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Savage Messiah: Ken Russell => Savage Messiah: Ken Russell => Topic started by: BoyScoutKevin on July 19, 2018, 07:02:47 PM

Title: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on July 19, 2018, 07:02:47 PM
Watching the 1st 3rd of Lair of the White Worm (LOTWW) with Uncle Scary with the sound turned down. Still . . . there is a lot to notice. Here is some of it.

The year is 1988. And hopefully we'll get to the why of that later.

Sylvia (Amanda Donohoe)
1. While not immortal, she is apparently ageless. Why has Erny never seemed to have notice this, as he has apparently known her most of his life?
2. Most people, in the spring, come from the South and go North. If you place all the events in the film on the map, she is apparently coming from the North and going South.
3. Her look when she spots the dragon's skull at Mercy Farm. It hints at her having a mild orgasm, when she spots it.
4. While her expenses are not that high, probably less than James. Where does she get the money to live on?
5. A woman with small breasts.
6. Does she shave her pubic region? A horny teen boy--Kevin--suddenly becomes hornier at the thought.
7. Meeting of her and Kevin at the crossroads. Happenstance on his part, but deliberate or happenstance on her part?

Peters (Stratford Johns)
1. First introduced when he is standing by the buffet table at the party at James' mansion. How appropriate.
2. What was he drinking? It looks to be some sort of aperitif, as that was an aperitif glass he had in his hand.
3. And count the glasses at the end of the same party. It looks like he is trying to stash that one away in his coat pocket.

Next time: Mary and Kevin
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on July 23, 2018, 11:27:02 PM
Mary (Sammi Davis)
1. Something of a stereotype, but a bit of the truth as well. Mary = packed up pick up = father's role.

Kevin (Chris Pit)
1. He is homely. Thus, someone who the audience can more readily identify with.
2. Scout uniform is the old uniform. So the one seen here is 20 to 30 years out of date.
3. Why did he take off his hat and coat, ere he got into the car? A scout is courteous. Which is why he took off his hat ere he got into the car, but I was wrong. He kept on his coat, while he was in the car.
4. Kevin = anorak = nerd
5. With all the female pulchritude in the car, was he suffering thru involuntary sexual arousal? His scout shorts would tell us whether he was or was not.
6. His effeminizing has begun. That's a woman's housecoat he is wearing, while in Temple House. Of course, his effeminizing would get worst.
7. We can presume that his rucksack was waterproof, so we can presume that there was something in there, he could have pulled out and worn. So why not that, instead of what he was wearing?
8. When in Temple House, to get out alive, be offered something to drink, while there. Again, I got it wrong. It may take a still screenshot to see it, but he has a brandy snifter, which we can presume, has brandy in it, in front of him, while he is in the parlor.
9. What happened to what he was wearing in the car, and what happened to what he had in his rucksack? Burned with the trash?

Next time: James and Eve
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on July 29, 2018, 08:16:09 PM
James (Hugh Grant)
1. His uniform (and one may need a still screenshot to see it all) tells us a lot about the character.
RAF
paratrooper
officer
medal winner

2. While I do not recognize any of the medals he is wearing, the nearest war, time wise, to when this film supposedly takes place is the Falklands War in 1982, and I wonder if James did not see action in the Falklands during the war.

Eve (Catherine Oxenberg)
1. Again something of a stereotype, but again, something of the truth in it. Kitchen = Eve = mother's role

Next time: Erny and Angus
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on August 05, 2018, 07:30:37 PM
Erny (Paul Brooke)
1. Chubby beat cop. How appropriate.
2. Wound. Nasty looking.
3. Apparently bit right thru his sock.
4. His apparent distaste for Angus. The prejudice of an Englishman for a Scotsman or something more basic. The local for the outsider.
5. And note his facial expression, when having poison sucked from the wound on his ankle.

