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Superb tension-relief joke in MM (spoilers galore)

posted 18 years ago by oliver-177
8 replies | jump to latest

You all know that Truffaut studied Hitchcock's narrative devices, especially the transference of audience identification (a famous case: when you want Marion Crane's car to sink properly in the bog, whereas 10 minutes ago, you were revolted by Marion's murder), and also the tension-relief joke (good example, the elevator scene in North by Northwest where Jessye Royce Landis asks the killers "You gentlemen aren't really trying to kill my son, are you?")

In Mermaid, there is a wonderful short scene that blends both. The fake Julie's canary is dead in its cage. Louis, afraid to break her heart, goes slowly to her door. She's in the bath. Through the door, he tells her "I have sad news, your canary's dead." And she replies casually "Oh yeah, I'm not surprised, he didn't look so hot lately." It is all very interestingly constructed as a suspense scene. You want Louis to find out Julie is a fake, yet you also share his reluctance to upset such a beautiful woman. You expect her to overreact, and her off-hand answer is a complete shock. This short scene is a gem. Truffaut's Hitchcockian's scenes can be awkward and clumsy (often because his actors are less malleable than Hitch's), but this canary scene is perfect.

And then, if you watch Mermaid twice, there is the suspicion that devilish Marion, the fake Julie, may have throttled the canary as well...

[–] leforcat 18 years ago

Yes - but the first time you watch you don't yet know Julie isn't Julie so you can't possibly want Louis to find out. Instead, even though you may have started to get a little suspicious after the "suitcase full of old things - lost the key"-conversation, the off-hand answer to the dead bird is the first real sign of trouble.
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[–] bspupson 17 years ago

you're not wrong. oliver-177 is.

[–] gonelunch1 16 years ago

The difference from the photo, her preference for coffee instead of tea...I thought it was pretty clear. But then, I also knew it was a thriller and AMC had given some indiscreet plot summary like "Man marries mail-order bride, who takes his money and runs."

I don't think it's a matter of the right or wrong interpretation, though...people discover movies differently. That's why discussing them is so much fun!

[–] mr6708 16 years ago

didn't you notice the wedding ring didn't fit either?

[–] thatsnumberwang 16 years ago

I agree with leforcat, because I had the same reaction. The first time I saw it I rented it because of the stars and the director, and I didn't know anything about the plot. Of course later on in the first viewing, when you realize the trick she's pulled, all of those little things have meaning. But at the time, her response to him re the bird meant nothing to me.

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[–] Tom_Cruises_Testicles 14 years ago

You're suppose to suspect Julie isn't julie. Why do you think the film is showing how inconsistent she is with everything Belmondo knew about her? Even you accepted her answer about the photo, the ring was suppose to clue you in early on that something was wrong. And then all the other details that followed should of made you realize it before it was finally revealed.

If you didn't get that on the first viewing, you really aren't very attentive to obvious things.

[–] kenny-164 11 years ago

Even if one is seeing the film for the first time, I agree with Tom. The viewer perhaps experiences this series of false notes by the fake Julie wondering what they really mean, but they have also to make you wonder why the character seems to not be what you would expect from "the real Julie."

The tension is less about a sort of whodunit it sort of question than it is about the REALIZATION that Louis is essentially ignoring their meaning because he is too busy falling in love with the real woman, whoever she is.

The scene with the bird is a perfect example. Louis is clearly taken aback by "Julie's" reaction, or lack thereof. But he's too happy having this beautiful wife upstairs in the bath, now tied to him.

I have seen this film three times now, and it is clear to me the overall theme is the power a woman can have over a man. Regarding this thread, that manifested itself in Louis's willingness to not question Julie even though he had clear grounds to do so. Why did he not? Because he wanted her and did not want to focus on that which might lead him away from her.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 9 years ago

You're suppose to suspect Julie isn't julie.

I started suspecting her from the very start. When she magically and mysteriously turns up near his car, by the side of the road - after Louis (Belmondo) had patiently watched all the passengers disembark, and there was no sign of her being among the passengers - I immediately thought, "She's an impostor. Somebody planted her there".