MovieChat Forums > The Changeling (1980) Discussion > I felt sorry for Carmichael

I felt sorry for Carmichael


It wasn't his fault. Even if he suspected something when he was younger it could never have be proven.

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he's paying for the sins of his father.

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"He's paying for the sins of his father."

Damn. That's deep. And so profoundly correct.

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I think some of it’s that but he also tried to stop John from finding the truth like how Joseph kills the cop. Then when John finally confronts Sen Carmichael toward the end, the senator is in denial, defends his murder father, and is completely outraged. I think Joseph took offense to this. Which is also why Joseph showed him the house. In the end Sen Carmichael doomed himself. It could have ended differently if he showed grief and believed John.

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Yeah, he probably has been telling himself his father was a good man, and that he is the rightful heir for so long he's mostly convinced himself its true. But he would have been about ten, maybe a bit younger --it's conceivable his father would have picked a younger boy, perhaps even a seven or eight year-old, as the real, sickly Joseph was probably undersized for his age. But even if as young as seven, changeling Joseph would have been old enough to know and remember he was really someone else.

As I say, I think he mostly convinced himself, and lived in a deep state of denial, and Russell's investigation was something he saw as a real threat, which was why his response was so harsh.

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Totally agree. It was not his fault. He has no control over the situation. That was one vengeful spirit.

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