Movie Rant: Men Who Hate Women (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Putting out fire with gasoline
It is the kind of taking-the-law-into-one’s-own-hands towards men who hate women – or: revenge if you will – that the film relegates to Lisbeth Salander’s showdown with serial killer Martin Vanger. He dies in a burning car wreck, and Salander does not come to his aid, although she conceivably could. She just stands there and looks at him, waiting.
At the same time we see a flashback to the most pivotal scene in The Girl Who Played With Fire, where Lisbeth as a 12-year old girl sets fire to her father by pouring gasoline in his face and throwing a match. She does it because he has been beating and raping her mother for years and now Lisbeth wants to … what? Revenge? To protect her mother? Both?
It’s an ambiguous scene and it never appeared in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. But it is quite clever to have it in the movie adaptation of the first book, because it is an obvious and powerful way to visually shows us just what kind of person Lisbeth Salander actually is inside: A soul in flames, burning with anger after all the abuse she and her mother has been subjected to.
So the film creates a nifty symbolic link between Martin Vanger’s death in the burning car, Lisbeth’s refusal to help him, and the flashback in which Lisbeth burns her father. However, as the film stands it mostly comes of as a link between two men who hate women and Lisbeth as an avenger. The thematic link between misogyny and capitalism and business corruption is very faint. And I’m not sure it couldn’t have been done more strongly, even given the limitations of the film medium.
After all, the film could just as well have been about a rapist of women – Martin Vanger – who happened to live in a small poor village and who happened to develop into a serial killer as well. There is no particular reason for him to be a member of a socially dysfunctional elite business family.
Chris
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Go to rant about The Girl Who Played With Fire …
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What did you think about the first movie?
Yes, the Nest needs your buzz. Do you agree with Chris about the first movie? What did you like – or dislike about it? Are you also in love with Noomi Rapace? Drop a comment below. (But beware: All comments are moderated.)
Categories: Actors, Movies
27 Comments » (Including 6 Discussion Threads)
« Make a Buzz for Stieg Larsson’s Eva – and family | Home | Movie Rant: The Girl Who Played With Fire »
October 6th, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Buenas! Pues yo fuí a ver la película este pasado mes de septiembre y la verdad que salí un poco decepcionada del cine… al ver que habían canviado el orden de los acontecimientos. Pero luego, reflexionando… entendí que no podían hacer la pelicula igual que el libro, sinó hubiera durado 10 horas
y no era plan… Sobretodo canvie mi opinión al ver el gran trabajo que realiza Noomi Rapace. Realmente me enamoré de esta chica, es fantástica para el papel y realmente ella es como yo la había imaginado en mi mente leyendo los libros. Esperó se haga suficientemente famosa para verla en nuestros cines europeos, interpretando papeles tan o mas interesantes que el de Lisbeth Salander. Arriba Noomi!!!
October 7th, 2009 at 9:12 PM
Verdad, Noomi Rapace tiene mucha potencial – y también ella es muy bella.
Por eso estoy haciendo una pagina por ella – solo con imagenes de Noomi. Y más … Hay un grupo de Facebook por Noomi pero ningun sitio de web por fans (al menos, no puedo encontrarlo). El grupo está bien pero por lo mejor parte las noticias aqui son en sueco. Vaya por aqui si queres: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Noomi-Rapace/48265282057
Re: las peliculas contra los libros … una sujeta que he considerado mucho, pero no tengo buenas ‘soluciones’. Claro, fue necessario de gambiar y cortar mucho de los libros por las peliculas, pero en otro lado pienso que es dificil de ‘sentar’ los personas – especialmente en Girl Who Played With Fire. Okay, Lisbeth tiene mucho espacio en la pantalla pero … para mi era como ellos (los productores) han olvidado de mostrarnos el desarollo de la relacion entre Mikael y Lisbeth durante el segundo libro. Voy a explicar mejor lo que pienso – pero en inglés – en unos dias. (Estoy trabajando por una larga reseña de la segunda pelicula!)
