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Devlin (Sutherland) Sucking Liquor Off His Fingers

posted 17 years ago by LXN271-
3 replies | jump to latest

***********If you haven't watched the film yet maybe this is a spoiler, but I don't think so. It is a minor scene******

In the following scene: (Scenen 9 on DVD Index called "Convincing Steiner") Devlin (Donald Sutherland)in civilian trenchcoat enters the small marina pub which is filled with Steiner's men. Standing behind the bar is also one of Steiner's men assuming the roll of the bartender. Devlin asks for his strongest drink.
The bartender exclaims: "Gestapo."
Devlin: "Gestapo?" Devlin is amused, but confused at being suspected of being a Gestapo member.
Bartender: "So this is how Gestapo dresses in Berlin these days"
The bartender begins to pour Devlin a drink and then continues to empty the liquor bottle in a steady stream on the cuff of Devlin's coat, up his arm, to his shoulder and back down, finally finishing the pouring of the drink.
Devlin remains cool... he lifts his wet hand to his mouth and quite suggestively inserts his middle finger deep into his mouth, slowly sucking the liquor off of its length, never taking his eyes off the bartender. Then he repeats with his first finger. Devlin looks at his thumb contemplatively and extending it to the bartender says with a calm smile, "I haven't sucked my thumb in years. I wonder if you'de be kind enough to do it for me?"
The bartender: "Sir?"
Devlin (more serious now) "Suck it."
(then there's a cut to Radl speaking with Steiner outside talking about Devlin's merits) And next we see Devlin tossed out of the pub window. And remains very good natured despite it.

Any thoughts about this scene? It seems to me it was adpated from perhaps the book but I haven't read the book yet. There's something so suggestive about it that it's intruiging to me. Why the animosity towards the Gestapo? It wasn't Gestapo that reported Steiner and his men--it was an SS-Waffen officer. And maybe I'm just perverted but Sutherland made the liquor-sucking scene look enticingly sexual. Any other thoughts/explainations about what the heck was going on there?

I watched this scene like ten times now ... I just love it, but don't understand it.

[–] msstaublin 17 years ago

Well now so many things in this post
1. He sucked off the fingers to the get the liqour after all this was war time and Devlin was an Irishman not want to waste it. This was more of Devlin showing the other men that he would stand up to them - didn't matter that they could beat him - often in this situation knowing the guy will stand up to you is enough to create a working respectful relationship. Keep in mind it wasn't just a bartender who was an englishman - this was the channel islands after all but one of Steiners men is the one who poured the whiskey on Devlin.
Steiner and his men were SS but they were soldiers not sneaky bastards like the Gestapo who were the internal political police and not well respected by the professional soldiers. As far as Sutherland protrayal being seductive I think that just Donald being an actor and having some fun with it

[–] Johnnymod 17 years ago

Just a note, Stiener and his men were Fallschrimjager of the 12th parachute detachment and therefore assigned to the luftwaffe and were not with the S.S.

[–] Pharaoh-in-de-Nile 16 years ago

It should be noted that the 'Gestapo' where actually at this point a branch of the SS....but that is not why they dislike him, it's because they think he is Gestapo simple as that...it would have been hard to find someone who liked the Gestapo even in Deutschland.

"Nothings gonna change my world!"