Who was the father? - Miranda (1948) Discussion

Paul Martin ,After he & Miranda were "playing" around in the water

"Get In Touch With Your Inner Bitch!"

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Is the baby in the sequel? Because I didn't see it in Miranda; the movie ended when Paul Martin and his wife watched Miranda dive back into the water. Was the baby boy or girl?

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[–] whitespirit26 17 years ago

Hello again, if anyone's there. Just wanted to say I found out that the scene with the baby is included in Miranda, just not perhaps in the cut I have. Also, I think that Paul may NOT have been the father; in fact, I think she was already pregnant when she met him, which was why she wanted to travel to a tropical place: to give birth.

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[–] stomaino 17 years ago

The scene was shown in the TCM version and I can't say for sure who the father is. Of her beaus, only the doctor knew what she was and I can't imagine a man could not make love to her and not know.

Sam Tomaino

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[–] starry3 17 years ago

I agree that it must have been Paul. Miranda also makes a comment like "Does Claire know yet?" and I don't think she means just that she's a mermaid. However, having said that, don't you think she "casts a spell" over men and they could do heaven knows what and not remember? In that case, the pretty little blond baby at the end could have belonged to any of them.

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[–] eden_echo 17 years ago

only the doctor knew what she was and I can't imagine a man could not make love to her and not know.

Quite possible but how does a human man make love to a mermaid? Where does *it* go??

"I promise you, before I die I'll surely come to your doorstep"

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[–] eden_echo 17 years ago

Also, I think that Paul may NOT have been the father; in fact, I think she was already pregnant when she met him, which was why she wanted to travel to a tropical place: to give birth.

I doubt she was already because if so, then she wouldn't have insisted on going to London, and plus as Miranda stated herself, there were not many men (mermen) attractive enough to her in the sea, and plus all her comments on human men. Paul was attracted to her, and I'm guessing he must be the father, he is the only one who knew she was a mermaid.

"I promise you, before I die I'll surely come to your doorstep"

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[–] whitespirit26 17 years ago

But if her pregnancy was in the early stages, she would have had plenty of time to visit shore. Besides, she did make a quick exit at the end while Paul and Claire were talking; maybe she suspected that not only would Claire be displeased, but that she might be delayed from returning and she couldn't afford putting it off any longer. I know she liked human men a lot, but it's still possible she conceived with a merman; we don't know what happened to the father, maybe he didn't maintain her interest (we all know how flighty Miranda is!) Plus, at the end Paul was wondering why she'd want a tropical place to go. If he knew about her pregnancy and thought it was his doing, I don't know why he'd wonder. Also, I just can't see him cheating on his wife with a fish-woman, especially during the era the movie was based in. I hope that wasn't the case. To answer your question about "where does it go", however, I read an interesting article which discussed merpeople's genitalia (theoretically speaking, of course). The article said the genitalia is located in the front of the tail and judging from the biological points given, it would indeed be possible for a human to have sex with a merperson. Whether or not it'd be pleasurable, of course, would depend on individual taste. Like I said, I doubt this was the case here.

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[–] bufster3 17 years ago

I really think there would be no point in it being that she was already pregnant. I think the whole point of that last shot with Miranda and the little child was that one of the three men was the father. I also tend to think that Paul was the father and that the deed took place after the water frolick. :)

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[–] kitsilanoca-1 17 years ago

Too many people here are trying to dissect the theory of who the father of the baby was. My immediate impression was that it was Paul, and that was what the writer and director of the film intended you to think.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] whitespirit26 17 years ago

Why wouldn't she be already pregnant, bufster? Maybe it shows even pregnant ladies can be active! Mermaids, anyway

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[–] mrplankton 17 years ago

didnt cross my mind that the baby was miranda's! the baby was rather huge, was it not? it looked perhaps 3 years old. i rather thought she was visiting relatives or some such and holding her little niece or nephew. besides i quite thought mermaids laid eggs and mermen fertilised them the way fish do. but i realise i dont know much about this sort of thing.

cheers.

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[–] October13 17 years ago

Just watched the delightful fantasy "Miranda" and the equally funny sequel "Mad About Men"!!