Angus (Peter Capaldi)
1. If his find had been factual instead of fictional, then it'd have been significant. The earliest proof of Christianity in Britain was found in St. Albans, but this find predates even that. Thus, becoming the earliest proof of Christianity in Britain.

Next time: Miscellaneous things seen in film in reverse alphabetical order.
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on August 13, 2018, 07:48:36 PM
Miscellaneous to watch for

1. Storm
That is one of things I like about Ken's Lair of the White Worm, as nearly everything in the film has a purpose. For example: the storm is to induce Kevin to do something foolish, and that is to get into a car with a stranger, even if the stranger is a woman.

Unlike Suspiria, where the storm at the beginning of the film makes no sense. It could be clear at night, or a blizzard could be raging, but they'd make as much sense as the storm we see in the film.

2. Snakebite
That is not the proper treatment for a snakebite. The proper treatment would have been to get Erny to the nearest hospital, as quick as possible, for the proper treatment of his snakebite. And that is one of the things in the film that don't make sense. Why is Sylvia so opposed to Erny going to the hospital? If this was factual, instead of fictional, his going to the hospital should not make any difference to what happened after.

3. Skull.
Where is it? It is not on the passenger seat of Sylvia's car, where we saw her put it, because Kevin will be soon sitting there. It could be in the boot of the car, or it could be already back at Temple House. She has enough time to drive there from Mercy Farm and back to the crossroads to meet Kevin.

4. Rebel Roman Emperor
There really was such a person, and we know what he looks like, because coins from his era with his portrait on them still exist. Though, if that is his portrait on the coins that Angus has, I cannot say.

5. Real Time
A scene in a film that is shot in the same amount of time that it'd take the scene to occur in real life. For example: from Sylvia's scene where she arrives at Mercy Farm to Kevin's scene where he arrives at Temple House is shot in real time.

To be continued . . .
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on August 21, 2018, 08:53:26 PM
6. Party guests
The local villagers?

7. Painting
The painting o'er the fireplace mantle at Temple House is that of the Hindu goddess Kali.

8. Mosaic
Like many religious mosaics it incorporates symbols of the local religion. Here the white wyrm wrapped round the cross. And it is larger than some think. Having seen a still screenshot of it, ere it was placed in the hole, it is about 6' by 6' or 36 square feet.

9 Mantle ornament
If we ever get to D'Ampton Manor, we'll see that there is a certain similarity between the mantle ornament there, and the one at Temple House.

10. Maids
Too many. No wonder they are always getting pregnant. There are too many, even for a house of that size, especially as there is no lady-of-the-house, so no lady's maid is needed.

To be continued . . .
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on August 26, 2018, 10:54:48 PM
11. The hole
We know it is about 6' by 6' by 6' or almost 216 square feet to uncover the mosaic at the bottom of the hole. So, where is all the dirt that was removed go?

12. Game board
Snakes 'n' Ladders is a game of luck and not skill, but the way the board is the film is configured, even some of the luck to win is removed, if you get a double 6s like Sylvia.

13. Flower
The flowers that bloom in the spring. Tra La. I can't remember the name of the flower that Sylvia wears on her coat lapel, but it is one of the 1st flowers to bloom, when it is spring.

14. Food
Has the food at the buffet table at the party ever been presented more unattractively. And for someplace that is not on the sea, there is a surprising amount of seafood offered.

15. Door
Some film viewers are surprised that the front door to Mercy Farm is unlocked. That may because they do not live in a rural area. My relatives who live here in a rural area in the U.S. Always use to live their doors unlocked. And if a friend or neighbor happened by and wanted something, they just walk right in and help themselves.

To be continued . . .
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on September 01, 2018, 05:06:18 PM
16. Eat 'n' drink
Within the 1st half hour of the film, there are a half dozen instances of people either eating and/or drinking.

17. Dice
Loaded. Since double 6s or boxcars is one of the hardest throws to make, which Sylvia then makes, it is possible that she is playing with loaded dice. Then changing them out for regular dice, when Kevin throws.

