Crimson Witness story
A playboy loses everything to his hated brother, leading to a reenactment of the story of Cain and Abel. Directed by: David Friedkin. Story by: David Friedkin.
23 total · 3 choice · 12 major · 8 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| brother and brother | choice | Ernest Mullett murdered his brother Farnum Mullett, just as Cain murdered Abel in the Bible. |
| female attraction to bad men | choice | Ernest's wife and mistress both abandoned him for his brother the mysterious and exciting, yet obviously unscrupulous, playboy Farnum. |
| filicide | choice | Ernest Mullett murdered his brother Farnum Mullett, just as Cain murdered Abel in the Bible. |
| extramarital affair | major | Ernest was having an affair with the office secretary, Barbara, behind his wife's back, and later another secretary named Madeleine. |
| gold digging | major | The story is a commentary of the (perhaps outdated) idea that women feign love and affection yet pursue mates because of their wealth and power. This is most obviously illustrated when three women who had rejected Ernest for his (more successful) brother Farnum suddenly and disingenuously compete again for Ernest's affection after Farnum turned up dead. |
| human characters in contrast | major | The dull and unambitious Ernest was juxtaposed with his cunning, unpredictable playboy of a brother Farnum. |
| husband and wife | major | Farnum, a brash and unpredictable playboy, swooped in and won the heart of his brother Ernest's wife, Judy. |
| male-male rivalry | major | The brothers Ernest and Farnum had a stereotypical rivalry going on. Farnum stole both Ernest's job, his wife, and his mistress. But then Ernest killed Farnum after Farnum goaded him into it by commenting on how Ernest had pussyfooted and failed to kill him when he had the chance, back when they were youths. |
| man and mistress | major | Ernest was having an affair with the office secretary, Barbara, behind his wife's back. |
| paramour and paramour | major | Farnum swooped in and won the hear of his brother's wife and mistress. |