There's a brief scene in this movie where Maggie Smith is walking along and glimpses a dead, maggot-eaten rabbit. She grimaces and continues her walk. It's rather a jarring interruption and I am completely mystified by its inclusion. Anyone have any idea why they put that in the movie?
shareI think they put that in there to make you think that Maggie Smith had found the body of the girl who wasn't dead yet. You know that she was going to be killed soon (it's kind of obvious, I mean, all the guests go seperate ways). It's supposed to add to the suspense.
shareI think the dead rabbit is symbolic.
To say here they are in paradise on this beautiful resort and very shortly death and evil (the dead rotting rabbit being eaten by maggots) is about to descend upon them.
A genius and very clever symbol to show the gravity of the evil of murder
yeah, i believe it's something like that. it doesn't add anything to the storyline, but it puts you into a certain frame of mind.
shareWhen Daphne encounters the dead rabbit, she turns away from it and walks to the edge of the cliff, where she sees Arlena on the beach below. This is Daphne's alibi and helps Poirot reconstruct the timeline.
shareDaphne didn't have to see a dead rabbit to go to the edge of the cliff and see Arlena. She could as well have spotted her without the rabbit. But I do agree on the more dramatic use of the rabbit telling us that death can be found everywhere and so on.
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My DVD collection:
http://www.intervocative.com/dvdcollection.aspx/Kyrill
it was not her alibi! nobody seen her and could prove it. and arlena dies.
shareThe dead rabbit is an omen of the impending murder. It represents the grotesque occurring in an otherwise idyllic setting.
share"The dead rabbit is an omen of the impending murder. It represents the grotesque occurring in an otherwise idyllic setting"
I agree. It shows that there can be ugliness in paradise.
"There is nothing in my dish but my dish!" James Cocoa-"Murder by Death"
Actually I believe it is a left over bit of a plot thread that was cut out of the film ultimately. In the book, Linda is practicing something like voodoo to bring death upon her evil step mother. I once read somewhere that this plot was going to be in the movie and that shot was a reference to Linda's voodoo- she had killed the rabbit as one of the steps.
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Funny, I came here to ask the same question... :)
I think Edrickn has nailed it.
that rabbit scene is the only thing I remembered watching this film when I was a kid, it was frightening. but i don't understand why censors remove it in uk - it's integral part of this movie as well as a part of life.
shareJust watching it now as it was broadcast here in the UK today. I have literally NO idea what the dead rabbit is all about? I have always wondered? Maggie Smith never even mentions it again?? It's a total mystery? Why would a dead rabbit be "symbolic" of what is to come later on in the film?? I think that's a bit of a stretch! I think it's something to do with a cut scene? I don't expect we shall ever know unless there is a commentary track on the DVD??
shareThe rabbit corpse is an appropriate symbol for the rotted and foul state of the seemingly beautiful and idyllic island environment. It signifies that beneath it all, there is death, danger, and deceit.
...sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand. ~ Cool Hand Luke