When Balkan unexpectedly finds Corso standing above him in the castle ritual scene, Corso says, “What did you expect, an apparition?”
As soon as Corso says this a cloud that resembles a skull passes directly above him.
I read about a skull visage above them but have not revisited to investigate yet. I am currently reading the Dumas Club. Are you familiar with the book?
shareThat I am and would very much like to read at some point.
Thoughts, how do you like the book?
Was the skull referenced in the book, or did you read about it elsewhere?
If one isn’t looking for it in the film it will most likely go unnoticed, I haven’t read any other postings mentioning it so I was super excited on discovering it. I’m sure others have seen it but I would venture to say most have missed it. I’ve seen the film countless times and only caught it on my latest viewing.
I am only 70 or so pages in but I am thoroughly enjoying it, savouring it actually. It is deliciously and luxuriously described the atmosphere satisfying, as I am sure a person of your tastes could imagine. I would certainly recommend. Obviously I am not far enough in for the skull scene but I have a feeling the book and film will be wildly different by then I suspect. There are already radical differences. I will be intrigued to see how things play out going forward.
shareI’m sold as well as excited! Hopefully my local library has a copy in stock!
shareIt is a nice read. Well worth the time.
The film is a different level, however.
I’ve never noticed a skull, I always assumed that Corso was unintentionally referring to himself. I.E., Balkan summons the Devil, and it is Corso who appears, not some apparition.
But if there is a skull there, that would definitely be a tasty detail.
That he was, but the added presence of the skull cloud makes me wonder if the Devil was backing Corso the whole time. At the very least a bit of masterful foreshadowing.
It’s tastefully as well as subtly done, but once you see it there is no denying it.
I’ll look for it next time I watch this film.
But my thought is that Corso actually IS the Devil, but he is simply unaware of what he is. The reason he is drawn to the book is because the book will lead his soul back home. The Mysterious Girl is his guide.
Everyone who used the book, and killed for the book, in order to find the Devil were too blinded by their own narcissism to recognize that it was Corso all along, and they all meet ugly demises.
Corso even toys with Balkan at the end, when Balkan is playing with fire. And pay attention to how that sequence is shot: Balkan above, earthly; Corso down below, his face amongst dancing flames. And Corso goads the arrogant Balkan into burning himself alive.
However, this is just my interpretation of the film, which very well might be wrong, but I really delved into this film a couple years back and found that there were many clues that point to Corso being the Devil, that he has been wandering the earth for millennia, but he has forgotten who/what he was, and it is the book (which he co-wrote so long ago) which eventually sets him free from his earthly limbo.
Also, this interpretation was inspired by a thread way back when from IMDB, just to clarify.
I’ve never considered that perspective but it is certainly one that I will keep at the forefront of my next viewing and the accompanying scene by scene analysis. Corso being the Devil but not knowing makes sense as the skull cloud could be perceived as a symbolic shadow.
shareSkull my arse.
share1:58:12 - 1:58-16
It’s clearly a skull, look directly above his head. And cut me slack will ya, sure one could argue subjectivity but it’s no more subjective than the fairly obvious faces displayed in the woods throughout Midsommar, and much less subtle I’d say.
I just did watch it and re-watched it after reading your post. It's just a cloud, and here's the clincher, if it were a skull, what is the point of it, what relevance would it serve?
shareWell, let’s agree to disagree then.
As to what relevance, and here’s the clincher, I don’t know, perhaps a symbolic representation that Balkan is about to die, or maybe that Corso is being guided by Satan himself, or maybe it was just Polanski winking at us, personally I think it’s all three.
I love The Ninth Gate! Polanski is a master director. The way he narrates with visuals, music, and non-verbally is incredible . Plus, Depp is a hoot. This is really a funny film, certainly one of my favorite horror films.
The novel is good too.
It's not a skull, it's a depiction of the devil, and there is a second face stage left.
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