I enjoyed this movie, but I was left wondering who the "inspector" was. Any theories?
shareI think we're meant to conclude that the inspector is supernatural, Goole being a homophone for ghoul (ghost).
If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.
I don't think we're meant to know exactly who, or what, the inspector is. The only person who knows for certain is J B Priestley.
"Be safe, be happy, and don't let anyone make you afraid." David Coverdale
I also think he was a spectre.
It's that man again!!
***spoilers below***
Near the end while the woman is dying and the inspector is by her bed, holding her hand, the camera zooms out and gives us a a view of the room from the door and from this view we can only see the woman in bed and she's alone, no inspector by her side.
In my opinion, this really shows that the inspector was supernatural.
Also, the last remarks he made to the family in their home before leaving, something about if mankind doesn't treat people better, all the Smiths of the world, than mankind will suffer fire, etc.
These remarks almost sound like something a deity would warn his misbehaving creations. And at the time they're spoken, these remarks seem out of place for an inspector, until we later see him in the hospital when he's both there and not there; revealing possibly that he in fact is supernatural (plus the fact that he is not an inspector).
Only my opinion.
I really enjoyed the movie 9/10.
Near the end while the woman is dying and the inspector is by her bed, holding her hand, the camera zooms out and gives us a a view of the room from the door and from this view we can only see the woman in bed and she's alone, no inspector by her side.
The original 40s adaptation also had a scene where the Inspector was supernatural. In the end of the movie the inspector is locked in a room and the family is about to "get him" when it turns out he dissapeared from the room as a ghost.
The Asian adaptation that also came out in 2015 however is VERY clear on the Inspector being the devil, but the whole show is over the top symbolism rather than realistic portrayal like the previuos adaptations.
So yes, i do believe the Inspector was supernatural and we are supposed to know this based on the fact he came before the suicide actually happened alone, but i suppose people will have their theories and its ambigiuos for a reason.
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The spirit of abysmal despair
Also near the end there was a scene when inspector was looking at Eve/Alice and he could see her in the window, but she couldn't see him.
As for his remarks about mankind, he was right: in two years WW1 started. Remember the Birlings didn't believe the war was possible. But it happened.
It would seem (to me) that the inspector is Death itself. The series of events and interactions show that even Death has more compassion than humankind has for its own kind - particularly the less fortunate and the downtrodden.
He warned not just the family, but the audience in general, that if mankind continues to be so selfish and compassionless, humans will suffer long-term consequences. (and I agree, seeing how much worse the world is today, even from the time of this play's writing)
The ending, when the above becomes apparent to the viewers, is devastating and haunting. David Thewlis and the cast were brilliant.
I thought that he was the girl's father, but I never considered that he might be a ghost, a specter, or any of the other choices mentioned. Now I'll have to rewatch it to see what I missed about him.
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