Anyone else rooting for Sigourney Weaver's character?
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lrdcharlton — 9 years ago(December 13, 2016 03:34 PM)
I can see why she aimed her rage at Lilly and beauty was only a side part. Yes, it took her 9 years to get pregnant and over those 9 years Lilly was brat towards her no matter how kid Claudia was. Claudia loses the baby when Lilly wore her mothers dress and came out during Claudia performance stealing all the attention. The stress threw her into premature Labor and she lost the baby and never could have another. The stress of the ordeal is taxing on her appearance and that is when the mirror tool advantage of her weakness and planted the idea of it all being Lillys fault. Her aiming her anger at Lilly was not illogical.
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beancounter513 — 9 years ago(December 15, 2016 09:35 AM)
Or was it the reaction of her husband to Lilly in her mother's dress that really got under Claudia's skin? Not saying that Lilly wasn't a brat but Claudia already had some deep seated issues and it seems fairly obvious that she resented how close Lilly and her father were. Even before Lilly shows up, she makes the comment, "Must everything be about Lilly?" (Paraphrasing there). She also prompts him to compliment her gown. She saw Lilly as a rival for her husband's affection.
On a different tangent, Claudia ages rapidly after Lilly stabs the mirror. It would be interesting to have Claudia's back story. How long had she been trying to have a baby anyway and were there other husbands? She had all those potions to maintain her youthful beauty after all. My real point is that Claudia had already lost a few bananas from her bunch before she blamed Lilly for being a typical teenage girl as well as for losing her baby. -
lrdcharlton — 9 years ago(December 15, 2016 12:02 PM)
She also prompts him to compliment her gown. She saw Lilly as a rival for her husband's affection.
Funny you should bring that up. I recall seeing that scene the first time I saw the film,however, when viewing it recently that part is always omitted and it shows Claudia walking with her husband while others wish her well on the baby then it goes to her singing. I thought I may have been mistaking it from another film. Anyhow, at that point I think she was finished with Lilly. She had been kind to her all that time while Lilly only rejected her, Lilly admits this herself. Why would Claudia want to focus on her? As far as asking her husband why he didn't address how she looked, that was a weakness that was always there. It was obvious that she was insecure about her appearance, but unlike other adaptations, it was not her main motive. After loosing the baby and then seeing her looks deteriorate was traumatic. Her looks were all she had left. Prior to the loss of her child she was a women looking for a happy family life with a weakness for acceptance and her appearance. I think the husband enabled a lot of the issues between Claudia and Lilly. I also found it incredibly cold that Lord Hoffman did not go and comfort Claudia after the loss of her baby. When he was told she was unable to have anymore he left. -
beancounter513 — 9 years ago(December 15, 2016 01:45 PM)
I see your point but the movie never really gets into Claudia's backstory. The impression that I got (and now I'm going to have to watch the movie again!) is that she is actually older than she appears and she is a witch. She's also got the creepy mute brother to do her dirty work and he's obviously scared of her.
It all goes back to the scene where Lilly is a little girl and throws whatever that was in Claudia's face while everyone else is blessing the newly married couple in their marriage bed. Lilly ends up in Claudia's bedroom and there are all of those potions and creams near the cabinet with the mirror. When the nurse comes looking for her, Lilly hides under the bed and the nurse goes to open the cabinet and gets killed instead. Lilly knows that something isn't right with the cabinet or her new stepmother.
Claudia was casting the runes about her baby and doing who knows what else. I have no doubt that finding out that she would never be able to have children unhinged her. It could be that she believed that the way to gain her husband's unconditional love was to give him a son. As for Lord Hoffman, given the setting of the story, his reaction wouldn't have been so surprising. What is strange is that there was a doctor instead of a midwife.