Movies - The Fourth Man

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	Movies - The Fourth Man

In The Fourth Man (original Dutch title is De Vierde Man), an alcoholic novelist, Gerard Reve, leaves Amsterdam to deliver a lecture at the Vlissingen Literary Society where he becomes sexually involved with its attractive treasurer, Christine Halslag. Plagued with horrific visions and suspicions of this mysterious woman, Gerard becomes aware of the awful truth in a bloody climax. The movie is very stylish and violent.

Plot details

Gerard becomes the lover of the thrice-widowed Christine, who is alternately described as a witch, black widow, Delilah and the devil. Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to him in visions to show that he is targeted as her fourth victim. Mary says, "Anyone given a warning must listen to it". Gerard listens and his life is spared. He passes on the warning to Herman who ignores it thinking that Gerard is trying to scare him off so that he can have Christine for himself. The movie ends with Herman's death, Christine's selection of a 5th victim and Gerard's future uncertain.

Contains male frontal nudity, simulated castration, gay and straight sex scenes, blasphemy to Roman Catholics.

Portrayal of Homosexuals

The film has been accused of homophobia. Gerard's homosexual relationship, shown at the beginning of the film, is of an unsupportive, bickering nature with violent overtones. Gerard is portrayed as an alcoholic, a shoplifter, a voyeur and contemptuous of his readers. When he sleeps with the petite Christine, he flattens her breasts with his hands and exclaims ""you look like a boy in his glory. so slim, tender!". When Gerard flirts with Herman, he puts his hand on his thigh and says, "I could tell you stories. There's one bigwig bastard, when he throws a do. All the neighbors lock their kids up behind locks so thick. Children of six or seven years old, girls and boys, no difference. Find that fun? Little boys!" He seduces the heterosexual Herman by a surprise fondling of him from behind.

References to God

Gerard toasts a statue of the Virgin Mary before his morning drink
Train station sign says "Jesus is Everywhere"
A poster on the train is for Samson and Delilah
Woman on the train holds an apple peel above her child's head in imitation of a halo. Child's shirt says "Daddy's boy".
During lecture, Gerard is asked, "You call yourself an orthodox Catholic. Is that right? How can a man of sense in the scientific world say he is a Catholic today?" Gerard replies, "How can a man of sense say he's not a Catholic. Catholic doesn't equate with stupid. A Catholic must always be aware of the fantastic. Our research and progress are byproducts of fantasy. So the world of science must be Catholic."
Gerard exclaims "Mary, Mother of Jesus" while climaxing.
As Mary leaves the salon, she picks up Jesus from his father who says, "He's been such a good boy".

Christine as a witch/black widow/Delilah/devil symbolism

The name of her salon is Sphinx (meaning riddle) which flickers to become Spin (Dutch for spider).
Christine lies on broken glass and can't feel it because of a numb spot on her back.
While eating breakfast alone with Christine, Gerard says, "This is paradise" to which Christine replies, "For paradise, there needs to be two of you" implying that she would be the snake in the Garden of Eden.
Christine's cosmetic line is called Delilah
Christine films her victims as part of her black magic
* Films husband #1, Johan, while skydiving and herself jokingly cutting the chutes lines.
* Films husband #2, Ge, at the safari park and herself clawing like a lion for the camera
* Films husband #3, Henk, entering his boat and herself rushing at the camera lens with fishing poles.
* Films Gerard and Herman while they are driving.
* Plans to film victim #5 while he windsurfs.

Gerard's visions

Gerard is dreaming the opening scene of the spider trapping a fly and crawling on the crucifix.
While on the train, he sees an ad for the Hotel Bellevue (Good Eye or Woman's Vision). The Room #4 marker turns into an eyeball and oozes down the door.
During the night, Gerard dreams of a cemetery where the woman from the train appears with a key that opens a tomb containing 3 carcasses dripping blood into milk cans and a 4th can waiting empty into which she places red flowers.
Immediately afterwards, Gerard dreams that Christine cuts off his penis with scissors.
While reading Christine's palm, Gerard has a vision of Herman emerging from the ocean with his eyeball dislodged.
At the train station, Gerard sees a coffin with a crumpled ribbon reading "Guido Herman" which he has mistaken for his own name "Gerard". While writing his novel, Gerard re-imagines the scene but this time with the name "Herman". At the end of the movie, Gerard again sees the coffin with the name "Herman". Gerard mistakes Herman's name on a wrinkled letter as Gerard.
In the church, Gerard hallucinates that a crucifix is really Herman in a red Speedo crucified.
While with Herman in the crypt, Gerard sees the urns and has visions of the missing film footage of each of the 3 men's deaths.

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