December 7th, 2009 at 12:39 PM
I’ll have to pass that ball to director Arden Oplev. It was his decision to include the gasoline-scene in a flashback in the movie. Sorry, mate, but I’ll patch it in now – just to make sure there are no more misunderstandings of that kind
December 23rd, 2009 at 6:05 PM
hey, Chris, could you some time please translate the above from Marta, plus your reply, into English, for us Lame single-language folks ??! Otherwise, Many Thanks for the Hedeby maps, & your site is awesome; i got here from the customer discussions ‘Geography of book?’ part of the Amazon site related to “…tatto”. i also am Hoping the movie(s), either with sub-titles or dubbing, will Some fine day be released here in the U.S.
best regards…db
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December 24th, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Hi david,
Thanks for chipping in. I’m in the middle of the holiday-family-thing (I think it’s called Christmas by some!
), so you’ll have to do with the direct link to Google translate of this page + comments:
(But I have to say that their software works surprisingly well, especially when translating relatively similar languages like Spanish to English and vice versa. So I think it will do nicely. And in the future I will try to remember to insert such a link in other foreign language comments.)
Anyway, as regards the movies they should be released in the US this spring or summer. If I recall correctly the company Music Box (see the Best News Clips Archive) has aquired the rights to distribute the Swedish movies in the US and will do so soon. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo should premiere on March 19 2010, although I have no idea in how many cinemas. You’ll have to do a little research there.
Otherwise, according to my info, the English-dubbed movies should be available from Australien and New Zealand outlets also in March 2010, so you might be able to buy some copies online at that time (via Amazon perhaps?).
Sorry for not being able to provide more direct links and more exact information, but for the moment I don’t really have the time to get a complete overview of all the different release dates and places, but – trust me – such a page is on my (ever-growing) to-do list.
You might want to follow me on twitter.com/kickthenest where there are more links to release dates in different parts of the world, although in no particular order I’m afraid.
Happy X-mas!
Chris
December 30th, 2009 at 5:16 PM
oh, yeah, MANY x1224 Thanks, Chris, for indeed taking time away from (obviously) Much more important holiday-family-Christmas things to reply, and SO Promptly !!! i do hope you & yours had a most Pleasant holiday together.
i tried your direct link below, and although their translation is not Exactly perfect, it is very VERY Good, & i believe that i Did get the jist of your / her exchanges with Marta below !!
Awesome; i am now So looking forward to 19-mar-10 ( which is Also my son’s birthday, actually ) or thereabouts, with much Great anticipation !
With Best & kind regards, Many thanks again, and have a merry New Year, in twenty-ten !!!!…db
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oops, i seem to have replied to ‘myself’ ,,, how dim !
anyway, thanks again…db
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December 30th, 2009 at 7:09 PM
No sweat, mate and thanks again. I had a nice holiday with my family, but of course there’s always time for Sally!
At any rate, I look very much forward to hearing about your own experience of Tattoo on the big screen!
Best,
Chris
December 30th, 2009 at 10:05 PM
oyVeayh, i will probably be one of those goofBalls who are filmed for the local tv, camping out overnight at the cinema doors, in order to make Sure i do get tickets to the first screening ,,, Unless, there May sooner be some sub-titled / dubbed versions of the Swedish / Ozzy / N.Z. films on DVD available, already ,,, hmmmmmm ???!
Still agree, better on the largest screen possible, tho.
cheers…db
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December 31st, 2009 at 9:34 AM
I would never suggest that you could download it from the internet right now, of course
I doubt however, that you’d be able to get the correct English subs from an illegal download, as the English-subbed DVD’s are not out anywhere yet. IIRC.
And yes, the first movie is definitely worth a look-see on the big screen, since it was made for that. The two last movies make for good condensed TV-shows, as I wrote in my movie rants, so no harm in just watching them on DVD. (Unless you are a cinema-addict like me
)
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:54 AM
[This comment from esinz@mynet.com I accidentally deleted as spam but managed to recover in my cache. Sorry!]
“the movie didn’t released in turkey and DVD didn’t came out too. so I’ve read the books =) I love the story. I’m protesting to the turkish cinemas boooo
noomi doesn’t look good in this role .she’s not like my imagine”
January 5th, 2010 at 3:00 PM
I Just watched the movie with online website =)) This’s illegal I know but I have to … sorry
it was a cool movie. very fast 
and the differences didn’t bothered me
The end of the move was not what I expected but that’s ok.This version was better
January 6th, 2010 at 8:07 AM
Well, I guess it’s difficult for any fan of the hacker mistress supreme Lisbeth Salander NOT to be tempted by a little filesharing once in a while.