18. CD
People have actually tried to figure out what was on the CD that Sylvia was going to put into the player, ere Kevin took out his mouth organ or harmonica and began playing. The best guess is something jazzy played on a saxophone.

And here Sylvia is up to date, as the CD was not introduced to 1982, or only 6 years, ere this film supposedly occurs.

19. Automobile
The car that Sylvia drives in the film is a '60s model, or some 3 decades old ere the film takes place. And while no major changes were made to that model during that decade, there were some minor changes made. Thus, if one is more familiar with those changes than I, one can date the year of the car to a specific year within the '60s.

To be continued . . .

Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on September 08, 2018, 07:22:50 PM
20. Accents
Sylvia (posh)
Peters (unknown)
Mary (local)
Kevin (London)
James (posh)
Eve (local)
Erny (unknown)
Angus (Scottish)

And that's that from Uncle Scary. We are now about a half hour into the film or one third of the film. We'll have to see whether we can find another copy of the film on the internet, so we can continue to mute the sound and  concentrate on the film's visuals.
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on September 22, 2018, 06:37:05 PM
We have found another full length version of Lair of the White Worm on the internet. It is Le Repaire du Ver Blanc, and while it is in French, we are interested in the visual aspects of the film, which are the same as the English version, so that it does not manner that it is in French.

What these will cover is from 30 minutes into the film or about one third of the way thru to about 46 minutes into the film or about half way thru.

Sylvia
1. Note that ere she kisses James, her tongue makes a flickering motion like a snake does.

Peters
1. All the locals must eat a lot of carrots, as he is the only one who lives in the area that is seen to be wearing glasses and then not all the time, and as for the style of glasses, he wears, they are called pince nez.

Kevin
1. Has he ever received a better kiss on-screen or off? Having seen most of the actor's appearances on film and on TV, not on-screen. Though, there are some actresses who will not kiss such an young co-star, as they consider it to be perverse.
2. Viewers have noted that he closes his eyes, when Sylvia pushes his head under the bathwater with her foot, which should be impossible now that she has bitten and paralyzed him with her bite, but, there is a moment ere this that should also be impossible. Note that in this moment, his eyes move upward and to the right, as if he is looking at something, which should also be impossible, now that she has bitten and paralyzed him with her bite.

James
1. No question as to why he is wearing a RAF uniform in the film, as that is an in-joke from the director, who was in the RAF. The question is why he is wearing it in that scene, when he 1st meets Sylvia at Temple House? Just coming back from a RAF reunion?
2. When he enters the painting at D'Ampton Manor in his dream, note that he looks back to where he was sleeping, but he has disappeared from the bed, where he was sleeping.

Next time: Eve and Mary, Amanda and Ken
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on September 25, 2018, 05:29:53 PM
Eve and Mary, Amanda and Ken

Eve and Mary
1. He has always been confused in the scene where both Eve and Mary are flight attendant--till now. Mary is the 1st one seen wearing a flight attendant uniform, and then we have Eve in a flight attendant uniform.

Amanda and Ken
1. Even with the sound muted, Amanda turns in a tour de force performance as Sylvia in the film, especially in her scenes with James.
2. Which shows that Ken can get a performance out of the unlikeliest actors, such as Amanda. Which is why Lisztomania is such a disappointment, as of all this films to date that I have seen, I consider that to be the one with the worst acting.

As a side note . . .
The scene with Lady Proxima, the Grandalid, in Solo : a Star Wars Story is inspired in part by both the book and the film "Lair of the White Worm."

Next time: a miscellany of observations.
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on October 04, 2018, 10:13:32 PM
Miscellaneous
1. Bed site light next to James' bed. Note that it is in the shape of a sexual object.

2. Bust in the hallway. It is not that of the Rebel Roman Emperor. It is probably that of the 1st Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar.

