In 1947, when the Production Code was alive and well, women who committed adultery had to be punished in some obvious way (like, say, death) at the end of the movie. Not only was Nora "unpunished"--in the code sense-- but she got Robert Alda following her to a happily-ever-after at the end.
Kind of different, and nice.
I think it made sense within the context of the film. Nora was a really decent person, and for most of her relationship with Dr. Talbot he was lying to her and telling her a divorce from his wife was imminent.
In most '40s movies, "the other woman" was usually portrayed as more of a temptress and a wicked person at heart, unlike Nora.
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Adam_P_L says > Nora was a really decent personOkay, now that I've finally stopped laughing... What movie were you watching? How can you call Nora a decent person? She drove the man into lunacy; wrecked a family; helped put a man behind bars. Decent? Are you kidding me? What a joke!
Well SHE was not married and at least potentially, the responsibility for adultery can always be blamed on the married dude.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
the married dude was always considered innocent, a victim of the vixen vamp who seduces him!
shareAdultery is not the same thing as fornication. Adultery means cheating on your spouse. Nora wasn't guilty of anything, he was the guilty party.
sharejblum315-733-998513 says > Adultery is not the same thing as fornication. Adultery means cheating on your spouse. Nora wasn't guilty of anything, he was the guilty party.You sound like you are skilled in the art of justification. While Nora herself may not be married, she knows Richard is. To interfere with someone's marriage is to behave in an adulterous way. Even if she weren't having sex with him, which she most certainly was, it would still be adultery.
In his address to the 1988 Republican National Convention, Ronald Reagan introduced a section of his speech with the words:
"Before we came to Washington, Americans had just suffered the two worst back-to-back years of inflation in 60 years. Those are the facts, and as John Adams said, ?Facts are stubborn things.?"
This paragraph, and the following four paragraphs, finished with Adams?s words. However, at the end of the third paragraph, Reagan made a verbal slip, which he immediately corrected. A transcript of the speech reads,
"Facts are stupid things ? stubborn things, should I say. [Laughter]."
However, despite its origin as a slip of the tongue, "Facts are stupid things" has taken on a life of its own in the world of quotations by those ignorant of... the facts.
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
-- John Adams
whiskeyTango-06
You are totally correct; however, the clown who uses the out-of-context quote isn't bright enough to understand.
but... all they did... was kiss.
shareI think she even had her own room in the hotel. There may not have been any adultery.
sharesleepybone says > Not only was Nora "unpunished"--in the code sense-- but she got Robert Alda following her to a happily-ever-after at the end. Kind of different, and nice.I think you're wrong about the effect the code had on this movie. It's a good movie just as it is and it wouldn't have been any better if it were made at any other time.
Nora did not need to be "punished" as she was REDEEMED.
shareYou are spot on. I just watched and thought the same thing. Sheridan also finds forgiveness in The Unfaithful.
Even 100% innocent women who merely had sex outside marriage usually paid the ultimate price.
There was never any implication that sex was had. They even had separate hotel rooms.
share