MovieChat Forums > Professione: reporter (1975) Discussion > The Marais book

The Marais book

posted 18 years ago by this_seat_taken
3 replies | jump to latest

When Locke leaves his Saharan hotel room, he picks up a book on the floor and takes it with him. Later in a Spanish hotel room, after the girl picks up the gun, the same book with an ape skull on the cover is seen on a table. However, when Rachel opens the suitcase of David's belongings that she collected from the embassy, that book is inside, back cover visible, and she picks it up for a second. It's as if he really didn't take the book and it stayed with the rest of his things. I have no explanation of how one object so prominently featured in the movie can seem to be in two places at once. Goof or clue?

The book happens to be "The Soul of the Ape" by Eugene Marais, a non-fiction, part scientific, part philosophical work about the advanced, human-like thought processes of Baboons. It was finally published in 1969, fifty years after it was written and 33 years after Marais' suicide. What does Peploe's DVD commentary say about this book?

[–] corpuscle 18 years ago

You are almost entirely correct, however Peploe states in the commentary that the book in the suitcase is "The Soul of the White Ant", which is also by Marais. This would mean that it is not a goof, rather that Locke had both books. Although, to be honest, the back cover does look to have the image of an ape on it.

Well spotted, either way.

[–] Krustallos 16 years ago

Nothing to do with the book, but British philosophers John Locke and David Hume did a lot of writing about concepts of The Self and identity. Seems to fit.

I used to want to change the world. Now I just want to leave the room with a little dignity.

[–] lewisherschell 12 years ago

You'll also notice that in Locke's home, a copy of Alberto Moravia's anthropological text 'Which Tribe Do You Belong To?' is placed in a similarly prominent position.

'What does it matter what you say about people?'
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958).