From: alanj@ibmpcug.co.uk (Alan Jay)
Subject: Re: THE CRYING GAME
Organization: The IBM PC User Group, UK.
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 14:52:38 GMT




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In article <1992Dec20.193747.8981@cbnewsj.cb.att.com> leeper@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (Mark R. Leeper) writes:
>In article <BzB2v6.F3r@ibmpcug.co.uk> alanj@ibmpcug.co.uk (Alan Jay) writes:
>> 
>> Mark I agree almost totally with your comments on this movie
>> (I saw it last night and thought it was on of the best films
>> of its type that I have seen all year.)
>
>It will probably be among my top three.
>
>> I felt that [hostage sequence] was as poingnent as it
>> was becaue it was not driven by Jody BUT by Fergus (the
>> Gentelman Terrorist).  Although I can see why you view Jody
>> as the manipulator as he most certainly becomes.
>
>I disagree, but I think it was subtle.  Jody had a night to think and
>immediately after that I started getting very impressed by everything
>Jody said.  Maybe I was reading more into it than was there but it
>wasn't just chit-chat.  His dialog became very well thought out.  All
>this "sure you're going to kill me, it is your nature" was very
>cleverly calculated to manipulate Fergus.  I am sure Fergus did not
>like hearing that.  Then Jody tries to get Fergus to identify with him
>and think of him as a person rather than a hostage as much as
>possible.  It struck me as really intelligent.


Once again I failed to express myself clearly.  I agree
totally that after Fergus has shown himself to be the weak
link he is exploited by Jody to the full.  The whole Frog
story and its interpretation clearly shows his manipulation
of Fergus.  My point was that Jody waited for the chink in
the armour of the terrorists to appear when Fergus showed
himself to be human.

>> >     The film did not quite make sense in that neither of the people would
>> >have been sent to prison.  In either case it was self-defense against a
>> >person who had been involved in a previous IRA killing.
>> 
>> Yes this confused me also but we don't find out what he is
>> in prison for - and only for 5-6 years.  
>
>You get the impression Fergus is covering for Dill.  

Yes I think you are supposed to but nothing is actually said
on this front.  Fergus waits for the inevitable.  But after
protecting Dil what is he trying to escape from - her, the
IRA, or the Police?

>                                                     But killing an
>armed IRA assassin who has come to kill you after just having committed
>a terrorist murder... that just doesn't strike me as being something
>that would greatly anger an English court.  It is a clearcut case of
>self-defense against somebody that same court would have no sympathy
>for.  

Possibly, but man-slaughter with an unregistered fire arm
in unusual circumstances is unlikly to go unpunished.  

Why did you have a gun?

Where did you get it?

OK if he was willing to try he might have been able to
persuade them but it would have opened up the past for which
he might well go to prison.

>     Fergus has to have been punished for his pre-London days.  But
>the film makes Dill think Fergus is covering Dill.

Hmmm it is a conudrum of an ending that I don't think harms
the film.  Knowing that he had been put away for life for a
previous wrong doing would not have worked - because the end
shows DIL waiting for his return.  Telling us what he would
have been put away for just adds to the complications.

MY problem is that it is obvious that he is segragated and
considered special the way he is treated which just adds to
the confusion as to what he is doing there, did he tell on
his IRA buddies, did he keep quite, are the IRA after him.

Lots of questions but few answers.

ALan
-- 
Alan Jay                                    The PC User Group, PO Box 360,
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