MovieChat Forums > That Forsyte Woman (1949) Discussion > Feeling sorry for Soames (possible spoil...

Feeling sorry for Soames (possible spoilers)


Perhaps it's because I love Errol Flynn so much, but I felt bad for how his character ended up at the end. I did not read the "Forsyte Saga", so maybe he deserved what he got? While I always enjoyed Greer Garson in all that she did, I despised her character in this (sign of good acting?) How dare she "diss" Soames for Bosinney, then hook up with Jolyon, Jr. and say how happy she was and how she pitied Soames. Eeewww! She made me so mad! O.K. I'm done; thanks for listening.

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[deleted]

It reminds me of Hitchcock's "Marnie". It was totally unbelievable that Tippi Hedren's character found Sean Connery un-wantable.

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Huh, I didn't find him nice at all. Now of course it's Errol Flynn and he's totally handsome, but his character was reprehensible. Who would want to be married to a jerk like that? Totally controlling and putting her down all the time. Nagging at her about what she wore and not to be late. Assuming the worst of her all the time, that she wouldn't remember their anniversary. He wanted an object of beauty to make himself look good. She didn't love him or want to marry him, but he wore her down. What'd he expect?

Yeah, he gave her material things, but that't no replacement for treating her with love and respect.

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[deleted]

In the book Soames rapes Irene. Obviously they soft soaped that issue in the movie. The problem with this movie was the casting of Robert Young as Bosinny. Such a miscast that ruined the movie.

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Rarely is one miscast actor enough to drag down a whole movie, unless of course it is one of the leads, which was not the case with Young.

I didn't think he was all that bad anyway.

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Perhaps it's because I love Errol Flynn so much, but I felt bad for how his character ended up at the end. I did not read the "Forsyte Saga", so maybe he deserved what he got? While I always enjoyed Greer Garson in all that she did, I despised her character in this (sign of good acting?) How dare she "diss" Soames for Bosinney, then hook up with Jolyon, Jr. and say how happy she was and how she pitied Soames. Eeewww! She made me so mad! O.K. I'm done; thanks for listening.
I couldn't agree more. I like Errol Flynn too but he's not the reason I felt sorry for the character. I know this because early on I did not think too highly of Soames. I only started to empathize with him as the story unfolded. By the end of the movie, I was on his side and felt he did not deserve what happened to him.

1. Yes, he was obsessed with Irene and was very persistent but that's not at all unusual so it should not be held against him. Though she hesitated and avoided him, she let him know she liked him a lot and eventually she did agree to marry him. It sounds like she led him on. Also, both Philip and Jolyson were obsessed with Irene. The difference is, in their cases, she was already involved with someone else and should have been off limits.

2. I came to dislike Irene because, while she seemed to reject each of the men, she really enjoyed the attention and led them on. Playing cat and mouse only increased their desire to chase her. Soames was warned by his father that he might be pursuing Irene because, like the Sheraton bookcase, he only wanted what he could not have. If that was true for him, it would be just as true for each of the other main characters, including Irene. They all wanted what they could not have but we don't seem to judge any of them negatively for it.

3. Instead of making a clear break, nipping things in the bud, Irene let each of the relationships develop until the situation got out of hand. Then when she tried to break up with the men it led to the downfall and ruin. Jolyon may seem like an exception but that's only because the story ended before that happened. Based on the ending scene of the movie, I think his time is coming.

4. The way I interpret the end of the movie is this: Irene has not changed. She sees Soames and is reminded of his devotion (or something). Sending him the portrait may seem like a charitable act but she knows he's not over her and will obsess over that painting probably to the exclusion of everything else. This will not help him forget her and move on, rather, it will keep him tied to her; keep him from ever finding love with someone worthy him. He needs someone who is available and willing to love him as he is.

He's lost his family and, if she's right, he's now poor. That must mean he has neglected his work too; he was an attorney. Irene likes losers perhaps that's the reason she never could love Soames before; he had everything going for him. Now, he fits that bill while Jolyon no longer does. She knew Jolyon would not approve of her sending Soames any portrait; especially not the one she sent. He painted it from the memory after meeting her only once. It was so special to him he wouldn't sell it. Early on Soames to Jolyon one does not give a gift of a painting without expecting something in return. He'll remember that and know that Soames will as well.

Irene will either lie to keep Jolyon from finding out what she did or she'll tell him. Either way it's clear she wasn't considering his feelings. She could have talked to him about it, then, if he agreed, sent Soames the portrait later.

5. Irene never gave Soames a chance. His behavior towards her after their marriage seemed controlling, possessive, and domineering. He got his family to accept her but he seemed determined to mold her into someone the Forsytes could also respect. However, we have to remember their story is told mostly through Jolyon's point of view and in the past tense. Since Jolyon wasn't there, Irene must have been his source. Obviously, she made herself look good and Soames look bad. Still, we did get a glimpse of Soames point of view. According to him, his behavior towards her stemmed from his frustration.

She arrived late repeatedly to family functions even though she knew how important punctuality was, not to her husband but to the family member who most supported her, grandfather Jolyon. She avoided her husband; built walls between them; rejected his affections; failed to support him in his work; misinterpreted his desire to give her beautiful things; and treated him with contempt. She should never have married him but once she did she should have behaved as his wife; she owed him that much. Instead, she used his relative, June, as a wedge.

Irene was upset Soames would not drop everything and run off with her. It was an attempt to avoid a Bosinney not to spend quality time with her husband. That was his 'crime' but if she really wanted to get close to him, they did not need to go away. She did things that jeopardized his reputation, business, and family relationships. We have to remember, as much as he loved and valued his family and wanted grandfather Jolyon's approval and support, Soames went against them not only once but twice; once to bring her into the family then again in an attempt to hold on to her. That means he always put her first, ahead of them.

Though he tried numerous ways, she never allowed him to get close to her. He used to love her music but she used it to escape him. What was the man to do? He said, and she never disagreed, that he treated her with respect; better than a lot of husbands treated their wives (meaning he didn't beat her to submission). He did get rough with her at one point but only when everything else had failed.

He loved her so much he would have taken her back, even though he thought she had been unfaithful to him. In my opinion, she had. It may not have been in a physical way but emotional infidelity is just, if not more, destructive. He took his vows seriously and fought to save their marriage as she actively destroyed it. She used him; allowed him to take her out and lavish attention on her even though she knew he was not her type. The guy she said she had loved before was an irresponsible, unreliable, untrustworthy, unwise, unkempt, un-heroic sort who she knew only a short time. Who knows if that guy felt the same towards her.

Anyway, she seemed to like the weak type and liked men who didn't really want her or who did not let on right away that they wanted her. Now that she's married someone else, Soames appeals to her. She probably felt small in his presence before but now that he's come down a few pegs, he would suit her just fine. Hopefully, in the land beyond the end of the movie, he would come to his senses and refuse to take her back.


Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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You're right on all counts. Early in their marriage, I thought Soames was a jerk, treating her like a possession, trying to micromanage her life. But by the middle of the movie I saw that, in his way, he loved her and was deeply unhappy because she gave him nothing, emotionally. She only married him out of desperation to escape her previous life of an impoverished piano teacher. I was sorry for him.

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