JavaFlix Savannah had its monthly meeting this evening and there were ten of us to view "The Limehouse Golem", a British film set in Victorian times. I had cast my votes for it last week for two reasons. First, it was a murder-mystery wrapped around a tale similar to that of Jack the Ripper and akin to the tales of Sherlock Holmes. Second, it seemed to have a theatrical troupe as an integral component to the plot. All in all, it seemed to be tailor-made for me.
And it was.
And if you wish to avoid knowing too much of it, you should stop reading now.
...
...
...
I was fascinated by the tale. Although it was a bit gory at times, the story was told in imaginative vignettes, flashing from childhood history of Elizabeth Cree, to scenes of murder as envisaged by a series of accused men, to the trial of Cree for murdering her husband, to skits performed by the troupe. So many puzzle pieces to fit into each other - I so enjoyed it! My analytical mind ate it up, as you well know.
There was a nice bit on feminism mixed in there, too. Cree was a lovely young woman, with long curly tresses and a sweet face. She had determined that all men wanted but two things of her: to be her sex partner or to be her saviour from the harsh life she had.
The only man who had not wanted either of those roles was Dan Leno, the cross-dressing comedian famous for his biting satires onstage. He had given her a job with his troupe, seeing her enthusiasm for acting and perhaps something more - a kinship with his gender bending, perhaps.
Or, that is certainly what I maintained when it came time to discuss the film.
Cree had found her sanctuary in the theatre. There, she was free to speak as she wished, to be treated as a person and not just as a woman. She especially enjoyed dressing as a man for some of the skits... and the audience lauded her for her talent.
Then came John Cree, a man who fancied himself her saviour prior to their marriage. Then he became her rapist afterward. She resorted to hiring a woman in the troupe to serve as his concubine, the same woman who had been enamoured of the man throughout his pursuit of Elizabeth. Apparently, Elizabeth was not familiar with the phrase "a woman scorned", as this actress deliberately sabotaged her act on more than one occasion. In particular, the woman had asked Cree if she wanted a welcoming phrase to utter to the Jewish audience - and instead gave her the Hebrew words for wishing the people "a sudden death", resulting in booing and angry exits. Not good.
However, Elizabeth was a quick study. She created of herself a golem, a creature which could be "be victim or villain, Jew or non-Jew, man or woman—or sometimes both." What better role for this asexual person? To make sure the press would glom onto her chosen moniker, she staged the scene of the murdered old Jewish man with his book open to the picture of the Golem... and his tongue on the page as a bookmark.
Everyone was sure the perpetrator of the gruesome crimes was a man, of course. And when her husband turned up dead from poison, the aging detective sought to save Elizabeth from the gallows by proving that her husband had been the murderer and that she had found out and killed him.
We are led around by the nose along with the detective as he follows one lead after another, with time drawing Cree ever closer to the noose. Then we find that the entire dance has been orchestrated by Elizabeth, with her tossing the clues as breadcrumbs, allowing the detective to become engrossed with trying to have her freed. All the while, she had a different endgame in mind: the fame of infamy. She was the murderer and wanted the world to know, she wanted to be the headliner that no one would forget.
What more could the detective do when smacked in the face by her confession? Reveal her as the murderess and himself as the fool who had missed the truth for so long? Or allow her time for clemency to run out and the gallows to claim her?
Such an excellent film!
Such an excellent discussion afterward!
My thanks to Patrick, Sara, Lainie and Michael, Glen, Kal, and Meredith... and to all who, like myself, had voted for this one last month.
i thank You, God, for this fine evening!
Not that it's over - oh, no!
I'm off to my free Veterans Day meal at Applebee's now.
I'd had a very nice free meal at Bonefish Grill earlier today, after washing bedding. Just the Bang Bang Shrimp was to have been free for me, but the manager also comp'ed my Bonefish House Salad. Woohoo!
i thank You, God, that i am a veteran of the US Navy.
No comments:
Post a Comment