Must agree with most of you that my first thought about the cute baby(mermaid?) in the end was that it was Paul's, especially after their moonlight swim. Was quite surprised that the writers/film editors would even suggest an of out wedlock kid, given the era it was filmed. I also thought that the sequel would feature the baby, who I thought was the "grandmother" that Caroline Trewella referred to and pictured inside the Smuggler's Inn. But then when they showed Miranda the mermaid, then I knew it had to be someone else because Miranda's nurse was still alive. So, unless there was another sequel made, we're left to our imagination as to what happened to the baby!

Of the two movies, I thought the first was hilarous, especially when Miranda starts to flirt with all the men -- Paul, Christopher the chauffeur, and Nigel the artist-- and gave them all the same love tokens! If you remember, Paul was the only one who kept his token!! I wonder if that meant anything more?

Thanks for reading!

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[–] rogt5 13 years ago

I think Paul dropped his token into the channel while standing on the stairs with his wife. He just let go of it in a sort of "it's just best to forget all about this" sort of way. I think he didn't want to see her go but at that moment he realized it was for the best. Letting go of the token was letting go of Miranda.

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[–] skiddoo 13 years ago

People in the past were not ridiculously prudish. The Brits, as an island culture, have a long tradition of human interaction with mermaids. The siren song seduces men to their destruction. They are well known for having offspring with humans and it might be suggested that they came to be in the first place through the mating of human and sea mammal. In Celtic lore they and the humans often come to an especially gruesome end, particularly when the mermaid or merman turns into a seal (much as Dracula turns into a bat) which is then hunted down and killed. There is a strong warning in those tales about what will happen if a human gives in to the lure of the unnatural. Undoubtedly sailors jumped off ships and drowned because of the idea of mermaids after too long at sea and lonely people in isolated spots had been drowned near the shore thinking they saw or heard something in the fog or mist that drew them on. (A parallel in the Great Plains is the pioneer alone in a house going mad during the winter imagining a coyote's cry is a lost child until the need to go out into the blizzard to find it becomes too strong to resist.)

Fortunately nothing hideous happened to Miranda or her child who is obviously Paul's because the other two men didn't know she was a mermaid which was the point of the legs questioning, allowing the statements of being gentlemen with the idea that although they most assuredly messed around they didn't go all the way. Paul contributed to keeping the species that was "practically extinct" alive and his son will most likely have lots and lots of opportunities to create progeny. The humans turned back to human love, realizing the men had been in the grip of something more powerful than themselves but it was over. So well done all. :)

I want to see the movie made about mermen seducing the human women! I think that one would be more challenging once they got out of the water.

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[–] Kabumpo 7 years ago

In legends, mermen were always ugly like this:

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/monsterinmypocket/images/2/2a/Merrow2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110223133929

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[–] skiddoo 13 years ago

If she has breasts she is DEFINITELY a mammal. Think dolphin, or in Celtic tradition of mermaids, seal.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] sirleucelot 13 years ago

I really think Paul is the father. I think Miranda wanted to mate with a human man (mermans repulsed her) so she wanted to go to London find the ideal human to mate with her. She 'courted' a few men that she found attractive, but she ultimately chose Paul and mated with him during that moonlight swim. I think it's not clearly stated because it would not pass the censors if Paul committed adultery. By leaving it ambiguous the censors could not object.

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[–] whitespirit26 12 years ago

"They are well known for having offspring with humans"

Yeah, AFTER they become human themselves. I doubt incredibly that Paul went from being shocked by her to having sex with her. The baby was, indeed, most likely older, and in the sequel she mentions she's bored because all the mermen are gone, indicating she does usually spend time with them. I maintain the points I made in the second to last post; if she was pregnant, she'd been so all along and this was the reason why she wanted a tropical place.

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[–] TheChamCham 10 years ago

I have always believed that she was already pregnant when she pulled Paul out of the boat and kept him in her cave until he agreed to take her to London.It was her first and last chance to have an adventure before she had to grow up and settle down to motherhood like her sisters.After her sad description of the few mermen left, who can blame her for wanting to have a little romance with Paul and Charles and Nigel? But remember, she was only in London for three to four weeks and unless she was psychic, how would she have known she had become pregnant there ? I would imagine that the gestation of a mermaid might be similar to that of a human woman and they certainly do not know they are pregnant at that early stage.

"I say,open this door at once! We're British !"