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Nitpick Description


Submitted by Nitpicker : 26930
Movie : Around the World in Eighty Days - 1956
Nitpick Category : Editing
Approximate time of Nitpick : 1/3 of the way through
Summary : Aouda and whist
Detail : \n South China Sea<BR>Standing by the railing of the <I>SS Rangoon</I> one evening, Fogg relates his play of a whist hand. Aouda is enthralled. She explains that she adores whist. She then goes on to mention how important punctuality is to her. Fogg is mightily impressed, as whist and punctuality are his two leading passions. Strange coincidence, indeed, that Aouda is so enthusiastic about them, too.</P>In the very next scene, in daylight, strolling on deck, Aouda is asking Passpartout about Fogg. He states that his master lives by his watch. She asks if there are any women in Fogg's life. No, he thinks about nothing but whist. This can hardly be news to Aouda. ... Well, perhaps it is. </P>It is hard to believe that Aouda is as great an eccentric as Fogg, and on just the same two points. It is clear what has happened. The two scenes were edited together in reverse order. Aouda discovers one afternoon from Passpartout that Fogg is unattached, a slave to his watch, and monomaniacal about whist. That evening she pretends that whist and punctuality are her passions too. Fogg is stunned to find a kindred spirit. He is hooked and Aouda is well on her way to becoming Mrs Fogg.</P>We miss her clever ploy because the Editor spliced the scenes together in the wrong order. Watching her reactions to what Passpartout says is convincing, especially how she seems to be unaware of Fogg's interest in whist.

Comment By :

 26930

Summary:

 Unscrambling the egg

Detail :

When I submitted the nitpick I was aware that the situation is even more complex than I indicated. I also had further evidence of my contention, but decided not to pile on too much at once. Here's the rest of it.\r\r

The section of the movie aboard the Rangoon consists of 14 shots in four sequences. As shown in the film, they are arranged in the following order.\r\r

\r \r\r\r\r
\r 1






2












3


4		\r A
B


C
D

A
B

C
D




E

F

A
B

A

B		\r A view of the Thai Royal Barge.
\r Fogg and Aouda sitting on deck chairs.
\r Her headpiece is blue, her sash is white, an arrangement
we shall call B/W. She wears one gold necklace.
\r The Royal Barge again.
\r Fogg and Aouda again.

\r View of temples, in silhoutte, at night.
\r Fogg and Aouda at the railing. She is dressed B/W.
\r Note that Aouda is to our right.
\r Back to the temples.
\r A pan of the deck coming back to Fogg and Aouda. She is
\r now on our left. The headpiece is white, the sash is blue,
\r or W/B mode. There is now a chain about her head with a
\r disc resting on her forehead. She has added a second
\r necklace. She now sports considerably more bracelets.
\r A view of the open sea. Note that the temples have
\r disappeared.
\r Back to Fogg and Aouda. She is in W/B mode.

\r An establishing shot of the Rangoon
\r Passpartout and Aouda walking on deck. She is W/B.

\r Fix spying on Fogg playing whist.
\r Aouda, watching the game, is in W/B.
\r Fix in the Captain's cabin.

\r\rThe nitpick establishes that 3B should come before 2D. Now it's time to sort out the entire sequence. Aouda's clothing is a major help. Note the discontinuity at the crucial point between 2B and 2D. Additionally, the disappearance of the temples in 2E also indicates a gap between sequences 2A-2C and 2D-2F.

The plotline runs that Aouda likes Fogg, but he's not particularly responsive. She decides to find out about him and to claim his interests and views as her own. It's a good idea.

Day 1, Aouda in B/W mode. Afternoon. Segments 1A-D show them in company, but there is nothing personal going on. He is reading a book and doesn't even look at her. Evening. 2A-C are more of the same. He still doesn't look at her.

Day 2, Aouda in W/B mode. Afternoon. 3A-B where Aouda finds out about Fogg from Passpartout. The audience may be lulled into fixating upon Fogg's female relations, but Aouda clearly picks up on his obsessions with time and whist. Evening. While we're watching Fix in 4A, Aouda is watching Fogg play whist. Her interest leads to Fogg recounting his "enthralling" and "personal" whist story in 2D-F. Meanwhile Fix visits the Captain in 4B.

Thus the actual sequence is 1A-D, 2A-C, 3A-B, 4A, 2D-F, and 4B.\r\r

———

Aouda's instant change of garb between 2B and 2D was the genesis of all this. She is, however, in the same outfit in 3B and 2D. All the rest follows.\r\r

———

Notice how Aouda switches the topic of the key conversation from one of Fogg's passions to the other:  whist – precision – punctuality. It's deftly done, but the only reason for it is so she can further show Fogg that they are sympatico.\r\r

———

Another indication that Aouda is not really interested in whist comes later when the SS Gen Grant leaves Yokohama. She notes to Passpartout that Fogg has organized a whist game and sighs. It's not the reaction of a whist fanatic.\r\r

———

The ploy of discovering someone's attitudes and interests, and then presenting it to them as one's own, occurs in other movies. Dustin Hoffman tries it in Tootsie and gets a drink thrown in his face for his efforts. Bill Murray doesn't do too well with the tactic either, at first, in Groundhog Day, but he's got more time to perfect his technique.\r\r\r\r\r