"Technical" Question Regarding the Drugged Wine!
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Misery
highpriestess32 — 10 years ago(September 02, 2015 01:51 AM)
In responding to another thread about Annie's "was she or wasn't she aware of her drink being spiked" ponderings, I mentioned the issue of powder being so readily dissolved as we see in many movies.
If I make a hot Lemsip (medicinal flavoured paracetamol drink), there still remains traces of powder when I get to the end of the preparation in spite of a lot of thorough stirring. I've never added crushed painkillers to a cold drink as Paul did to Annie's wine and I can only imagine that it would require a lot more than a bit of a shake to conceal that quantity of powder! I must try this some day without drinking the end result to see if the crushed tablets actually float.
We are talking quite a lot of powder in Paul's preperation and I imagine it would be quite evident and stick to the sides or merely float being that the wine would be at best, room temperature. He didn't have much time at his disposal to stir it properly. I guess they swapped it for a fresh glass for filming purposes - I would have to study that scene again for continuity if nobody else has any thoughts or recollections of the continuity in that scene.
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them" -
fxdiamond — 9 years ago(November 27, 2016 07:44 PM)
I don't know for one thing wine is a dark red/ maroon color so that would definitely help and all it being so damm acidic and strong I would imagine it would hide a lot of mixtures added to it well.
we aren't talking lemonade here. -
highpriestess32 — 9 years ago(December 08, 2016 10:08 AM)
Actually the fact it is dark red wine and the powder is white kinda makes it more visible I would think lol. Lemonade would have camouflaged the powder far better in appearance and taste given it is fizzy unlike red wine. Had she not spilt the glass she would have doubtlessly found a large sendiment of powder at the bottom!
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them" -
kylopod — 9 years ago(December 02, 2016 07:42 AM)
I never bought the "Annie knew the wine was spiked and deliberately spilled it" theory for the simple reason that it really looked like an accident that would have been hard to fake, and it simply isn't in her character to put on such a performance. She is generally very direct and open about her emotions, and even when she lies (as in the early scenes where she tells Paul she contacted his agent), she isn't smooth; she's clearly uncomfortable and nervous. (This is among the reasons why I disagree with those who have described her as a psychopath.) I'd stick with the plain reading of the scene: she was giddy and nervous about her "date" with Paul and knocked over the glass by mistake. There really is nothing in the movie to suggest otherwise.
As for all the technical issues about whether it's possible to dissolve powder that quickly simply by stirring it, etc., my response is: it's just a movie. Within the universe of the film, this is possible. You really think this is the first movie to gloss over a few technical details for the sake of the plot? -
highpriestess32 — 9 years ago(December 03, 2016 04:21 AM)
yep, artistic licence. But I always agreed that Annie did not deliberately upset the glass. As you say, she was direct and easily riled. Had she known about the pills she would have also known that the dinner "date" was a farce in order for Paul to intoxicate her with collected pill powder. Subsequently she would have quickly ascended into a blind rage and probably scalded Paul with something hot before attacking him with a steak knife, lol.
"These days you have to boil someone before you can sleep with them"