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July 1994

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Subject:
From:
"Brian L. Tanner" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 18 Jul 1994 15:43:35 EDT
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Donna Cunningham writes:
"And what is it with Cameron and wedding rings? Again, in many scenes,
wedding rings are made multiply-determined symbols--but of what?
Faithfulness that is suspect; boredom only overcome by gunplay and
action-adventure. You hate to do that auteur thang--looking to his
"real" life--multiply-married and all, but wedding rings in this
film...well, I'd like to hear someone's take on this business."
 
Well, a wedding ring played a small but signifcant role in "The Abyss" as
well, also directed by Cameron.  Ed Harris narrowly escapes losing his hand
(not to mention drowning) when his wedding ring keeps a security door from
closing shut on his finger.  Earlier, Ed had nearly flushed the ring down the
toilet but pulled it out as an afterthought.  The blue chemicals that stain
his hand serve as a reminder of that act for the rest of the film.  The
wedding ring is stronger than those forces that would keep Ed and Mary's
respective characters apart.  It is their love for each other that
ressucitates Mary after letting herself drown and that keeps Ed focused on
his job during the descent into the abyss.
I haven't actually sen True Lies yet so I'm not sure how the ring is used in
that film and haven't noticed how he has used rings in his other films,
however I did think it was a significant part of the Abyss.  I wonder what
his take will be on marriage when he finally does his Spider-Man movie.
 Currently Spider-Man is married to Mary Jane-Watson in the comics.  The
difference it seems from True Lies is that she knows Peter Parker is
Spider-Man.  I'm sure that if a trend is beginning to develop with Cameron
and the theme of marraige in his movies, Spider-Man would be a interesting
movie to experiment with.
 
Brian L. Tanner
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