MovieChat Forums > Last Chance Harvey (2009) Discussion > Emma Thompson in the fitting room.

Emma Thompson in the fitting room.


I enjoyed this movie immensely, so this observation is actually quite petty: He invites her to his daughter's wedding and offers to buy her a dress, since her attire is not proper for the occasion. Fine. But every minute counts because he's already late. They enter a boutique and in fast motion we see Emma Thompson going in and out of the fitting room wearing the most outrageous, comic and adecuate only for a Carnival in Rio outfits, for the approval of the man waiting outside.
All these changings, if done in real time, would have taking a great deal of time, getting in and out of these very elaborate costumes (they were true costumes, not dresses), plus making comments, etc. She comes out with a little black dress, just fine for the wedding party. Why all that fashion show in fast forward?? To amuse the spectator? Maybe I missed some point, but to me that was a flaw in an otherwise perfect movie.
David Traversa

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The dressing room montage might seem out of place, however, I think the director was trying to briefly show that although she had led a conservative life up to that point, she was coming out of her shell.



-That's all the time we have, thanks for playing.

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Your point of view is perfectly acceptable, but don't you think that her change was clearly shown from the minute she accepted his offer? She, like him, was a person suffering from a great deal of loneliness but not already too bitter about life. Obviously she was quite ready to give it a try.
And if the idea of the fitting room was to show it with a dress, why didn't she came out with a more daring design? she came out with a little black dress, plain and anonimous like her usual self.
Thank you very much for your comment, Crysjumar! I appreciate it.
David Traversa

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David

To elaborate a little further, have you ever seen a turtle come out of its shell? There is a point when it will stick its head all the way out but in the end it pulls back halfway then continues on.

something like that.



-That's all the time we have, thanks for playing.

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David Traversa

Crysjumar, I must confess to be a total blockhead when it comes
to riddles. Your message is so criptic (at least to me) that I find
no way to decipher it. Can you make it easier, like for a four years
old not quite bright kid? Besides, I think I've seen a turtle only once
in my life, and the poor creature scared the life out of me.

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no intent to be cryptic.


Simply put, with the wild dress Kate was coming out of her shell.
With the "little black dress" she was somewhat back to her conservative self.


-That's all the time we have, thanks for playing.

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David Traversa
Crysjumar. But if she recoils back into her old self, there is no possibility for this new and totally unexpected adventure --we must admit that regardless of the problem of age, they really know little enough of each other to embark into a seriuous relationship. On the other hand, they also seem to know very well what qualities they want out of a partner and are willing to take risks.
So she couldn't be too conservative. Don't you think "the little black dress" was HIS choice (he paid for it)? And also, she wanted him to feel comfortable
at a gathering which meant a lot to him.

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it's called a metaphor.

http://247vipclub.com/pages/index.php?refid=joylevinstein - it really works!

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Wow, I love your explanation. Perfect metaphor for that scene.



Revenge is a dish that best goes stale.

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I don't think it has anything to do with shells and turtles!
Watching the movie I did notice that part and thought, don't they have a wedding to get to but then, it was only seven-ish when they left, so they still had some amount of time to get there, add that to the fact that Kate was messing about with Harvey, like when she wore the ruffled dress and he kept motioning to her to go round and round in circles, that was to show that the two of them were having fun and enjoying themselves and I could totally imagine it happening in real time that someone who fancies you may want to see you in different attires even if it was for no other reason than having a laugh..I thought it showed a warm moment between them and therefore I enjoyed the scene a lot.

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David Traversa. Hi Suffy 78! If you remember, 'Crisjumar' used "Shells and Turtles" simply as a metaphor. But your comment is as valid as his (hers?).
Your deduction is perfectly acceptable within the context of these two lonely people having a good time together in that fitting room.
They could have extended the fun by having HIM trying the dresses and jumping around delighted... but then that would have been an entirely different movie... Thanks for your thoughts!!!

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That bothered me the first time I saw it as well. With all the things he had to do (go to the airport and miss his flight, meet and talk to Emma, take the train to Paddington, walk her to her class, wait for it to get over, THEN go shopping for clothes and try on MANY outfits), the reception would've been long over, and it would be the next day already.

I just chalked it up to the film wanting to have a few light-hearted and silly moments, logic be damned. But really, the scene should've been cut.

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David Traversa. Hi Dgates64!
Well, finally someone that sees it like me! Other people gave me their version and it doesn't seem to have bothered them at all, on the contrary, they gave it a philosophical meaning. Who knows, maybe they are right. We'll never know what the director thought about it. You're right that timewise all those changes would have taken too long. I imagine that filming that scene took quite a long time, even if Emma changed dresses very fast.
Thank you Dgates64 for you contribution! David

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No prob!

=P

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Well my Uncle edited the film, and I can tell you that he hated the dressing room scene (as did I), and wanted it cut. However, the directors and producers wanted the scene kept. I personally think it's completely out-of-place.

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I agree. It doesn't belong in the movie at all.

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Yes - that buying of a dress was the one ridiculous part of a great film. Also a bit unbelievable time-wise -- they were on the river bank at 7 PM on a Saturday -- what kind of exclusive dress place is going to even be open?

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Where the #ell was the turtle scene??? Ha ha ha Ha

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Where the #ell was the turtle scene??? Ha ha ha Ha

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Dude, I had to outright laugh at that comment. Everyone is being all serious (including myself) and pontificating.

thanks for "laugh" moment.










Do You Grok

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Not only is that a random sequence but I'm always left wondering what happened to the clothes she was wearing when she walked into the shop.



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

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That crossed my mind as well - so I decided she must have left them in the shop to be picked up tomorrow. Not sure if it's good or bad that I briefly detached from the film to think that through.

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