?
1. The portrait of the mom was painted by the father. Stella clearly explains this. How is it, there are two identical portraits, one in stella's home(which we see when the dr visits her after the séance), and another in Dr Holloway's office.
2. What is the object on the grass in the scene where Stella bolts to the cliff (for the first time) while Rick is playing piano for her? It looks like a body. It never moves. It is never referred to or mentioned again.

reply

Thank you, Tomjvv. I was going to watch this weekend just for the purpose of looking at the lighting in each dwelling. I agree with you. Even though we might think it too early for battery powered radios, they might have had them. I will have to ask someone older and see if they know. That or as you said, it was a gaffe. I can live with that.

I noticed the portraits too, but thought I must have imagined they were the same, but if you saw that too, then they might be. Don't artists make more than one copy to sell? These days they are probably signed copies made with some unknown time saving device, and then signed by the artist. However, back then, they were painstakingly redone, I would think. Improbable, but not impossible. Although, why make two, nobody knew she was going to die and that her daughter and best friend would want one.

You have me on number two...I haven't noticed something on the grass as she is running...I guess I am always fixed on her. I must watch it again soon and see.

I enjoy this movie, so many things to talk about.

When you have a chance, if you have any other observations, please pass them along. I will do the same.

reply

Based on this:

1928 Battery Eliminator
Galvin Manufacturing Corporation's first product was a
1928 battery eliminator. This home electronics device
allowed battery-powered radios to run on standard
household electric current. The company’s first customer
was Sears, Roebuck and Co., which sold battery
eliminators to consumers.


which I found here: http://www.landley.net/history/mirror/6800_MotDoc.pdf, I'm going to guess that battery powered radios were pretty commmon. Not so surprising when so many rural areas were lacking electricity, which was usually installed in cities first.

reply

Excuse my ignorance, but would an "eliminator" be one of the first generators? It looks a bit like a computer tower, so I can't tell what it does. I know it supplies electricity, I am just not sure how. It looks like an extra large battery, and not something with a motor the way we know current generators. Any idea if it can be in the house or does it have to be outside due to fumes? How big is it? Again, it looks to be the size of a computer tower, but it could be much larger.

You might not know all of these answers, but how do you think it was used? Anybody? It looks to have two areas in front, and I can't tell if they are plugs or just slats for air circulation.

I will ask my brother, as he would probably know, but if anyone else wants to take a stab at it, please do :)

After looking:

Hold the phone...or in this case a small console radio on a beside table in 1944. A battery eliminator has to be plugged into a regular power source and then the battery powered device has to be plugged into it. If they don't have electricity, how does that help, or can it hold a charge. So, it's like a giant rechargeable battery? Nothing like taking one of those to a friend's house and asking to recharge it...it would take some juice.

So, most of the original questions still stand...how does this device work then? Sounds nifty, but still not understanding...

reply

The radio is not a battery-powered radio. It's the regular kind of larger than a shoe box, plastic radios that needed electricity. It makes no sense that they were using candles in every scene *I had assumed util that point that they just had not been able to get it turned on yet. Lots of people don't have electricity the first night in a new house, at least back in the 20th century.... It's a very funny goof frankly!

reply

Why no lights? Much more dramatic with the unseen breeze blowing curtains, doors & flames about, wouldn't you say? When people are more consciously objective & educated, they don't give their power away all so easily or often. Light represents knowing, truth & awareness - those things that (true) education encourages. Being overly subjective & not able to be more objective (like a child) is a good way to subjugate one to the will of others, whether governmental, parental or religious, and a fine way to scare the living bejesus (or wits) out of somebody. And this is a fine movie to get a thrill or two, what with candles getting dark & creepy! One word of advice - stay away from the ouiji board!!! Seriously. Instead, for a safe way contact T.I.C. in Long Beach, El Cajon, Las Vegas, etc.

reply

I'm enjoying this discussion immensely. Most of the questions were answered, but In regards to the portraits, if you look closely you will notice that they aren't identical. They are different poses. I'm an artist so I notice paintings in films.

~Carolyn~

"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars". "Now Voyager"

reply

Throughout the film, they use oil lamps and candles exclusively at both Windwood and the grandfather's house. Scanning the scenes, I note candle lamps on the walls and even the chandelier over the spiral stair has candles. (Check/pause the scene when Rick is playing for Stella and she bolts.) I see no wall switches anywhere in the film. If you asked me, I'd say there's no electric or phone service in the house. I can't account for the radio(shown only once) other than a gaffe.

Contrast that with Miss Holloway's place. She's got two phones(one is in-house and another outside line) and what appears to be electric lights. Miss Fitzgerald calls Dr H, but she's not shown speaking on the phone. There's no way to tell where she called from, possibly Stella's Dr's place. The three of them are shown walking out the study toward the front door of Windwood just before the call is placed to Dr H.

Later, when they return from the first cliff episode, we see Rick's flashlight for the first time. He probably sprung for it after hearing the ghost sobbing his first night there. Maybe the radio is has batteries too? I never heard such devices were available.

