Dagmar's surgery
Why did Dagmar have to have surgery?
"If I don't suit chu, you kin cut mah thoat!"
She had an ear infection which Mama couldn't cure with home remedies. Most likely it was mastoiditis, an ear infection most commonly found in children. Though often treated successfully with antibiotics today, in the early 20th century, before antibiotics, the condition was potentially fatal and was often treated with surgery.
I'm not crying, you fool, I'm laughing!
Hewwo.
Yes, they specifically said it was a mastoid operation.
shareWhy did Uncle Chris leave the clinic and go to another hospital where he was seen visiting a little boy. Who was the boy and why did he leave Mama and Dagmar? Didn't get it.
Ladies and gentlemen, here he is Mr. Warmth himself, the one, the only - Mr. Don Rickles!
Glad someone else was confused; it took me most of the movie to figure that one out! In the book, Cousin Arne was Aunt Marta's boy. The movie only showed Aunt Trina (the maiden aunt just getting married), Aunt Sigrid, and Aunt Jenny. Near the end, Arne runs to one who must be his mother but besides Trina I would have to watch again to tell which aunt was which. Uncle Chris did say that Mama (whom he called by her name, not given here) was the only one of his sisters he could stand. Also, the book mentions Mama giving birth five times, so either a sister was left out of the movie or one child died young. Arne was hospitalized with a broken kneecap, and after failing to get in to see Dagmar (Mama ordered Uncle Chris not to frighten her, and the hospital forbade visitors) he went to see Arne and offer him encouragement. Wish it had been made a bit more plain earlier how Arne fit in.
shareArne was Aunt Sigrid's son.
And Marta, Jenny, Sigrid, and Trina were Uncle Chris' nieces, not his sisters.
Marta is the "Mama" of the title.
And visitors were not allowed only on the first day of hospilitation; Arne had been there longer, so it was OK for Uncle Chris see him.
But Mama was so concerned about Dagmar being frightened in that strange environment, that she purposely sneaked into the hospital to see her and sing to her.
We do see Arne very early in the movie, during the first visit to Mama's house of Jenny and Sigrid. We see Arne trailing after the women, and limping. Mama says hello to him and tells him the children are upstairs. He says "Thank you Aunt Marta" and goes upstairs.
On the day that Dagmar goes to the hospital, Sigrid and Jenny also go there specifically to scold Uncle Chris for bringing Arne to the hospital (presumable without consulting Sigrid). Sigrid begins to confront Uncle Chris, but is extremely-easily faced down by a fearsome glare.
Uncle Chris, while exasperating the doctor at Mama's house, informs him that Arne is in the hospital for his knee.
It did take me a couple of re-watches to catch these things because the first few times I was caught up Mama's children and didn't pay much attention. But the information is there.
A lovely little moment is also in the pre-hospital scene, when Mama catches Jessie resting Dagmar against her shoulder and the expression on "the woman's" face. In that moment is when she tells Jenny and Sigrid that "the woman" seems to be a very nice person and it's no shame to sit next to her.
I did sit through the entire movie, but was trying to watch it while putting something together and obviously missed a lot, so thanks.
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