That Bunny car scene
Hi there @telltaleangelina I just wanted to think a bit more about the scene with Bunny and Laurie in the car scene on the back of your ask/answer.
I think you really got to the heart of it with that line ‘the practiced inflection’. Laurie uses his intuition a lot (sometimes without even being sure what he is picking up) and it’s just such a creepy line, indicating how Bunny seamlessly adopts that tone. Although I suppose there is an analogue with Ralph giving Bunny ‘the straight look’ for the first time back at the flat.
It suddenly occurred to me that cars are so symbolic of male power at that time, and it evokes that horrible trope of men taking women out and expecting some kind of ‘payment’. I wonder if Bunny is just so cynical that he assumes Laurie is paying Ralph back in kind for the lift, and decides he wants a piece of the action. Or he thinks Ralph is being ridiculously gentlemanly about Laurie and wants to bring him down to his level.
I realised the scene provides a contrast to the earlier car scene with Ralph. I know we love the little knee touch in the 1953 version when they are parked up at the scenic spot, but to me, she took that out for a reason in the 1959. It shows the high level of tension (not just sexual!) between them and the way both of them are being hyper-vigilant – Ralph trying very hard to judge the moment with Laurie, and Laurie trying very hard to be respectful of the fact that Ralph has a boyfriend. And also, Laurie sits in silence to avoid attracting Ralph’s anger when he hits the traffic. And he is so uncomfortable with being dependent on Ralph – the number of times he tries to leave the party to get the bus, and he tries it again at Bunny’s.
I also realised that it almost doesn’t matter whether Bunny would have followed through with his threat or not. It just conjures up the horrible thought that he is used to getting what he wants, and most of the time, people don’t stand up to him. So perhaps this is a neat way to show Laurie’s strength of character in a crisis.
The other thing that is quite disturbing, if not surprising, though, is that Laurie then plays it down with Ralph. Partly because he fears not being believed (a bit like Alec silently taking the blame for Bunny’s gossip for a quiet life), and partly to spare Ralph’s feelings. I realised he would be very influenced as well by the ‘no snitch’ rule in school, where telling on another boy would be considered worse than the original offence. But it is cowardly too. I wonder if his anger on the staircase is partly fueled by his frustration at being put in that situation, the suggestion that Ralph is so inured to that kind of behaviour that he doesn’t even notice any more. And in a way Ralph is responsible, because even if Bunny spiked his drink, he still chose alcohol over tea. But Laurie is also too passive. In the end Ralph ends it with Bunny without knowing for sure what he did. Unless he knows because Bunny has form. In which case why is he with someone like that? Either way, Laurie’s horrible accusations on the staircase have the ring of truth.
And finally I can’t go without mentioning that other linked car scene – Ralph kissing Laurie on the first night at the party (very heavy hint anyway) when he is dreaming about his mother kissing him!! And Ralph sitting there having a cigarette while he waits for Laurie to wake up is so sweet.
