MovieChat Forums > Splendor in the Grass (1961) Discussion > Deanie in the bathtub

Deanie in the bathtub

posted 11 years ago by jfd0210
21 replies | jump to latest

I have seen this movie twice now, and decided I finally have to ask...
When Deanie is arguing with her mother about being a "good girl" and she turns over, is she showing her mother her hymen; proving she is still a virgin?
I looked through the boards and found only one comment (I forget where now) and someone was asking if she was masturbating.
To be blunt, I am not that up on women's anatomy to know if she could be showing this off, but have wondered exactly WHAT she is doing, so thought I would ask for ideas.
Thank you.

[–] geraniumkiss 11 years ago

I don't think so.

[–] jfd0210 11 years ago

Ok, thank you for the input.
Any idea what she is doing?
The first time I saw the movie, I thought she turned over to show her mother her rear side, as if to say, "Kiss my ass."
On the second viewing, it was obvious she was doing something, because the camera lingered, and then her mother was completely repulsed by whatever it was she was doing.
I realize it isn't that important, but was just wondering.
Thanks again.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Who knows?

[–] Heaterman26 11 years ago

I think I need to watch it again? Thanks for your input

[–] mjb442olds 11 years ago

It's been awhile since I've seen this, but at that point Deanie was in uncontrolled hysterics. To me it seemed like she wanted to drown herself, that's why she went face down in the tub.

Only at the point of dyin'
Once Upon a Time in the West

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ksredhook 11 years ago

Mother and Deanie had a dysfunctional relationship. It is intrusive for the mother to watch her take a bath (Masturbate)
Toward the end of the film we cheered when father undid mother's lies as to the whereabouts of Bud

[–] hodie 11 years ago

She didn't make any moves really intended to be about her sexuality.
As far as I know, Deanie's mom would have had to be WAY up close and personal to be able to see Deanie's hymen, if it was visible at all.
I doubt she was masturbating with her mother in the room. Anyway, water washes off the natural lubrication that facilitates masturbation.

Get me a bromide! And put some gin in it!

[–] Cheesehoneyhead 10 years ago

hodie you must be a man and don't know much about women. She was masturbating and finished the orgasm when mom came into the room and asked how she was feeling. Deanie replies Oh much better and smiles. Then she gets annoyed with mom and her mood goes dark and hysterical.

"Long days and pleasant nights"
King

[–] moosefeathers 10 years ago

I'm a man....i got it!

Swing away, Merrill....Merrill, swing away...

[–] EllisFowler 10 years ago

I don't get that at all (there are, believe it or not, those of us who are firmly in the "soak my tension away, to hell with the shower" camp) and more importantly, the censors didn't get it, otherwise it wouldn't be there for you to speculate about. My impression was that she was hysterically displaying herself before her mother, front and back, as if to demonstrate that she was an untouched, "unspoiled" piece of goods. I thought it was a good demonstration of an irrational response to an overbearing mama. I also suspect, given the time, her upbringing, and her conflicted feelings about her sexuality, that Deanie would rather chop off her hand than masturbate. Unfortunate because teens are much better off gratifying themselves than making babies with each other.

[–] dellahicks 9 years ago

Ironically, I was watching this scene just as I found this post! I have to wonder as well, would the censors have approved of the scene were it more sexual in nature? I think that she is going through hysterics in the tub, then when she jumps out, it is to show her mother that her body is still pure and virgin like!

[–] butaneggbert 9 years ago

I think Deanie's upbringing would make touching herself sexually anything but relaxing. She's wrapped as tightly in repression as it's possible to be. Sure, she might masturbate, but she wouldn't be relaxed afterward and cheerfully welcoming her mom into the bathroom (when the scene opens, Mom is sitting in a chair at the end of the tub; Deanie is lying back with her head cushioned on her arms). She'd be hiding her face and even more conflicted, as she's just done what only that other kind of girl, a dirty girl, does.

