MovieChat Forums > Death Line (1973) Discussion > What did the cannibal say?

What did the cannibal say?


What was the line that the cannibal ("The Man" played by Hugh Armstrong) kept mumbling repeatedly? I think it was also one of the last lines in the film.

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"Mind the doors."

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"By the laws.." as in the opening to a closing to a wedding ceremony.

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Any London commuter would recognise immediately that he is crying "Mind the doors", which, before the automated recorded voices were installed, was called out by station staff to warn people - crammed into trains during the rush hours - that the sliding doors were closing and stray limbs and clothing needed to be pulled safely into the carriage. Occasionally "Mind the gap" was - and still is - called in stations where the gap between train and platform is large enough for you to miss your step and get your foot caught. That's what the cannibal has heard, uncomprehending, all his life, and he repeats it like a ritual prayer. Yet another sly comment in a movie absolutely loaded with crafty, subtle metaphors that ride easily on the terrifically exciting narrative.

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Wow. So there we are! For the life of me, I couldn't ascertain what "The Man" kept repeating! I kept hoping that by the end of the film it would have been made clear! Especially to us Yanks! But there was no mention of it.

Now I know, and "mind the doors" makes complete sense!

Great little gory thriller, BTW!

He was on Planet Earth the whole time!

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at most London Tube stations they have an automated message on the loudspeakers.

either "Mind the doors" or "Mind the gap"



First things first, but not necessarily in that order.

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Ohhh that makes sense... For the during of that scene I kept on thinking it was either "I was yours," "What is wrong?" or "Cry your force" lol...

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I thought he looked like a decrepit Jim Morrison yelling, "I'm The Doors!" ... :)

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I thought it was 'praise the lord" that he was trying to say;

especially at the end---the last line you hear.

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HA!! That would've been even better...

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It was "I'm the whore!"

"I might as well be blind!"

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He did say, "Mind the doors".

"That is why I'm with you... because you say, 'I' for me".

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If Sherman ever makes his remake set in Chicago, will the man say "The doors are about to close"?

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Most certainly ! And yes, probably because that's something he heard repeatedly. An interesting parallel can be made with "Creep"…

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He's a Judge Dredd fan; he was yelling "I am the law!"

Not all films are underrated, misunderstood, or decent for the time period; some just suck.

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Now we know what really happened to Jim Morrison, eh... :-D

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He was trying to communicate with the girl, "Mind the doors" were the only words he knew.

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I could have sworn it was "I'm related to Wayne Rooney."


"The elderly, they seem friendly enough, but can you really trust them ?"

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I could have sworn it was "Mop the floors!"

Let it be unsaid: insignificance is the locus of true increpation.

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When I first saw the film I thought he was saying "Find the doors!". As in something he might have heard many times as a child from other´s(perhaps his parents) that had been trapped down there since the tunnel collapse, looking for a way out. They too would not have known how to speak properly because they had been born down there as well, with no teachings of the outside world(perhaps their parent´s had also died while they were bringing them up, repeating the words "find the doors" for the exit as the most important thing for them to do so they could get out of there). I´m glad to hear that "Mind the doors!" was the correct wording...it makes alot of sense, but it´s less suspenseful than the whole story I had made up in my head about his rantings, lol.

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