Hello all. I have a couple of questions. Is Maria's name Maria, or is it Marie? I've seen it both ways. It may seem as if I'm splitting hairs, but those are two distinctly different names. Ok, the next thing is the fact that two times in the movie, Ivan makes homo-erotic comments to Trevor. First, when he says he has to take a leak, he asks Trevor if he wants to watch. Then, when they are struggling in Trevor's bathroom, Ivan says that if people were to see them, they might get the wrong idea. If it was just one or the other, I would not give it a second thought. But I think it's telling that Ivan says this kind of thing twice. Any thoughts?

Was thinking about the women in The Machinist last night, funnily enough on a roadtrip, and had a bit of a delayed obvious revelation.

Picking out the women with the most lines and most action, you've got:

Maria - the mother

Stevie - the whore but also the maiden waiting to be rescued

and Mrs Shrike - the crone

Classic literary archetypes and perfectly represented here in their threefold state. The mother, the maiden and the crone ... liek woah. Just made me remember that thing about the movie being a very literary movie. Argh, yes.

In my effort to keep the momentum of the comm up, I'm starting to look obsessive aren't I? But there's plenty to be said still.

( just a few things )

Finally, as much as I should be setting an example over what is and is not relevant on this comm, I'm including a drawing of Trent I did a while back because creedysgirl says I must! I'm working on Trevor but he's avoiding me.

( down in it )

Please forgive me if this is addressed in the commentary and is all old news. I haven't gotten my paws on the DVD yet. Yet.

So I've never read Dostoevsky - can't even spell him without nervous reference, right? - and couldn't help but notice the very prominent focus given to The Idiot in the film.

Just went hunting and experienced a jaw-dropping moment at this:

It represents, we are told, a dead man who is totally flesh without life, damaged and destroyed, with no hint of a possible future resurrection. ... the dead man in the painting is an executed man, whose consciousness has been brutally cut off. There is a rhythmic meditation on murder and execution in this story ... Connected to the terrible lucidity of the condemned man in the tumbril is the unearthly lucidity of the pre-epileptic aura, bliss without time or space, eternity in an instant. The images are their own meaning. ... The women think they are in a story about seduction, rape, proposals, money and marriage ... The prince is in some absolute moral world in which he can instinctively gauge who is being cruel to whom, who is in need and who is tormenting or tormented ... (the women) consider "loving" the prince for those qualities of patience and attention and kindness, which do attract both over-experienced and gawkily innocent women.

I know I'm getting all that from a review, even if it's written by AS Byatt, but woah!

Anyone read the actual book? Or does Brad say something about it in the commentary? Sorry, bit of an academic nerd here and when films and books collide in such marvellous fashion, I get very excited. :p

I've been wondering where to start with this. There's so much to discuss. But one thing that I felt did not get enough attention in the commentary was the mother connection.

( happy mother's day )