[Note: I've included one line in this post that might be
considered a Bride-Wore-Black "spoiler."]
>Killings, revenge, these are>staples of the genre.
What you do with them is what>separates the good writers
from the hacks.
William: I agree. It just seems to me that what's
distinctive about Woolrich is rarely found in, or enhanced
by, his endings. His genius seems to lie in his construction
of atmosphere and character--especially his portrayals of the
isolated, the terrorized, the wronged. Julie (of Bride) is a
killer, but she's also one of Woolrich's "hunted"
protagonists. She seems compelled into her mission of
revenge. Same for the protagonist in Rendezvous. The ending
of Rendezvous I find to be consistent with the preceding
chapters. The ending of Bride, however, seems (to me) almost
like a tacked-on Production Code ending: the criminal will be
humbled, and punished, and punished some more…
But I admit that I've not yet really thought through
my ideas about Woolrich's endings. Often (not always), I just
get the sense that Woolrich's heart wasn't in them. Take the
end of The Black Curtain, for example. It resolves nothing,
but this irresolution doesn't seem deliberate or crafted.
It's almost as though Woolrich has written the parts of the
story that most excite him, and now he's trying to wrap
things up.
Some of Woolrich's endings are brilliant. But what's
great about Woolrich is that the work holds up either
way.
I enjoyed your post on Woolrich very much, I'm just
not sure I agree with this one line: "It's whatthe bride
learns that makes the story what it is." I'm rereading Bride
this week and will think about this. Maybe I'll be back in a
couple of days to eat humble pie...
--- Christina Paul <
xpistiva33@live.com> wrote:> I finally did get my
hands on a (VHS) copy of> Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black.
Generally I find> myself frustrated with film adaptations
of novels> (characters, for example, often seem to lose
their> layers and become less interesting), but I
loved> Truffaut's ending. > Really? To me, Truffaut
once again reduced noir toslapstick as he did with Shoot The
Piano Player. It'snot the revenge that makes The Bride Wore
Black noirbut the Woolrich ending. Killings, revenge, these
arestaples of the genre. What you do with them is
whatseparates the good writers from the hacks. It's whatthe
bride learns that makes the story what it is andnot a
separate and added vignette that misses thepoint. Having just
seen The Leopard Man and having NoMan of Her Own, Night Has
1000 Eyes and Phantom Lady,I don't think there is a good film
translation of anyWoolrich and I don't think there ever will
be. And I'mbeginning to understand that that is part and
parcelof why I like the guy's writing so much. As withWilliam
Burroughs -- for different reasons -- it's notreally the
story but all those things that happenaround it and all those
things occur in your head andnot your eyes.WilliamEssays and
Ramblings<http://www.williamahearn.com>
.
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