Question About Harry Lime's Famous Quote
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pmvk — 14 years ago(January 20, 2012 07:34 AM)
Well, according to Wikipedia (an unquestionable source
) abroad the cuckoo clock is not only a symbol of the Schwarzwald and of Germany, but, because of the cultural similarities and the popularity of these clocks, also of Switzerland and Austria.
But your observation is correct. Even if Switzerland is famous for its tradition of watch manufacturing, cuckoo clocks are traditionally produced in the Black Forest in southwestern Germany.
For me the associations contained in the cuckoo clock are similar to those of the garden gnome. -
onex-ge — 13 years ago(December 06, 2012 08:39 PM)
Well, Lime's certainly wrong about the brotherly love, democracy, and peace, as the Swiss cantons had their own civil wars and peasant rebellions. And Lime overlooks the fact that much of the mayhem that wracked N. Italy during the Renaissance was wreaked by mercenary companies raised and hired out by some of the Swiss cantons however, when the mercenaries found themselves on opposite sides fighting each other, the Swiss got out of the mercenary business.
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Jamesir_Bensonmum — 12 years ago(February 11, 2014 12:21 PM)
The statement is wrong and probably Harry even knew this in-universe.
I think it is used to show how manipulative and amoral Harry Lime is. He is just straight-up lying.
Oh I don't know if Harry knew the statement was wrong.
Harry's point was not a "dig" at the culture of the Swiss people (as some others here have suggested). He was using the Swiss as an allegorical example. Harry's meaning was that peaceful times bring complacency and stagnation, while conflict can give rise to great ideas and great culture.
Of course Harry is most likely wrong about that, but perhaps he believed it himself.
I don't think Carol Reed or Orson Welles actually thought the words were true. All that matters is if Harry thought the words were true (or, as you pointed out, all that may matter is if Harry wants Holly to think it is true in order to justify his actions). -
mark-1589 — 13 years ago(September 24, 2012 09:59 AM)
I don't think he was so much justifying his behavior (which was obviously unjustifiable) as relativizing good and evil, in an effort to convince Holly that a moral sensibility is just a straightjacket for suckers.
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goleafsgo27 — 13 years ago(October 18, 2012 12:35 PM)
Much can be said about the Swiss, positive and negative (not very quick on women's suffrage, sheesh), but to bring in cuckoo clocks but not mention chocolate and knives rather hurts Mr Lime's credibility, which was already on thin ice.
I have seen enough to know I have seen too much.
ALOTO -
HijodelCid — 13 years ago(October 20, 2012 12:05 PM)
A country that produced people such as Bocklin, Durrenmatt, Fussli=Fuseli, Hodler, Honegger, Liotard, Pestalozzi, Raff, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Johanna Spyri, and Johann David Wyss, to say nothing of the goddess Ursula Andress, has plenty of reason to feel proud of itself.
God is subtle, but He is not malicious. (Albert Einstein) -
bhoover247 — 13 years ago(November 04, 2012 04:56 AM)
This is an interesting argument. I will have to think about it, but I am sure there are great artists that had pleasant lives. Another side to this argument is that there is no adult human being who has not had some bad things happen in their life.