MovieChat Forums > Cold Turkey (1971) Discussion > Pippa Scott is brilliant in this -

Pippa Scott is brilliant in this -

posted 11 years ago by trpdean
6 replies | jump to latest

as one review mentioned, she hardly has a word of dialog as the reverend's wife, yet is remembered as much as anyone in the film.

However (and perhaps because she has so little dialog), what does the scene mean where she stares at her cheeks after making love? Does she see herself flushed? And why the stacking of Oreo cookies in the kitchen - and begging Van Dyke not to turn on the light? I assumed (due to the frequent sex references) that perhaps she was pregnant and the Oreos were her cravings? What do others think?

[–] dalemidex 11 years ago

Wow...had not dawned on me she might be pregnant. I just figured she was trying to avoid being shamed by Clayton yet again. But it's an interesting angle.

I agree Pippa Scott is fantastic in this. So much conveyed with so few words.

[–] bhoover247 9 years ago

A couple of years late on this one but yes Pippa Scott was great. As for the Oreos she was a secret smoker so I think the cookies are still a response to the urge to smoke.

[–] Doghouse-6 9 years ago

In the early "pre-quitting" scenes, there are two very subtly done (makeup, that is) blemishes on her cheek. After she's been some time without smoking, she notices they've cleared up.

I believe you're on-target about the Oreos; just one among a collection of coping devices by the various characters (Mrs. Wappler with her pickles and so forth; Rev. Clayton with sex, along with the men flocking to the town hooker; Dr. Proctor with his...well, he never really coped very well, did he?).

Poe! You are...avenged!

[–] astockton_uk 9 years ago

Haven't you ever heard the old wives' tale that having sex will make acne go away? Teen-age boys have been telling their girlfriends that one almost as long as there has been sex and acne.

Natalie (Pippa Scott's character) is having sex so often that she's tired of it, especially since her husband is using sex to quell his tobacco cravings. But when she sees that her complexion is clearing up, she decides that frequent sex has an upside.

[–] maturity 8 years ago

When people quit smoking they will get hungry. Food tastes better / cigarettes make food taste bad. Maybe she was sensitive to light due to withdrawal, too.

[–] maturity 8 years ago

Her husband is a jerk and monopolizes the dialogue, trying to control her by shaming and talking non-stop.