Puccini

Raiders90

Well-known member
Did anyone else here find Pucini rather despicable? Him pushing Anna to be with him was literally making her ill and he came off rather stalker-ish, and wanted her to leave her son, and her husband for him. He was a really disgusting man manipulating an emotionally vulnerable woman. Yes, Anna caved in, but it seemed like he pressured her or played on her conflicted feelings until she caved in.
 
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Exulted Unicron

New member
He wasn't really trying to break apart Anna and Indy. Since he often took them all for a spin in his car. He took part in Indy's science lessons. But I do agree. It started off as something friendly, but then he went too far. Demanding that Anna go off with him.

Again, maybe taking them all out for a spin in his car and taking part in Indy's lessons, especially the gravity experiment were methods of trying to manipulate Anna, who was needing some adult male contact, since it was clear she was missing Henry Sr.
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
Exulted Unicron said:
He wasn't really trying to break apart Anna and Indy. Since he often took them all for a spin in his car. He took part in Indy's science lessons. But I do agree. It started off as something friendly, but then he went too far. Demanding that Anna go off with him.

Again, maybe taking them all out for a spin in his car and taking part in Indy's lessons, especially the gravity experiment were methods of trying to manipulate Anna, who was needing some adult male contact, since it was clear she was missing Henry Sr.

He wanted Anna to come without Indy. I think that was implicit--Even Ms. Seymour says if she goes with Puccini, it will mean she loses her country, her husband, her child. And then Anna cries worrying what would happen to Indy.

I think your latter point is right--Him being nice to Indy was just part of the manipulation. A nice charming exterior to draw her in.
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
Thought I'd revive this. Was watching Perils of Cupid for the first time in a while and I really do feel bad for both Indy, Anna and Henry in this. Anna, as we know, isn't long for this world--though no one else knows it. Indy almost loses his mother sooner than he actually does. Henry really does love his wife but kind of takes her for granted, being so obsessed with the Grail and his research. He doesn't mean to neglect her--He's not a bad man. Just a man so driven by his obsession that he sort of neglects everyone around him. And he does mourn her when she's gone and he does truly love her.

But Puccini doesn't care about any of this. He's not in love with Anna--Just in mad, unthinking lust with her. He doesn't want her TO BE WITH HER, but simply for her to be his muse, to reignite his creativity. He plays up being this nice, almost fatherly guy with Indy, which helps draw Anna to him--But he ultimately doesn't care about Indy; Being good to Indy is just a tool to win Anna's effections. He wouldn't care less if she left without Indy--and she realizes this.

Just an utterly despicable man. To look in Henry Sr's face knowing you're going to try to steal his wife while he's gone--a real weasel. I wonder if Indy ever knew what was going on with Anna and Puccini or if he ever remembered it as he got older.
 

Crack that whip

New member
Not to mention his years-later exasperation with Eliot Ness when the latter suggested Sidney Bechet wasn't in the same league as Mozart or Puccini. Most of Indy's reaction is undoubtedly at Eliot's assessment of Bechet in and of itself, but I suspect he found it just that little more annoying that Eliot compared Bechet to Puccini, of all people, since Indy undoubtedly retained a personal dislike of Puccini.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Thread Bump

Raiders112390 said:
Did anyone else here find Pucini rather despicable? Him pushing Anna to be with him was literally making her ill and he came off rather stalker-ish, and wanted her to leave her son, and her husband for him. He was a really disgusting man manipulating an emotionally vulnerable woman. Yes, Anna caved in, but it seemed like he pressured her or played on her conflicted feelings until she caved in.
Agreed 100%, Raiders112390. I've been watching the episode again recently in order to catalogue the music for our Soundtracks thread and Puccini's character still grates me. He's a scumbag!(n)

Apparently, he was like that in real life. Puccini had an affair with a married woman, got her pregnant, she eventually left her cheating husband and became the maestro's wife. Afterwards, Puccini cheated on her many times by having affairs with numerous other women. (Poor lady. She left one cheating weasel to shack up with another!:() I'll have to watch the documentary on the DVD and see if his infidelity is mentioned.

In reality, he was married at the time of the "Florence" episode (1908) so Anna Jones would have been just another one of his sexual conquests. (Though, in the episode, it's made out to seem as if he isn't married.)

However, the casting of that actor was a good choice because his physical resemblance is pretty, darned close!(y)
 
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Stoo

Well-known member
Me said:
(Though, in the episode, it's made out to seem as if he isn't married.)
Just noticed this bit:

Anna Jones: "I am married."
Giacomo Puccini: "Yes, I am, too."

So the show did, indeed, address the fact that he was married at the time.

Mr. Puccini was a sleaze!:p
 

Raiders90

Well-known member
Stoo said:
Just noticed this bit:

Anna Jones: "I am married."
Giacomo Puccini: "Yes, I am, too."

So the show did, indeed, address the fact that he was married at the time.

Mr. Puccini was a sleaze!:p

He was indeed. He did not love Anna, as he proclaimed--he simply wanted her, lusted for her. I believe Ms. Seymour says pretty much the same, though not as bluntly. Puccini would probably be passionate toward Anna for a while, and she'd probably have awakened her own dormant passions with him, if she'd left with him--But after a while, he'd have grown bored with her, and moved on to some other lonely woman and manipulated her, pushing Anna out of his life--Which would've ruined hers.

She'd have been left with nothing; She'd have left her country, her husband, and her little son, for what she thought was love, only to be used for sex, and left for another woman--Her life utterly ruined.Anna probably felt starved for attention and affection, and probably had been deprived of anything resembling passion, and as such probably felt unwanted, vulnerable, insecure...And Puccini, like a predator, recognized this, inflated her self esteem and showed her passion and what seemed to be affection--knowing what he was doing all along.

As I said above, Henry Sr. was not a perfect husband. He was neglectful and too into his research to realize what he had in Anna (a selfless, loving, romantic woman). He was too obsessed with his Quest for the Grail to the point that he nearly lost his wife and lost his son for nearly 20 years. It wasn't that Henry was some heartless man; He was just a Victorian man, a stiff researcher, the professor the students hope they don't get. It's clear that he loved Anna and Indy deeply; he, as a product of his time, just didn't know how to show it often. But it is clear he valued and appreciated and loved Anna.

He saw her as a person and did appreciate her for that; Puccini only saw her as a muse, a source of inspiration; There was no true, long lasting or deep love on Puccini's end--Just desire. She was in his eyes just a thing, to be exploited, to inspire him and give him passion to create his operas. Sort of an emotional vampire, Puccini.
 
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