MovieChat Forums > Ravenous (1999) Discussion > Ives and Colqhoun

Ives and Colqhoun

posted 14 years ago by Koosh_King01
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So was "Colqhoun" Ives all along, or is Colqhoun his real name and he just took up Ives' identity after killing him? We know there was a real Ives due to nobody asking questions about Colqhoun/Ives when he turned up, and because of the uniform Reich and Boyd find in the cave.

When Colqhoun/Ives tells Boyd his backstory about how he used to have tuberculosis, he never mentions which identity is his real one. So either he was Ives all along and killed the entire party, then impersonated Colqhoun briefly to lead the soldiers into a trap, or he was Colqhoun and just took up Ives' identity.

But the question is which is true?

"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"

[–] Kumbao 14 years ago

It's very likely that he is Ives. It is very unlikely that he can act as someone high ranking in the millitary, without getting recognized. So I guess that he is really Ives.

Also you never see him in the flashbacks. Why? If Colqhoun is really Colqhoun, then there is no harm in showing his face. Again I can only guess (since it is true: the movie never clarifies that), but I would say they didn't show Colqhouns face, because Colqhoun didn't look like Carlyle at all. He just took over his identity later on, so he could lead the others into a trap.

Let me hear you make decisions, without your television

[–] Koosh_King01 14 years ago

I just listened to Antonia Bird's audio commentary on the DVD and they confirmed that Ives is his real name; Colqhoun is a false name, meaning the sixth member of the wagon train is yet unidentified, or possibly was named Colqhoun (but not a priest) and Ives just borrowed his name to trick and trap the soldiers. They don't clarify.

They do, however, give Ives' backstory before the tuberculosis thusly: he is in fact a former priest which explains why he keeps the crucifix even after dropping the Colqhoun act. According to Bird, Ives was a Methodist minister from Scotland who came over with his wife and child who died in the voyage, leaving him psychologically scarred. He left the church and joined the US Army.

A fascinating commentary providing tons of insight. I especially loved how Bird said she deliberately wanted Ives to be "sexy" (her words) after getting a haircut and shave and cleaning up, to make cannibalism attractive in conflict with Boyd's revulsion to it, to sort of have the audience wanting to sign up with Ives as Hart does at first, and make Ives a charismatic leader who could, potentially, do exactly as he says he will if Boyd doesn't stop him.

The screenwriters' commentary (to say nothing of Robert Carlyle's) should provide even more awesome tidbits about Ives' character, who is shaping up to be one of my favorite movie villains so far.

"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"