3. Candles. How many times does the power go out at D'ampton Manor? Not only a bed site light by James' bed, but also candles. Or, is James a belt and braces man?

4. Earrings. Sylvia, when in James' dream sequence on the plane, changes her earrings from what she was wearing to something more similar to what Eve and Mary are wearing.

To be continued . . .
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on October 15, 2018, 08:34:41 PM
Miscellaneous

5. Eat and drink
4 times so far + 6 previous times = 10 times we have people eating and drinking.

6. Fireplace
He just realized that's a gas log fireplace, but, it certainly burns whatever you toss into it.

7. Hard hats
Better safe than sorry, when spelunking. Wear a hard hat, but why is it only the men who are wearing them? Is that because the women in the film have harder heads?

8. Housecoat
"Where's the housecoat?" As Kevin steps out of the tub. "That's okay. I'll just wrap a towel around me."
One does not see any sign of the housecoat, that Kevin was wearing, earlier in the film, when he's in the tub.
And note that as the film progresses, Kevin gets more and more naked.
From scout uniform with hat and knapsack,
To scout uniform without hat and knapsack,
To housecoat, with Kevin probably naked underneath it,
To totally nudity, while he is in the tub.

To be continued . . .
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on October 22, 2018, 07:21:41 PM
Miscellaneous

9. Newspaper
One may need a still screen grab to see it, but the newspaper that James is reading either on the plane or in his bedroom is dated Saturday, March 19. The only years that match that date are 1966, 1977, 1983, 1984, and 1988. As James is driving a 1984 model Morgan, it could not be any of those earlier dates. Thus, the film takes place in 1984 or 1988, and he bets it is 1988.

10. Photos
The photos on the chest of drawers in James' bedroom. What? When? Where? Who?

11. Tub
The tub in which Sylvia bathes Kevin, then drowns him, has been called a hot tub, but it is something that is much older than the typical hot tub. It is called a sunken tub, as it lies sunken into the floor or beneath the level of the floor, instead of being raised above the floor.

12. Work of art
There is a work of art that can be seen in the scenes with Sylvia and James at Temple House, and while it can be seen more clearly in her scenes with Kevin, as the works of art, in the film, are not always just works of art, but symbolic as well, I have always wondered what is the symbolism behind that work of art. Is that blood pouring from the holes in the work of art? If so, then it may symbolize the fact that Sylvia is a vampire-like creature who bites her victims for their blood.

And that is all for that.

Next time: Le Repaire du Ver Blanc (around 47 minutes to 60 minutes)
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on October 27, 2018, 07:29:40 PM

Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
Minutes 47-60

Sylvia (Amanda Donohoe)
a. Tree
How did she ever manage to climb up into that three with those high heel boots she is wearing?

b. Tanning bed
She lazes around in a coffin like tanning bed, which reinforces her vampire like qualities.

c. Earrings
Don't spare the earrings. This is--at least--the 3rd pair, all different, that she wears in the film, so far.

d. Liquors
On top of the bar at Temple House. Can't get good enough look at them to tell whether they are premium brands or not. Though, even with a better look, probably couldn't tell anyway..

e. Snake basket
She sleeps in a snake basket at night, which reinforces her snake like qualities.

Stone Rigg Cavern
a. Better known as Thor's Cave in real life.

b. Dress warmly
Actually, unless one is shooting a film in it, having been there several times, while it is chilly, it is not as cold as depicted in the film.

c. Graffiti
Of course, that was added for the film, then removed once the shooting for that scene in the film was over. So if one goes today, one won't find it.

d. View
The film just touches on what a tremendous view there is from the entrance of the cavern or cave. One can seemingly see for miles. And as the entrance is hard to reach and thus is easily defensible. No wonder it has been inhabited for thousands of years.

Peters (Stratford Johns)
a. Note James' (Hugh Grant's) reaction to Peters. Grant's reaction is such to Johns' over the top performance as Peters, one has to wonder whether it was unplanned for in the script and just a serendipity moment caught on film.

