MovieChat Forums > The Prowler (1951) Discussion > Flaws in plot (spoilers)

Flaws in plot (spoilers)

posted 12 years ago by Florestan51
4 replies | jump to latest

As much as I enjoy this movie, and they didn't come much darker in 1951, there are too many aspects of the plot that strain credibility. I'll mention three:

1. Neighbors are almost by definition nosey and gossipy. It's not credible that none of them noticed the repeated nocturnal visits by Webb to Susan's house and were not available or were not called to testify at the inquest.

2. It's not credible that Webb could actually toot his horn and flash a light into Susan's bedroom and yet wake only her but not her husband, or that no one on the street saw the light or heard the horn or saw Webb and Susan together outside before the husband stirred.

3. It's not credible that the outrageously contrived scenario on which Webb murdered the husband could fool anyone, least of all Susan, given all that had happened between Webb and Susan to that point.

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

The first two points are indeed improbable, even though not impossible I suppose. As for the third... well, Susan did ´not´ originally, actually believe it was an accident. Crucially though she ´wanted´ to believe and Webb was one charming, capable liar and manipulator. People sometimes do delude themselves of certain things against their better judgement.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] Florestan51 12 years ago

Yes, that's a good point. Emotion trumps reason most of the time.

[–] liscarkat (16483) 6 years ago

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 sixty years. Those are the facts, and as John Adams said, “Facts are stubborn things."

This paragraph, and the following four paragraphs of the speech, finished with Adams’s words. However, at the end of the third paragraph, Reagan made a verbal slip, which he immediately laughed about and corrected. A transcript of the speech reads,

"Facts are stupid things, stubborn things, should I say. [Laughter from Reagan]."

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.

[–] 12 years ago

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