MovieChat Forums > Return from the Ashes (1966) Discussion > I have a few questions...Possible Spoile...

I have a few questions...Possible Spoilers!

posted 11 years ago by Jpebony123
6 replies | jump to latest

Hi Everyone!

Right off the bat I'd like to say that I really liked this movie, but I have a few questions.

1. Why did Samantha Eggar get higher billing than Ingrid Thulin, when Samantha wasn't the main female character? (No offense to Ms. Eggar, whom I appreciate as an actress.)

2. When Stan called police, he didn't give his address (from what I watched). Was this just the producers attempt to save time, or did Stan live in a small town that they knew where he lived just by his name?

3. What did Stan do with the lighter, which he appeared to ignite and press between his gloved fingers?

4. Why did Michelle need to have surgery? From all appearances, she looked malnourished and underweight, something that would require healthy food and nutrients, not surgery. Also, surgery in her condition doesn't seem wise.

Again, I really like this movie and its actors, but the above point stuck out and have left me wondering...

Any help will be appreciated.

[–] Yort14 11 years ago

Samantha Eggar's higher billing was probably due to her Oscar nomination for "The Collector",the year before.

Michelle's surgery may have been all about change. It could be a way for her to escape her concentration camp memories and transform into a different looking woman.

I think the lighter was a dark sentimental reminder.

I'm not really sure about the address thing. It may have just been a hole or not very exciting dialogue,at that point of the film.

"Forget it Jake,It's Chinatown."

[–] Jpebony123 11 years ago

Ahh, good observations. If I had allowed myself to think a little more deeper and symbolically, I may have picked up on those things.

Thanks, Yort14!

[–] Yort14 11 years ago

My pleasure!

"Forget it Jake,It's Chinatown."

[–] Yort14 11 years ago

My pleasure!

"Forget it Jake,It's Chinatown."

[–] MrEdnablackadder 10 years ago

The entire surgery part was handled in a particular inept way. Now, Christian Petzold's upcoming "Phoenix" is another adaptation of this novel. In this version, Nelly (Michelle) was disfigured in the concentration camp. Then she undergoes surgery, which makes her similar, but different, which is what the inheritance subplot would need to be believable.

In this film, Thulin just keeps changing her haircut. First, she's gorgeous with beautiful hair. Then she reappears, just a bit more humble-looking and with slightly different hair and Lom doesn't recognize her more. Then she undergoes surgery to look more like her former self: no reason is given for this and it's never said that the character had sustained some particularly violent damage in the camp (she actually got a softer treatment than others in the 'House of Pleasure'). Anyway, after surgery, it's just Thulin with darker hair. And Schell immediately thinks to go on with his plan, without taking a moment to reflect if it could actually be Michelle, who might have survived. It takes a long time before he gives this a thought. It's all very silly and the main reason the movie doesn't work for me. Reading the plot of Petzold's version, I immediately felt an echo of "Vertigo", I never had this sensation while watching "Ashes".

With regards to Eggar's billing, she hadn't received her Oscar nom yet, but she was fresh of a Cannes win. She was hot property at the time.

[–] Charlot47 7 years ago

Agreed that the plastic surgery episode does seem mishandled and that the endless parade of different wigs is highly distracting, though I suppose one could argue that both are deliberate symbolism rather than directorial incompetence.

As for Stan pausing after giving only his well-known name to the police, perhaps he had begun to wonder about their reaction to a second alleged suicide at an address they knew very well from their investigation of the first case?