Mercy Farm
a. Painting
The painting in the dining area of Mercy Farm. Apparently, a pastoral scene. Thus, symbolic of something else, like so much of the art in the film, or non-symbolic.

To be continued. . .


Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on October 31, 2018, 09:55:15 PM
Continuing . . .
Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
Minutes 47-60

James (Hugh Grant)
a. While not in full uniform, he is still wearing military attire, if less formal. One wonders if he is still in the RAF and only taking time off to settle his family's affair, now that his father, who was the lord of the manor, is now apparently deceased.

Eve (Catherine Oxenberg)
a. Hallucination by . . .
--touch
--spray
--bite

Eve's hallucinations would come by touching and being sprayed by venom. It is Mary (Sammi Davis) whose hallucination would come by being bitten, which we'll get to later.

Eat and drink
a. Once with the previous 10 times, we now up to 11 times that people are seen eating and/or drinking in the film.

D'Ampton Manor
a. On the wall in the music room, another panting. We'll see if we can get a better look at it, later in the film.

Next time: Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
(minutes 61-75)
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on November 07, 2018, 05:34:45 PM
Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
(minutes 76-90)

D'Ampton Manor
a. The one with the up to date electronics: the computer, the cell phone. Now compare this with the more primitive rotary phones at Mercy Farm and Temple House.

Mercy Farm
a. Note the deer antler coatrack and hat rack. Who's the hunter in the family? Probably the missing father of the 2 girls: Eve and Mary.

Temple House
a. Who or what controls the gate at the entrance to Temple House? When Sylvia pulls up, with Kevin, in her car, one can presume that there is a device in the car, that when operated, opens and closes the gates, but, when Mary runs toward the gates, and they close on her, there is nothing or no one to be seen near the gates.

To be continued . . .


Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on November 15, 2018, 07:45:08 PM
Continuing . . .
Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
(minutes 76 - 90)

Sylvia (Amanda Donohoe)
a. Why did she not see Angus and Mary, when she was called out from Temple House to D'Ampton Manor by the snake charming music? She was not that far away from them, when she left Temple House. Of course, maybe she was so hypnotized by the music, that she could only concentrate on the music, like snakes,  when they are--supposedly--charmed by music.

Mary (Sammi Davis)
a. Touch
Spray
Bite

Here we have an hallucination brought on by being bitten. Unlike Eve's whose hallucinations are brought upon by touching and being sprayed by snake venom.

b. Her being bitten is actually one of the 1st times, in a film, that we see one woman being bitten by another woman.

c. Why does she run to where she does? She runs away from Erny, then she runs back toward Erny, and then she runs into a place, where she can be trapped by Erny.

James (Hugh Grant)
a. How proverbial English? Note that he has a dart board in his home.

To be continued . . .

Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on November 21, 2018, 05:24:12 PM
Concluding . . .
Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
(minutes 76 - 90)

Erny (Paul Brooke)
a. Would he really, when he tripped o'er Angus' bagpipes and fell backward, have hit the sundial with enough force to penetrate his skull, which is one of the hardest bones in the body, and then caused the loss of his eye?

b. Acting
Really, if one looks at the scene, one sees what a good actor he can be. If he was any less of an actor, the scene of him being charmed by Angus playing the bagpipes, would be even more ridiculous than it already is.

Angus (Peter Capaldi)
a. Maybe it is possible, but seemingly note that he dials only a 5-digit number on the phone at Temple House to reach D'Ampton Manor.

Ken (director)
Absurdity
a. He often bumps up against absurdity in the film, but, he is such a good director and writer (IMHO) he seldom crosses the line o'er into absurdity territory.

Next time: Le Repaire du Ver Blanc (minutes 91 - finis)
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: Iain Fisher on November 27, 2018, 09:53:27 PM
"Which is why Lisztomania is such a disappointment, as of all this films to date that I have seen, I consider that to be the one with the worst acting."

