At 05:48 AM 03/10/2007, Juri wrote:
>I'm pretty much with William here: Sam Spade doesn't
really fall in love
>with the broad. Maybe the film gives a wrong
impression about the whole
>case.
Though Brigid says Spade knows he loves her, he equivocates,
considers the fleeting qualities of the emotion:
"Well, if I send you over I'll be sorry as hell--I'll have
some rotten nights--but that'll pass. Listen," and then: "If
that doesn't mean anything to you forget it and we'll make it
this: I won't
(protect her) because all of me wants to--wants to say to
hell with the consequences and do it--and because--God damn
you--you've counted on that with me the same as you counted
on that with the others."
He loves her, and he wants her, but he cannot bring himself
to trust her. He goes on to address the money issue,
suggesting he may not be as crooked as his reputation (good
for business, again) then shortly later he settles it saying
he won't play the sap for her. She kisses him, he lets her,
then he opens the door to the cops. Cold bastard all right. I
think it's pretty clear he's giving something up, and knows
it.
What he "wins" at most is survival. And that we know with
absolute certainty is fleeting. This IS the main point where
I part with Jack's "screwed" (I think it works in most cases)
as defining noir. Ultimately, in the largest sense we're all
screwed in that our time here is brief. Jack said way, way
back that this wasn't what he meant by "screwed" in the noir
sense, but other literary forms try, one way or another, to
transcend this certainty where noir does not.
In Spade's case, look what he sacrifices to survive a little
longer. Choosing the lesser of evils doesn't make anyone a
winner in my book, but it is the essence of noir. Sure,
others may be screwed in other ways, to greater or lesser
degrees, sooner or later, but in noir, tragically flawed or
morally and intellectually perfect, we're all bent over in
the public toilet, waiting our turn.
And if that splits hairs then I think they're pretty
important hairs, Kerry
------------------------------------------------------ The
evil men do lives after them http://www.murderoutthere.com
------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 03 Oct 2007 EDT