(And, with that statement, your webmaster of sallysfriends.net hasn’t said too much, has he now?
)
March 17th, 2010 at 11:23 PM
The whole tattoo thing seems overwrought to me. Isn’t “Men Who Hate Women” a better and more apposite title, except perhaps in drawing in a different demographic to both book and film.
March 18th, 2010 at 9:52 AM
Indeed. But they don’t see it that way in the sales department of the UK publishers. They want that ‘different demographic’ bc it equals more money! And frankly, if I had been working there, I’d probably have made the same decision. Fortunately, I don’t work there
March 31st, 2010 at 10:38 PM
Hey Chris.
Do you live in Denmark?
April 1st, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Ja, det gør jeg da
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:42 AM
nice.. jeg er fra Århus. Er der andre danskere herinde?
April 7th, 2010 at 2:34 AM
inte dansk, men svensk
April 7th, 2010 at 7:44 AM
You lucky B…! That means you and a few million others who live in the right country get to watch the Millennium TV-series right now!
April 18th, 2010 at 7:07 PM
ohyesh! and it’s gooooood ;D
April 20th, 2010 at 3:22 PM
The trilogy is very impressive and addictive. Seeing the movie “Miehet jotka vihaavat naisia/Men who hate women” made me read the book. I think the movie was great especially after reading experience. SPOILER ALERT! Do not read my pros and cons if you haven’t seen the movies, and wish to do so.
+ Noomi Rapace: It’s hard not to fall in love with the character. Noomi Rapace was the best choice for the role, no doubt. Brilliant acting especially when there aren’t so many lines where the girl actually speaks.
*Just call me a romantic*
+ Michael Nyqvist: Nyqvist is very charismatic and he makes Mikael Blomkvist far more sympathetic than the Larsson’s original character.
+ Some scenes were hard to watch, but the subject is very important. Larsson had a huge amount of knowledge.
+ Thank God we don’t have to see Mikael Blomkvist having… well… “in action” with every woman he meets
+ Large Vanger-family is easier to understood in the film.
+ Bjurman is so creepy that it hurts
+ The book is about 1/3 too long, too much details. Movie is long too, but you don’t notice because detailed information was cut.
+ The movie’s ending between Mikael and Lisbeth remains “open”. This is great because Larsson’s ending sucks… Haha. That’s just my opinion, of course because I dislike Berger’s cold character – and would have wanted to see Mikael and Lisbeth together. However impossible or mismatched that sounds…
- Lisbeth speaks a little bit more in the book. She shows more emotions, too.
- She is not that rude or almost-mute in the book, just very introverted.
- Movie’s ending made me expect more between Mikael and Lisbeth on “Girl who played…” and “The girl who kicked…” [And this one was a huge con]
- Larsson’s characters emotions are often unrealistic, kind of shallow. Especially when they show no jealousy what so ever. Except Salander (Go, girl!) and Armanski in the book when Mikael shows up for the first time.
- All that polyamoria (and Mikael/Erika/Erika’s husband triangle) makes me very uncomfortable. Not cool. I believe human nature is jealous. Jealousy is an essential part of drama.
But still, fabulous work, both movies and the books. I’ll comment on pt 2 and pt 3 soon… Good reviews!
July 20th, 2010 at 10:54 AM
*Thrilled to bits* – All movies now out in extended edition
July 20th, 2010 at 1:02 PM
Link plz
July 20th, 2010 at 3:17 PM
They are in stores now and available for purchase on-line.
http://www.cdon.dk.
July 20th, 2010 at 4:23 PM
Thanks, trinity. I can see it’s only Danish/Swedish versions, though, so you poor foreign language readers out there will have to wait a bit more until Larsson Inc. swings the TV-series-versions your way on DVD. I’m going to order them and review them here in the near future, so stay tuned. (And do drop me a line about what you think of them, when you’ve seen them as well!)
July 20th, 2010 at 6:45 PM
Da nada, happy to share. Just saw the trailers on tv for the first time.. See me jumping and clapping my little hands.. Yeah! Go Sally!
September 26th, 2010 at 9:07 PM
Please don’t say that again
I have an eternity to wait or learn to speak Swedish or Norwegian or Danish OK which is easiest……:-)