I agree, a film I just don't like, but there are many sincere Ken fans who think it is one of the classics.
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on December 04, 2018, 06:17:45 PM
Le Repaire du Ver Blanc
(the minutes are off, but this reply will take from the last reply to the end of the film.)

Sylvia (Amanda Donohoe)
1. Hairy underarms are apparently more popular in the U. K., then they are here in the U.S.

2. She's dead. She's alive. She's dead. She's alive. She's dead. She's alive.
She's dead. She fell to her death. She's alive. She was swallowed by the white worm.
She's dead. She was swallowed by the white worm. She's alive. It was killed by a hand grenade.
She's dead. She was killed by a hand grenade. She's alive. Being swallowed by the white worm protected her from the hand grenade.
If she stopped the loss of blood from her severed hand, then it is possible that she is still alive.

Kevin (Chris Pitt)
1. He's not only merely dead, he's really most sincerely dead. But, as it appears that it takes almost year for the white worm to digest what it swallows, and since he was swallowed much less than an year ago, it is possible that there is enough of him remaining in the white worm--undigested--that his body can be identified as a victim of Sylvia and the white worm.

James (Hugh Grant)
1. I have actually thought the scene with him on the plane, watching the two stewardesses wrestle, while holding a pen in his lap, is actually restrained. If it was less restrained, the scene would have the pen spouting ink.

2. While this may not be that common, this is not the 1st time I have seen this in an English work of fiction. When a gay man in England, wants to see whether another man is interested, he'll brush his hand across the other man's knee. And then the other man will respond in a way to show that he is interested or not interested. Thus, when both he and Angus are in the car, and he brushes his hand across Angus' knee, is James showing an interest in Angus? Has he always been interested in Angus, or is his interest a recent thing? Or, is his brushing his hand across Angus' knee, not deliberate, but accidental?

3. He smokes at the end of the film. I think this is the 1st time that we see him smoke. Actually, I think this is the 1st time we see anybody in the film smoke.

Next time: Eve, Angus, and miscellaneous.
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on December 12, 2018, 10:08:57 PM
Le Repaire du Ver Blanc

Eve (Catherine Oxenberg)
1. Not only is Sylvia doubled by a stunt double in the scene set in in the cave with the white worm, but so is Eve.

Angus (Peter Capaldi)
1. Angus' playing the bagpipes while wandering around inside Temple House speaks to Ken's skill as both a cinematographer and director, as the scene was shot in only one take.

2. One benefit of being bitten is apparently one does not need glasses after being bitten. Angus is wearing glasses ere he is bitten, but not afterwards. Actually, except for Peters, he is the only one in the film to be seen wearing glasses.

3. How did he get back so quickly to Mercy Farm? We know that James drove back in his car, but how did Angus get back at the same time as James?

Miscellaneous
1. Eat and drink. Two times people are seen eating and/or drinking. With the 10 previous times, that is a dozen times people are seen eating/and or drinking in the film.

2. Where is the smoke coming from at Temple House? There is no obvious source of anything flammable in the concluding scene at Temple House.

Next time: concluding with sexual orientation
Title: Re: It's the Little Things--in LOTWW--That Count
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on December 17, 2018, 07:52:22 PM
Ken likes to fill his films with characters that have a sexual orientation besides heterosexual. His Lair of the White Worm is no different. What is different about his Lair of the White Worm is how murky some of the characters' sexual orientations are, and it does not clarify matters, when being bitten by the White Worm apparently changes a character's sexual orientation.

Murky (unclear)
Angus
James
Mrs. Trent

Known (clear)
Except for Sylvia, who is apparently bisexual, all of these should be considered to be heterosexual.
Sylvia
Peters
Mr. Trent
Mary
Kevin

Unknown
Though, it is possible that Eve is an asexual.
Gladwell
Eve
Erny

-Finis-