MovieChat Forums > Saboteur (1942) Discussion > Tobin's monologue about Americans...

Tobin's monologue about Americans...

posted 14 years ago by Musikdrama
7 replies | jump to latest

Hello,

Charles Tobin's "speech" at Mrs. Sutton's house: "You're one of the ardent believers - a good American. Oh, there are millions like you. People who play along, without asking questions. I hate to use the word stupid, but it seems to be the only one that applies. The great masses, the moron millions.[...]"

I would like to know why nobody is discussing this monologue here. The story is by Hitchcock himself - and he was from Europe. Is that his own personal opinion about the Americans? Does he like telling them the "truth" knowing: "At the moment they listen to this at the cinema they have even paid money to hear my thoughts on them!"

Greetings

Alex

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[–] mcornett 14 years ago

Of course, the question being, was that the character's opinion, or was that really Hitch talking?

I've wondered, since seeing this the other night, about how the villains are mostly super-wealthy and upper-class, the really good people are outsiders (the lonely blind man, the circus freaks), and those in between tend to be wrapped up in their own affairs and believe what they're told about others. One wonders if Hitch thought the real problem with America was the plutocrats who manipulated matters in order to protect their own wealth and power, and a complacent populace who look no deeper than the surface. Makes you think.

Facts need to come before certainty.

[–] eric-1501 12 years ago

Absolutely, right. The US is even more full of these unpatriotic plutocrat (National) Socialists today. They live off of the rest of us with their big fat tax exemptions, inherited wealth and 'clebrity.' They dis America all day long.

"Could be worse."
"Howwww?"
"Could be raining."

[–] Daandh 13 years ago

The story is by Hitchcock, the script however, is not. There was some 'trouble' during production so there are 3 different writers. And I believe I read somewhere that it was Dorothy Parker who was mainly responsible for the speeches.

But even if it was by Hitchcock I think your seeing too much into it. It's not like everybody in the world is against you Americans you know. To me it seemed that he was just talking about his own country. And that he didn't feel part of the mass but felt that he was above them.

[–] NewtonFigg 12 years ago

Why would Hitchcock express his views of America via a speech by a Nazi villain? The speech was calculated to make Americans angry at the arrogant Nazis and what they stood for.

[–] DorianGray502 10 years ago

Yesterday it was the German's and the Japanese, the Reds, then the Koreans, Vietnamese. Today the Chinese, ISIS, Al Queda, whatever. America has always got to have a boogyman. Even within it's borders, the Gays, or immigrants from south of the border. Then we turn around and help rebuild a country, or apologize for past treatments, like the Catholic Church. Sounds like what it is, f'd up. The one thing this film really screams is today's terrorism is not such a recent development, yet we nevet seem to learn any lessons from the past.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!"

[–] lexyladyjax 8 years ago

You are sadly mistaken to compare a World War to the bogeyman, DorianGray. They are not remotely the same. Few families in the U.S. went untouched by death or injury and nearly everyone who returned had PTSD. We had severe losses in my family.

Bored now.

[–] ShellOilJunior 8 years ago

It's a chilling speech if you believe the allegations that the super rich funded Nazi Germany and profited off the war.