what was up with ludovic?
I didn't exactly get what he was doing in the movie or why he was never caughtor explained.
shareMost of Waugh's novels feature mysterious and odd characters, whose presence and actions are not really explained.
Probably they are pen-portraits of friends or acquaintances (or enemies ?) that had stuck in his memory.
In the book it's not said overtly, but one can understand that Ludovic killed Fido during the Crete retreat, then he also killed someone while on the boat he and Guy and others used to escape from the island... this is why he does whatever he can to avoid Guy after they go back to Britain. Guy can't remember what happened on the boat, but Ludovic is afraid that he might soon or later remember what Ludovic did there.
shareThe answer is on the second last page of the trilogy. From memory it is not included in this woeful TV adaptation.
Ludovic bought Guy's villa in Italy (where the trilogy starts and which I believe represents the doomed nobility of Guy's heritage). He is a very wealthy writer of trash who can no longer afford to live in England. He is the epitome of the new England that Waugh despised. No family, no nobility, no morals- he is a self made man whose type has replaced the traditional values represented by Guy in post-war English society
Ahhhh... ok, it is all so clear now. Seems like something could have been mentioned to that effect in the movie. Thanks.
shareIn the closing moments of the film Guy walks on the lawn back home and answers the question, "Won't you miss Italy?" He replies that this is all ancient history to him now. "Anyway," he continues, "I got a good price for the house. The extraordinary thing is it was bought by a man who saved my life after Crete. A man called Ludovic. Earned a fortune writing a novel." And that last part with an obvious sneer.
sharePersonally I never understood why Ludovic saved Guy in the first place, if he's going to be so afraid of him.
shareGuy didn't pose an active threat to Ludovic on the boat. He was unconscious so not draining supplies, and dropped his gun into the sea rather than have anyone start shooting. Ludovic wrote in his diary how much he admired Guy. Also, it might seem a little odd if L arrived with no-one; he needs to have rescued someone to make him look brave and noble rather than self-serving. As Guy was practically knocked out, Ludovic had the least to lose in keeping him because he couldn't tell for sure how he had killed the others.
share