Sexual tension between young Charlie and old Charlie?
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lily_slade — 17 years ago(April 10, 2008 10:43 PM)
OHHHH I totally think there was stronge sexual tention between them you could just feel it while you watched it. Many times I thought that Uncle Charlie was going to kiss young Charlie. In a way you could tell they both wished in way that they could be together. And share their lips on one another. Until the whole murder thing came out then it all went down hill. Just like a relationship would if something were to come inbetween it. I think its was done tastefully in the relationship between Uncle Charlie and Young Charlie. It was directed perfectily and beautifully throughout the whole movie. Good stuff. You don't get movies like this anymore. What am I saying I'm 18 we've never had movies like this. Thats why I watch Turner Classic Movies all the time.
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crachelm — 17 years ago(December 17, 2008 11:59 AM)
I certainly noticed the tension. I didn't know if it was intentional by Hitchcock or if they were dating in real life and couldn't hide it or what, but I think it's undeniable that it's there.
"She plays like a Stradivarius, man," said Mr. Dobkin of Rachel McAdams.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger -
FrameXFrame — 18 years ago(September 03, 2007 07:18 AM)
Yes, I picked up on that sexual tension the first time I ever saw the movie. I think of it as Uncle Charlie representing the dangerous but seductive side of life. Yes, indeed, sexual tension that "could be cut with a knife." Plus, Hitchcock has Uncle Charlie toss his hat on young Charlie's bed, which could be seen as a "claiming territory" move.
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jigsawsXapprentice — 18 years ago(September 13, 2007 07:57 AM)
Yeah, I'm watching it now in class and it does seem that Hitchcock made their relationship more sexual then an uncle and a neice usually are. I'm not really sure why I think he did that, but I'm only halfway through the movie.
In Nomine Patris, Et Filii, Et Spiritus Sancti -
MrBlondNYC — 18 years ago(September 23, 2007 12:38 AM)
Not in a lustful sense but young Charlie was clearly attracted to Uncle Charlie. For example, when young Charlie is lying in bed playing with her hair while she's thinking about Uncle Charlie. And young Charlie loved what people may have thought as they walked down the street holding hands.
Tony Soprano: Everything turns to sh-t. -
capricious_nature — 18 years ago(September 23, 2007 03:42 AM)
This has probably been mentioned, but also note that the first time the garage door is closed on Young Charlie, it is just after a declaration of love from the detective. Part of Uncle Charlie's attempted murder of her is implicitly inspired by sexual jealousy, not just fear of discovery. He sees his power over her slipping as she moves towards a more natural sexual/romantic relationship and away from their "connection." Incest, murder and insanity in small town America
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jt-hix2112 — 17 years ago(January 12, 2009 11:53 PM)
I think capricious nature makes an interesting point.
I really don't think that there is anything really going on between them, but there is definatly a sexual tension that makes the viewer a little uneasy. For me, the biggest evidence of this is the scene where they're walking through the town and her friend looks jealously at her.
But, yeah, very interesting about how Charlie lost perhaps his object of lust. We know he thinks strangley of women already, whose to say he doesn't lust after his neice, the exact opposite of the women he loathes.
CGI SUCKS -
amyghost — 11 years ago(April 29, 2014 03:42 AM)
whose to say he doesn't lust after his neice, the exact opposite of the women he loathes.
Good point; I've thought something of the same thinghe's drawn to Charlie because she
is
the exact opposite of the rich, greedy older women he does away with. At the same time, he's also motivated by a cynical desire to strip her of her innocence, a desire that probably does have a sexual aspect.
I don't know if anyone's ever noticed this, but I think the scene where he steers her into the seedy bar could also be taken as a sort of symbolic defloweringhe's propelling her into an utterly adult environment, a place that symbolizes adult misconduct and 'sin'. And it's there that he really introduces her to his ideas about life. And afterwards, that great line he has, where he chides Charlie about her living her peaceful life and dreaming her silly dreams"and I gave you nightmares"wonderful line, because it can be taken so many different ways as to just what those 'nightmares' are he's referring to. Talk about Freudian! -
Forlorn_Rage — 10 years ago(August 04, 2015 09:35 PM)
Excellent analysis! I think you nailed it! Funny, filmmakers wouldn't get away with this today and yet Hitchcock's perverse sense of humour and romance is one of the major reasons modern audiences continue to adore him today!
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gatheringrosebuds — 18 years ago(November 17, 2007 11:32 AM)
I completely agree that this did not seem like the normal uncle-niece relationship. What was really amazing to me is how oblivious the rest of the family was to Uncle Charlie's interest in young Charlie and the other way around. Somehow though, the chemistry between Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright was more like that of a younger woman with an older lover rather than an uncle and a niece. Perhaps Hitchcock purposefully casted the movie in this way. After all, if Hitchcock had cast a younger girl as young Charlie, I'm not sure the sexual tension would have been present. Both actors were superb though.
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eastcoastguyz — 12 years ago(April 16, 2013 10:32 PM)
And then the scene that she is looking at a photo of her Uncle and touching herself before he arrives.
Come on folks, you people are trying your best, but there is nothing there to indicate what you are talking about. -
MrBlondNYC — 12 years ago(April 17, 2013 12:29 PM)
When you were a teenager, did you ever walk down the street holding hands with an adult relative? And if so, were you excited at the prospect of people thinking you were a couple?
George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya. -
geoffzman04 — 12 years ago(November 02, 2013 11:24 PM)
Hitchcock has stated that he wanted the character of Uncle Charlie to be somewhat ambiguousnot black and whitebut rather like most killersto possess shades of grey.
Uncle Charlie treated his niece, in what appeared to be a sexual manner but in fact was using charm and flirtatious behavior to influence a naive immature and bored young girl. He had a huge effect on everyone in the family as well as friends, showing all with gifts, financial endowments, kind thoughts and gestures. You can bet he used these tactics successfully prior to murdering the 'Merry Widows'.
Life is full of irony and contradiction and in this film it delightfully bubbles to the surface. It's full of subtle innuendo. For instance, the seemingly bumbling crime aficionado played by Hume Cronyn ostensibly stumbling on the scene on a 'real' crime scene is priceless.
Even to the end, Uncle Charlie has endeared himself to the entire community who eulogize him in the church and line the community streets to watch the hearse pass by. Hitchcock seems to be making a statement about the small town naivety in america and elsewhere. Even today you can read interviews with friends, neighbors, acquaintances of notorious mass murders who state, " he/she was such a sweet person"!
Why the niece and detective want to keep the secret of Uncle Charlie is not really clear.
On another note, Hitchcock has stated that this particular film was his favorite, yet I've read him mysteriously state the opposite elsewhere. I can only guess that although a very talented filmmaker, he is only human, intensely flawed and most certainly rather a vain individual when it came to embellishing his work.
Lastly, for me, I find this film interesting but weighed down with extraneous dialogue, plot meanderings, etcall of which perhaps a result of several 'writer' cooks in the kitchen.