Was anyone else surprised when Clem slaps his wife on the fanny while she is making his bed? That seemed out of place to me with all the "darlings" uttered in the dialogue and sweet family dynamic. The slap seemed to be a man dominating his wife after learning of her incident with the German soldier, not something playful. Garson puts her hand on the spot as if it hurt her when the maid walks in.
share I was certainly surprised. But not in the same way. It was not only "playful" but sexual. I'm wondering if it got through the censors without a problem?
Sorry, 1940's wartime English mores do not coincide with
your politically correct 21st Century prejudices. Dominate?
Not something playful? It was entirely proper in the context
of the times. And of course Mrs. Miniver rubs her bottom
when the maid walks in. In the social context of the times,
Mrs. Miniver was hoping that the maid would believe that
the slap was one of disapproval rather than the beginning
of what could have been a romantic romp. If the attitudes
and practices of British romance is offensive to some people,
there are always re-runs of Godzilla. NOBODY slaps Godzilla
on the bottom.
I suppose that the idea that a husband could beat his wife to keep her in line is an old idea (and I wish it would die out altogether!), but a tradition that women should be treated gently is also old-fashioned.
People go on about current political correctness, but "men should not hit women" isn't terribly modern -- it strikes me (you should pardon the pun) as part of 20th century culture, and even 19th.
I certainly see it in TV shows and movies from many decades past. There are many films in which a woman slaps a man, the man is clearly hurt or miffed, and we assume he won't hit back, because One Simply Doesn't Do That.
It was part of the upbringing of the boys around me in the 1950s. I always thought it was weird that the cliche of "boys don't hit girls" never seemed to include what my parents taught, which is that girls shouldn't hit boys, either!
That said, I think the slap in Mrs. Miniver is a combination of several things. It comes at the end of a scene in which he has been a bit patronizing about her needing to stay home and miss all of the excitement. She then turns the tables on him and acts terribly calm and nonchalant about the danger she was in.
They are in the bedroom, snuggled up for part of it, speaking intimately and teasingly. There is certainly a flirtatious quality about some of their interaction.
So, I think it was meant as a playful swat and quite possibly a bit of foreplay, but his real tension, fear and anger about the danger she had faced accidentally got into it.
That's how I saw it (and I just watched it again). We'll never know, due to the maid's walking in. Another way to end that scene might have been for her to turn around in indignation (or mock indignation) and then both of them showing their real fear, relief, and passion for a tight, tearful hug. That would have made it clearer.
But I'll give Mr. Miniver, the writers, and the director the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't being purposefully abusive.
This is an absurd discussion; The spank is no more spouse abuse than a playful birthday paddling -- "and one to grow on" -- is child abuse. And no more violent than the pat on the butt that an athlete gives to a teammate.
Holy smokes, piano. In a day when movie married couples slept in twin beds, a slap on the fanny was about as racy is it gets. And of course it was sexual and not aggressive. Your political correctness makes you work too hard to enjoy even a movie.
Well said. It definitely had playful sexual connotations. Those who think this is "beating your wife" have no idea what they are talking about.
shareFor the sake of middle class propriety, I think you should consider editing the thread title to 'Slap on the tush'.
Another cute moment occurs in the earlier bedroom scene when Kay ducks out of bed to show Clem her new hat. He asks, 'Where are you going?' to which she half turns and he says 'Oh!' The obvious meaning is that he thinks she's going to the loo.
when Clem slaps his wife on the fannyEr... in British English a "fanny" is something completely different from its meaning in American English!
The slap seemed to be a man dominating his wifeAah, nonsense! Of course it was playful! Remember that a few moments before he says (about Operation Dynamo) "Oh, darling, I'm almost sorry for you, having such a nice, quiet, peaceful time when things were happening. But that's what men are for, isn't it? To do things while women look after the house." And then, incidentally, she tells him she disarmed a German soldier and delivered him to the police. What else could he do?
I must say I find the American use of the word fanny rather entertaining. Since when was a buttock fan-shaped?
"great minds think differently"
Mandyjam wrote:
I must say I find the American use of the word fanny rather entertaining. Since when was a buttock fan-shaped?Do you think that a woman's vulva is fan-shaped? Perhaps it is a cultural thing._______________For easy markup see http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/42255 share
It could very well be a dominance thing. In one of the Thin Man movies, the husband spanks his wife, and in front of his parents. In I Love Lucy, Ricky spanks Lucy on more than one occasion. I can't think of an instance where a wife spanked her husband. So it's quite possible that even if a slap on the fanny is supposed to be playful, it could also be a message that the husband is still, "the man."
shareYou'll have to forgive Ruby - she sees abuse in everything.
How utterly absurd you are. I hope your real life is better than what we can imagine by your asinine comments.
I don't act...I react. John Wayne
That was a love tap compared to Spencer Tracy whacking Katharine Hepburn hard on her butt during their nightly rubdown routine in ADAM'S RIB as he objects to her singing the love song dedicated to her ("Farewell, Amanda").
Her reaction:
You meant that, didn't you? You really meant that. I can tell. I know your touch. I know a slap from a slug. I'm not so sure I care to expose myself to typical instinctive masculine brutality. And it felt not only as though you meant it, but as though you felt you had a right to. I can tell.
His rejoinder:
What've you got back there? Radar equipment?
"Take 'em to Missouri"
You forgot the best part! She kicks (hard) afterward.
Also, earlier in the movie, when she's on her way out the kitchen door, he swings the door to push her out. She moves backwards and pushes the door into Spencer Tracy, smiling: "Pardon."
Spencer Tracy/Adam is totally forgivable here because he, at least, picked a wife who can fight back.