A little history would help here: even now, in a hyper-sexualized culture, there are scores of young American women who have no idea where their clitoris is, and feel conflicted about masturbation. In the twenties - when the movie is set - and in the era it was filmed, there was no detailed education, no explicit conversation about these things. They were hidden, dark, "dirty" topics that a "good" girl would never confront.

And Deanie's whole identity is based on being a good girl. That's where the drama is centered.

So: no, she's not enjoying a relaxing, post-orgasm stretch in the bath.

[–] tearsnhoney 7 years ago

Deanie wasn't doing anything but trying to drown herself and freaking her mom out because she asked if they'd gone too far...again.

[–] BelleDameSansMerci 9 years ago

As a woman, I cannot imagine how any woman could be showing her hymen to anyone, especially from that position. So.... no. :)

[–] jellyree 9 years ago

Well, since the OP began this based on an admitted ignorance of anatomy; I'll just add this to my lengthy "ignore" file.

Perhaps the OP just wants to reach out for some sense of community.

[–] Tullyboy 9 years ago

Deanie is most definitely not enjoying a post - climax moment when her Mother enters the bathroom. She is so deeply disturbed by this point in the storyline that she is flipping back and forth in her behavior -- from manic to depressive -- with little or no relation to external forces. She's in her own hellish world which is why she flips out when her incredibly intrusive, twisted Mother begins lauding to the possibility that Deanie and Bud might have gone 'too far'.
At this point, she is so overwrought that she tries to momentarily 'drown out' her Mother's questions by turning away and burying her head under water. It's as if she's on fire and her Mother is so exceedingly insensitive and out of touch with what Deanie's going through that she throws more fuel on the fire.
As to a woman's anatomy, there is absolutely NO WAY she could display her hymen to her Mother by sticking her bottom toward her face. Moreover, I can't imagine that her Mother would have the first idea what a hymen truly was, what it looks like, nor where it should be situated.
There are so many sexual issues being introduced in the period story, it would be implausible to introduce the idea of Deanie masturbating in a bathtub with the door unlocked -- given her creepy Mother's propensity for invading her daughter's privacy.
God, I just HATED her Mother within two scenes and would have been perfectly willing to strangle her halfway through the film. I seen this movie two or three times and it is all I can do to sit through this story. I feel like someone's pulling out my teeth one at a time without novacaine. Good God, it makes want to scream at all the key characters!
Nonetheless, the acting is excellent overall. This is an extraordinarily convincing role for Natalie, in particular. She really takes you on her nightmarish ride to the edge and she captures my heart as I so desperately want to reach in her to console her along the way. It'll be a long time before I can watch this particular film again...

[–] Jaynrand 8 years ago

The scene as originally filmed included a shot of Deanie running away from her mother down the hall in which Wood's bare backside was in full view.

That shot was censored and cut out of the film over the objections of Wood and director Elia Kazan. There was much publicity about it at the time. And although it would mean nothing now, nudity on screen by a well known actress was unheard of them.

I think it would have also underscored how unstable Deanie was in that moment, and that she didn't care what her mother thought.

[–] tearsnhoney 7 years ago

The pair didn't stand a chance with the parents and repressed town they lived in.

[–] Popcorngal (4345) 2 months ago

I saw a version of the movie, where the nudity part was included. I had assumed Natalie had a body stocking on, but she could have been nude.

[–] liscarkat (16515) 4 years ago

It's amazing the silly ideas people fantasize about movies, that the movies' makers never intended. Deanie was clearly not masturbating. Her mother walks in and sits next to the bathtub while her daughter is naked because she still thinks of her as a little girl. When Deanie becomes upset, she puts her head underwater and flips over to get away from her mother's nagging. It would be impossible to see her hymen from behind, with her legs close together as they would have to be in the tub. A mainstream American film made in 1960 would never have shown or implied masturbation or hymen exhibitionism, and this one most certainly did neither.