masked man who recognizes and salutes Bill Harford: Thomas Gibson

Rating: Null/10 (23 December 2003)

I've watched this film almost more than 50 times. So now my way of watching it is different and I can notice every detail or facial expression. I totally agree with the idea that the orgy chapter is a non-realistic representation. Then we can't have a solution to the mysteries concering the people and the facts happening in this part of the film. But a reality about the MAKING (or realization, if you prefer) of this film, is that the ACTOR who plays the masked man recognizing and saluting Bill Harford is Thomas Gibson. That is the same actor who plays Marion's fiancè, Carl. We have the chance to see this man, with a particular pale mask devoid of a mouth, a few times. And I can say that is Thomas Gibson because if it had to be Sidney Pollack, there should have been wrinkles on the neck, because Pollack is a man in his 50s (maybe going on 60s). This man ain't got a single wrinkle - he's young. The eyes look pretty similar to those of Thomas Gibson and the figure corresponds perfectly to Marion's fiancè: quite tall and fit. Sidney Pollack is not very tall and has a big, robust trunk. The woman who stands by him could be Marion, but there is absolutely no way to recognize her eyes, neck or hair because she's perfectly covered by a black cloak and the mask is darkened in the eye holes, BUT that woman at the orgy who stands by Thomas Gibson is short like Marion is. So, to detect the people in this house, we have to remember that it can't be a normal prostitute or a middle-class person because it concerns only high-class people. Remember what Ziegler says in the ending? `If I had to tell you the names of the people who were there last night, and I'm not gonna tell you their names, I'm sure you wouldn't sleep so well'. That means that they are very important personalities. After all, the estate is the symbolic representation of the Mansion of political Power - it's the "government" and, seeing the house where Marion lives, we have the feeling that she's RICHER (maybe a noble) than Bill Harford. Bill and Alice, after all, are just middle-class people who live comfortably. But they are not involved with the high-class. As a matter of fact, at Ziegler's party, Alice asks Bill `Do you know anyone here?' Bill `Not a soul' Alice `Why do the Zieglers invite us at this thing every year?' Bill answers that it is a sort of reward for a doctor who makes house calls.
I think the idea of Alice knowing everything is not plausible. Bill's mask is on the pillow just because he forgot it home and she found it. After all, I would have done the same thing if my partner came back home with a mask. I would ask myself "a mask? this thing could only concern a masked ball or something like that. Then my partner has been at a masked ball without me participating? I just leave it here, where he can find it and then I ask him where does it come from". Alice doesn't know anything about what happened to him until he doesn't confess everything.
The real interesting thing we should discuss about is the opening sequence: Alice taking off her simple black dress and getting naked. That nudity would require sex. The first times I saw the film I thought that could have been the epilogue of their story. The movies ends with a message told, directly or indirectly, by Alice "We should f**k to solve our problems rather than talking and arguing about sex". As a matter of fact, Bill and Alice are a faithful couple because Alice is just dreaming and fantasizing about an affair, but when she has the chance to betray her husband with a fascinating hungarian man she firmly refuses. Bill would like to betray Alice after she told him about her fancy, but he always finds obstacles before starting to have any real betraying relationship. But there is a question? Which time collocation has the opening sequence? Are we sure that is happening after the whole story? And, as we know, Kubrick never puts an object into a scene if it hasn't any reason. Then, what do the rackets mean in the opening sequence? My mind obviously joins the rackets in the opening sequence with the dialogue told by Ziegler in a following scene - the arrival of the Harfords in Ziegler's hall. Ziegler says that his "serve" is terrific after a medical operation. It's a total mystery. But it can't be just fate to find those rackets and then hearing that dialogue. Moreover, we see many other times the spot in Harford's bedroom where the rackets are placed: after the opening sequence, the rackets are gone. Maybe Alice made them disappear after the party? Then, is she related in any way to Ziegler. Another clue for this supposition is readable in the dialogue between the hungarian Sandor and Alice as they dance. Alice worked in a gallery. So, she understands art. Sandor suddenly talks about Ziegler's sculpture collection. He asks her if she likes it. Alice says yes. That would require Alice knowing Ziegler deeper than her husband thinks. What I know is that, by absolutely no chance, she is not involved with orgy.