MovieChat Forums > The Piano (1994) Discussion > Why does he just sit there and watch? (...

Why does he just sit there and watch? (spoilers)

posted 13 years ago by agnieszka01
8 replies | jump to latest

When Alistair catches Baines and Ada in the act, why does he not barge in and prevent the tryst that's about to ensue? Instead he peers through the door slates, and later climbs under the floorboards to get a load of the action. Does he just not have the cojones to stand up to them or is this some perverted voyeuristic thing? I remember reading Jane Campion (the director)'s take on him; she said that he's meant to be quite a loner (as evidenced by his leaf collection); probably completely inexperienced with women. Twice later he tries to take advantage of Ada; once he pounces on her in the forest and she escapes when she hears her daughter call--and later, after he's chopped her finger off and she's delirious from blood loss, he takes his pants off and it's clear what he intends to do. Only when she stirs awake and makes eye contact with him does he decide not to rape her. So, what do you think of why he took this vicarious thrill in watching his wife and best friend get it on?

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[–] Anth-M 12 years ago

Certainly, there is no definitive answer to this. For me, I didn't see it as a vicarious thrill or a perversion. I think Alistair didn't intervene because he wanted to see what Ada was capable of. He complained to his aunt that Ada was not affectionate and probably thought she was frigid. Can this dumb, stunted woman actually get it on?

[–] Rob4001 12 years ago

I think A) he was a p*ssy and B) he was kinda wallowing in his own pity by watching them - In a masochistic manner.

[–] erickson4070 12 years ago

I think it was a sign of his impotence both mentally and physically.

[–] liscarkat-2 11 years ago

"he's meant to be quite a loner (as evidenced by his leaf collection)"

What on earth does being interested in botany have to do with being a loner?

[–] agnieszka01 11 years ago

It's just a very solitary and introspective type of hobby. I remember in the published book of the screenplay, director/screenwriter Jane Campion saying that she gave him this hobby because it basically screams "virgin"--he was meant to be someone who probably had no experience with women and kept mostly to himself. If he was filling his time with hobbies then you can tell he was no social butterfly. "Being interested in botany" doesn't make anyone necessarily a loner or a virgin in reality. But they deliberately focused on that aspect of him in the film to clue the audience in that, well, Alistair basically had no life.

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[–] hodie 10 years ago

That's the only time I felt bad for Alistair.

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[–] txwaho 10 years ago

Curiosity, plain and simple. He had no clue about how to show emotion. And he knew there was something he needed to figure out. And even after he SAW it, he couldn't respond and accept it from Ada. I think if he could have, she might have been able to let him have control eventually. But by that time he probably viewed himself inferior to Baines and second choice to Ada besides the Victoria mindset.

An independent mind is difficult to enslave.

[–] Cristiana_James_Wright 10 years ago

It's what you call - seeing is believing. He needed to see the full blown actions of his wife because he had his suspicions and he didn't understand why Ada was so cold to him.

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