MovieChat Forums > The Other (1972) Discussion > Question about the pitchfork.. SPOILERS

Question about the pitchfork.. SPOILERS

posted 13 years ago by maybe730
4 replies | jump to latest

My questions is about the scene when the piggy kid (Russell I think, their cousin) jumps into the hay and is gorged to death by the pitchfork. At the time Niles and Ada are in the woods and Niles is looking through the flying crow and we see Angelini using the pitchfork back at the farm. And Niles and Ada are coming out of the woods when Russell dies. So how did the pitchfork get into the haystack? Originally I obviously assume Holland put it there but since it couldn't be Holland, how did it get there? Were there more than one pitchfork because I don't recall them ever showing that?
It seemed like the crow flew into Angelini's pitchfork but I'm not entirely sure if that's what happened or if it relates to the scene in question anyways. Thanks!

[–] shani-3 13 years ago

I'm guessing that Niles inhabiting the crow's body was based on a memory/flashback, and was not happening simultaneously; that maybe he witnessed the crow being stabbed on Angelini's pitchfork and repressed it (like he repressed the memory of Holland's death), and this repressed memory resurfaced via "the game" (again, like Holland's death). This gave "Holland" the idea to hide the pitchfork in the straw; during the scene there's a quick shot of him running away from the barn--presumably after planting the pitchfork. This was of course before Niles and Ada went on their walk, but the editing makes us think it was simultaneous.

Yeah, they're dead, they're--all messed up.

[–] jwalsh67 13 years ago

***SPOILERS******

Niles planted it in the hay probably right after he had the imaginary conversation with Holland about Russell having seen the ring.

He who conquers himself is mightier than he who conquers a city.

[–] AStrangeOldMan 13 years ago

This is, of course, made to seem like there's 'nothing strange' about the twins. We find out the 'big secret' later, and have to figure out who exactly put that pitchfork in the hay...but you're right.

"No fate but what we make." -Terminator II

[–] maybe730 13 years ago

Right on. Thanks for the replies, I didn't think I'd get any for this movie! So either there are two pitchforks or only one but the crow scene takes place as a memory. The two pitchforks makes sense. The director doesn't show us an extra pitchfork on the wall with the other tools when the twins are playing in the barn but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm not sure about the crow scene being a memory only because all other instances of The Game have happened in the present. But I'm glad to have confirmation that the crow did fly into the pitchfork. I wasn't sure I had interpreted that right.