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3.1.4.6 Authority figures.
During his fireside chat with the Riepers, Henry Hulme described Dr Bennett as a "good friend" and a general practitioner with experience in child psychology. After his examination of Pauline, Dr Bennett pronounced that she was suffering from "h-h-homo-sexuality" in that ultra-closeup shot, bad teeth and all. There were several extra scenes featuring Dr Bennett and his family in an early draft of the "Heavenly Creatures" script. (Heavenly Creatures, Draft #5, February 7, 1993, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA.) The Bennetts were portrayed as being close social contacts of the Hulmes, and part of the Christchurch social elite, which is, apparently, an accurate portrait of real life on all accounts. In the draft script, the Bennett's son, Colin, was volunteered by the adults to pursue Juliet and rescue her from Pauline's charms, lest she be "lost to the world of men forever!" He complied awkwardly and reluctantly. Naturally, our Juliet shredded the hapless lad with her sarcastic wit and razor-sharp tongue. (see 3.1.25) Too bad those scenes hit the cutting room floor.
** Was Dr Bennett real?
Dr Bennett was a real person and an important player in the "Parker
Hulme" case. He examined Pauline as shown in the film and he was consulted twice by
Henry Hulme about the girls' relationship before the murder. Dr Bennett examined both
Pauline and Juliet after the murder and testified for the defense at the trial. For a more
complete description of Dr Bennett and his role in the real-life events, see 7.1. [jp] Dr.
Bennett was a family physician. He was my mother's doctor in Christchurch. [mc]
** Who was the priest? Were there inside jokes
here?
The priest was Rev Norris, and he visited Juliet in the sanatorium. The scene with
Rev Norris was probably included for three reasons. First, it is a timely reminder of the
religious themes that permeate the film (see 3.1.15). Second, for irony. Rev Norris
attempts to 'comfort' Juliet with standard Christian fire-and- brimstone rhetoric; taken
literally, his words conjure up violent and disturbing images, of course--hardly
comforting for a sick and lonely child. And his pamphlet shows a picture of a bloody Jesus
suffering under torture on the cross. Juliet imagines her own salvation from this annoying
man and it is comparably violent--Diello dispatches Rev Norris by dragging him to Borovnia
and publicly beheading him. Funny, but Rev Norris didn't seem to be pleased to be meeting
his Maker and Saviour... The third reason was probably to illustrate and emphasize
Juliet's contempt for organized religion. Earlier in the film she makes some withering
comments about the distinction between Heaven and The Fourth World (see 3.1.12). In real
life, a statement from Juliet concerning the concept of Hell was read into testimony at
the trial: Juliet said there was no hell--"the idea is so primitive." And the
girls' religious philosophizing in real life was a much more significant part of their
writings than was portrayed in the film (see 7.6). And, in real life, Dr Hulme was close
friends of the Bishop of Christchurch, and Juliet's maternal grandfather was an Anglican
clergyman.
