MovieChat Forums > The Uninvited (1944) Discussion > Gaffes?

Gaffes?

posted 8 years ago by tomjvv
4 replies | jump to latest

1. The radio - Early on, Rick is shown listening to a radio. There's no evidence that there's electric in that house. In fact, they make a point of showing numerous candles and oil lamps as the sole source of lighting.

2. The Body - About :30 min into the film, Stella goes into a trance and runs to the cliff. On the way out, the camera is facing the house. Stella passes right to left followed by Rich. On the grass is an object which looks like a body to me. It's never mentioned or shown again in the film.
WHAT is it?

3. The Painting - There is a portrait of Stella's mom. It's HUGE. It was painted by her dad(as exclaimed by Stella). How is it that the same painting hangs in Stella's house and also in Dr. Holloway's office?

The painting is clearly shown in Stella's house. After the séance, they take Stella home and put her to bed. Dr. Holloway visits Stella at home and then takes her to the sanitarium. The same portrait is shown in Dr. Holloway's office several times.

TomJV

[–] practicepiano 8 years ago

1. There were battery-operated radios at the time -- as far as I can tell, they were common in farm areas and country homes in both England and the US. I posted some links on the other thread about candles.

2. If you mean the object in the lower right hand corner of this image, I'm pretty sure it's a rock:

http://imgur.com/wW20LuI

Now I feel more like we're talking about Blow Up (or acting it out!) than The Uninvited! 

3. It is never explained. But artists copy paintings, their own or others', for various reasons, so I don't think we are expected to think they are the same painting, just two copies of the same image.

I wouldn't put it past obsessed Miss Holloway to have had an artist copy it -- she had lots of access to the house while Mary. Meredith was alive. Or, if Mary Meredith was as cozy with Holloway as Holloway wanted (either as friends or lovers), perhaps she had a copy painted as a gift for Holloway. Maybe Meredith even painted another one at his wife's bidding.

[–] jaysea2 8 years ago

I just saw it...again. I thought I knew every minute of this film because it's really one of my favorites. But I finally noticed...the two paintings are NOT the same. The one at the house looks like Mary Meredith is almost sitting with her hat almost on her lap. The painting at the retreat has Mary almost standing or leaning with her hat at her right side. They're similar but a little different. I wish they had pictures here on IMDb for us to see but I'm pretty sure they're different paintings. I'll have to dig out my DVD or we'll have to take a closer look the next time it's on. I need to see it again and really look at the paintings.

[–] ghostfan 8 years ago

Definitely different paintings. And call me paranoid, but the painting at Stella's house shows, to me at least, a sterner looking Mary Meridith. The one at the rest home looks more 'angelic.' Can't be an accident.

[–] lm362 8 years ago

Here is another gaffe: The studio is in a different place than in the first of the movie. It was on the left side. Then it changes to the right side.

"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
I try doing this with my posts