I think the notion of wartime blackouts and rationing is a stretch. There's no mention or innuendo of it. In fact, every night scene I can remember, they make a point of showing curtain-free windows with the wind blowing trees and the sea raging in the background. You'll note Rick's studio is curtain free when they move in. Later, we see curtains hung presumably to control the sun rather than for blackout or privacy.
........
How about these?
1. The portrait of the mom was painted by the father. Stella clearly explains this. How is it, there are two identical portraits, one in stella's home(which we see when the dr visits her after the séance), and another in Dr Holloway's office.
2. What is the object on the grass in the scene where Stella bolts to the cliff (for the first time) while Rick is playing piano for her? It looks like a body. It never moves. It is never referred to or mentioned again.

reply

Anything relating to the war does not apply. The film was made in 1944, but it is set years earlier, starting on May 10, 1937, as the voice-over from Milland tells us at the beginning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03SwWWvCJsw

And there were battery-operated radios at the time:

http://www.radiolaguy.com/info/About%20battery%20radios.htm

http://www.farmcollector.com/equipment/farm-radios.aspx

I can't be more help than that, as I never really thought about whether the house had electricity or not.

Too busy smelling the mimosa, I guess.  (an angel, since we don't seem to have a ghost emoticon)

reply

Great, thanks. I missed the very beginning of the movie this past viewing, so I guess I didn't hear the date, although I have seen it before. For some reason, it didn't make an impression as I wasn't thinking about the radio at the beginning. It must be battery operated then.

I never thought about it before either, and then it seemed strange he would try to read by candle when he had electricity.

Wouldn't it be neat to be able to smell items from a movie as we write? The good smells, the "Bog of Eternal Stench", from Labyrinth, can keep it's smell.

reply

You're welcome!

Wouldn't it be neat to be able to smell items from a movie as we write? The good smells, the "Bog of Eternal Stench", from Labyrinth, can keep it's smell.




I don't want to smell The Fire Swamp from The Princess Bride, either.

But mimosa is just fine.

reply

But it's one of those electric radios--usually, you found these plastic ones in kitchens...we had one in our kitchen.

As for electricity, I'd imagine every house already existing everywhere at that time had to be retrofitted, first with kerosene for lamps, then with electricity. As a history buff, I think of it constantly when watching old movies, seeing old newsreels and photos, etc. My ex-husband did not have electricity in the rural U.S. until the 1960s. And could remember only having well water as a tiny kid... It was a goal of FDR to accomplish rural electrification, although it took much longer. It was simply too expensive for farmers to build all the necessary connections to get electricity way out on ranches of the West or through Appalachia, the Rockies, across the Mid-West, etc.

reply

But it's one of those electric radios--usually, you found these plastic ones in kitchens...we had one in our kitchen.


Then I'm stumped -- it may very well be a gaffe. I never noticed that it was an electric radio.

One of the things I love about IMDb, and watching movies with people who have expertise that I don't, is what jumps out at us as wrong, and how it differs.

I notice musical stuff -- beaten-up old pianos sounding beautiful and in tune, Prew playing music with a blues scale on a bugle (which is impossible) in From Here to Eternity, etc.

I notice flat (fake!) lenses in eyeglasses, too, since I've worn them all my life. And, although I'm no fashion expert, clothing that is way off, and especially hairdos from the time the film was made, not when it is set, glare at me.

But I read posts about technology or weaponry that is off, cars changing models during a trip, and mistakes in military uniforms, and am impressed that anyone noticed!

I know someone who is fluent in ASL who is distracted by interpreters magically being ahead of the person for whom they are interpreting, or "sign language" that is gibberish.

reply

I don't know about the UK, but in the US it was still common in rural areas to have homes without electricity in the 1930s and '40s (film is set in 1937). Battery operated radios were available, though the batteries were expensive. Also remember, there was a passing reference to the age of the house being about 200 years old. Any electrical wiring would have to be retrofitted.

Nobody gets to be a cowboy forever.

reply

the age of the house being about 200 years old. Any electrical wiring would have to be retrofitted.

This was my thought. Maybe they just didn't feel the need, or want, to fund the upgrade of the lights. Perhaps the electricity was run to the house just as we have the option for sewers. Hence the radio.

I intend to hook up to the sewers asap. Not sure why the previous owner of my house didn't do it. But he is a good example of someone who had the availability but chose not to go ahead with it. (The guy was only in his 40's so it's not like he was just comfortable with old fashioned ways).

BTW my house was built in 1930 so we did have to upgrade our electric to copper wiring. So I can only imagine what a house that is that old would cost at that time to put in lights.

reply

I am very glad to see that some things have been archived from IMDb main site.

reply

There were battery powered radios in 1937 (when the movie was set) and 1943 (when it was filmed).

reply

They typically had 3 batteries and look the same as plugins.

The closest city to me had 120v DC in the 1890s and it was strictly for lights.

reply