Saturday, January 26, 2019

Poor Slow AC

Sue and I usually watch tv series and not movies on our various streaming sources, but we found ourselves both watching and enjoying To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters on Britbox this week.

I really enjoyed this biographical film of the sisters, their home life and struggles, and how they turned to writing and managed to get published in a male-centric medium. I found an old paining of the sisters online, and the movie characters suited very well indeed.

Maybe I should go and look for the image. Hang on ...

Here it is.

 From left to right: Ann, Emily, Charlotte.


Now look at the cast.

Image result for bronte sisters


But I got on a tangent at the outset, for that really isn't what this post was supposed to be about.

What I wanted to post is how late in life I have come to learn some things.

You see ... there was a scene in the movie in which their deceased brother, Bramwell, had a scarf wrapped around his head. This reminded me of Marley's ghost in Scrooge (A Christmas Carol). This isn't the version that we watch, but it will do.



When he removes the wrap, his mouth falls open.



Sue, explained to me that this is what actually happens to corpses for a few hours after death — their mouths fall open. So even now, measures are taken to prevent the jaw from getting locked in like this. Marley's ghost now makes more sense to me.

Seventy-one years old, and I didn't know this.

Which reminded me of  poem/story Twas The Night Before Christmas:
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
I guess I had always thought of the finger by the nose as part of Saint Nick's magic act (which reminds me of Samantha twitching her nose in Bewitched), but after watching much British tv, I eventually realized that the gesture is sometimes used in Britain to symbolize a secret. Santa and the boy shared a secret, which should be kept between them.

It also took me most of my life to figure that out: poor, slow soul that I am.

Who knows what further revelations await this old codger?




10 comments:

Tabor said...

I knew about the finger beside the nose thing, but it had retreated to my subconscious. I also did not know the jaw dropping of a corpse. I had seen that movie on PBS here in America last year. It was interesting even though it moved a little slow for me.

Vicki Lane said...

I knew about the scarf but not the finger/nose thing. Always good to learn stuff!

William Kendall said...

I did know about the jaw dropping.

Shammickite said...

Oh deary me.....

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Thanks for the info, AC. I knew about the jaw being tied up so as not to drop, but not about Santa laying a finger aside his nose. Learn something new every day. I use Acorn TV streaming and have been thinking about giving Britbox a try. WOuld you recommend it?

Wendy said...

Hahahaha - life is full of surprises! I'm learning right long with you!

Wendy said...

Right along - not right long. LOL

Joanne Noragon said...

I knew about jaws, but not noses. I hope you are keeping track of this.

Kay said...

Good grief! So many things that I didn’t know either!

Jenn Jilks said...

It's important to keep learning. I think. Maybe.