Question: The whole plot of this movie makes no sense. What was the purpose of having all the soldiers "brainwashed' when they just used one to carry out what they wanted? Plus, why go to the trouble of doing all this when they could have just hired an assassin? Plus, how did they know, in 1952, that this man would be chosen to be the Vice-President?
Question: At the end of the film, Joan Crawford/Blanche lies on the beach, brutalized and starved by Bette Davis/Jane. Does Blanche then die, or will Blanche continue to live? For that matter, Jane is still alive, (although probably insane), so what will happen to Jane?
Answer: Blanche's fate is left ambiguous, so it's impossible to say if she survived or not. It is not revealed in the original novel. Jane would most likely be institutionalized, seeing as she is suffering a complete break from reality at the end of the film.
Question: Bond is very picky about having a martinti, shaken not stirred. If he drank a martini that was stirred, not shaken, would he be able to tell the difference?
Answer: Actually, yes, he would. The key to a vodka martini, Bond's preferred tipple, is that it should be served ice-cold. By shaking the drink, the ice cubes have a better chance to swish around the whole drink than they would if it was only stirred. It apparently also has the effect of dispersing the ingredients better, giving a different taste to the drink. In the spirit of scientific experimentation, some friends and I tried the drink both ways in a blind taste test a while back - it makes a surprising difference.
If you shake it, it turns cloudy.
Answer: Shaking also causes more melting of the ice resulting in a milder, if watered down, taste suited to Bond's sophisticated palate.
Answer: We tried that as well on several times and on many various evenings. There is a serious difference.
Answer: It's confusing. The entire platoon was brainwashed to be witnesses and verify the fabricated story that Raymond was a "war hero" who saved their lives. Raymond was unknowingly mentally programmed to become a sleeper agent to be used when needed by the Russians or Chinese. He was chosen because Raymond's monstrous mother, Eleanor Iselin, was married to a ruthless, ambitious "Joseph McCarthy-esque" U.S. Senator. She was propelling her husband into being their party's presidential candidate and contacted Communist agents to arrange for her husband's political rival to be assassinated. She was initially unaware that her son would be the chosen assassin. Raymond, being brainwashed, never realised he was a programmed assassin who would have no memory of executing his assignments. He apparently was recruited because of his step-father's political position. It is a rather incredulous plot, to say the least.
raywest ★