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Post by emilia78 on Apr 18, 2020 8:43:04 GMT
Frau Schmidt seems like she cares about this family. She looks pained when telling Maria about there being no more music and no more laughter in the house after the captain lost his poor wife. I don't think she was in on it. Though, Franz obviously was with the conversation with Rolf and the watching from the window indicating that it was he that told Zeller about the escape plan. Do you think Frau Schmidt knew that Franz was a Nazi? If she did, I don't think she knew the extent of his disloyalty to the captain. Indeed she cares for the family. I believe that is why the Captain keeps her in this position, because when the governesses ran away, Frau Schmidt was the one to take care of the children, their food, their daily tasks and program. Let's see what are the duties according to my google search: Housekeeper Job Duties
Dusting and polishing furniture and fixtures Cleaning and sanitising toilets, showers/bathtubs, countertops, and sinks Maintaining a clean and sanitary kitchen area Making beds and changing linens Washing windows Vacuuming and cleaning carpets and rugs Sweeping/vacuuming, polishing, and mopping hard floors Sorting, washing, loading, and unloading laundry Ironing clothing items Using any cleaning equipment such as vacuums, mops, and other cleaning tools Keeping bathrooms stocked with clean linens, toiletries, and other supplies Cleaning mirrors and other glass surfaces Emptying trash receptacles and disposing of waste Steaming and cleaning draperies Washing blinds Tidying up rooms Monitoring cleaning supplies and ordering more as needed Reporting any necessary repairs or replacements Because she was an elder lady, we assume that in the villa there were servants under her guidance. I think she knew about Franz being a nazi but as a traditional elder lady she did not dig her nose in other people's businesses and especially politics. Now why does she gossip the captain's will to marry the baroness to the new governess?? and implying that the baroness will not be a successful mother?? I think that she unconsciously tries to draw Maria's attention to the children, to their loneliness and unhappiness, the fact that apart from not having their mother, they also do not have a loving father but an authoritative one who runs his household like a ship and plans to marry his partying aristocrat buffer. However, she does not say it expressly to Maria, we conclude it from her sigh when Maria says that children will have a new mother. Now from where did FS know the baroness? because she speaks like she has seen her previously. I guess that the Baroness is quite known to the aristocratic social circles, so FS may have talked with other servants who happened to know the baroness. I am also thinking that since Georg is so rich, he should have a viennese house for his time in Vienna. And that his house in Salzburg was more like a resting place during summer holidays. Logically children would go to a viennese school, I find it hard to believe that they went to a salzburger school. In this case, if the captain had indeed a viennese house, then when the captain moved to vienna during winter, along with Franz, his butler, and FS, his housekeeper, and his children were all at school, probably a boarding school, the baroness could have visited him with a bunch of other friends. Or since his wife died, maybe the Captain had some friends with whom he was hanging out and one of them was the baroness, and as time went by, they became more close and intimate. What surprises me though is that the children did not do any pranks to Franz or FS. This, how you explain it??
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Post by Silver-White-Winters on Apr 24, 2020 2:50:11 GMT
I think the reason that the children didn't pull any pranks on Frau Schmidt and Franz, was because they grew up with/around them. Since they've known them for a long time, they may not like or feel comfortable doing anything of the sort. Or, they could have pulled something and gotten punished for it thus, making them not want to.
If that made sense?
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MeltIntoSpring
Junior Member
"Enchanting little ritual. Something you learned at the.. Abbey?"
Posts: 75
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Post by MeltIntoSpring on Jul 27, 2021 22:43:27 GMT
Sorry to bring this back after over a year, but I can't help but comment after so many wonderful theories and opinions.
Frau Schmidt is such an under-utilised character, it's almost criminal. There obviously wasn't much that Norma Varden could do with her character, but the look she gives Maria after she says "That would be wonderful, the children would have a mother again." has always stuck with me. Whether it was some sort of foreshadowing, or maybe she was not 100% convinced that the baroness would be a great fit within the family, or whether it was simply a case of not wanting to say too much, I'll never know. Every time I watch the film, the expression in her eyes always makes me wonder...
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Post by Chris&Byng on Jul 28, 2021 0:08:44 GMT
Sorry to bring this back after over a year, but I can't help but comment after so many wonderful theories and opinions. Frau Schmidt is such an under-utilised character, it's almost criminal. There obviously wasn't much that Norma Varden could do with her character, but the look she gives Maria after she says "That would be wonderful" Well the children would have a mother again." has always stuck with me. Whether it was some sort of foreshadowing, or maybe she was not 100% convinced that the baroness would be a great fit within the family, or whether it was simply a case of not wanting to say too much, I'll never know. Every time I watch the film, the expression in her eyes always makes me wonder... I totally agree with your opinion on Frau Schmidt! I wonder if she really had to be "toned down" due to movie length, because there's a lot she could offer to the overall development, as you say... She must have been with the family for a long time...or was she? Sometimes I am not sure since she refers to the Captain's "poor wife" in 3rd person, not as though she was someone who provided service in her home (why not call her the Baroness? or would that be too many Baronesses?)
I think Frau Schmidt's role is super important in setting up Maria's foreshadowing: "Dear Father, NOW I know why you sent me here...to help these children prepare for a new mother". When I think of Frau Schmidt, that is the route my heart follows
Still wondering...
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Post by augiesannie on Jul 28, 2021 11:29:04 GMT
Oh MeltIntoSpring, never apologize for bringing back a good topic! And Chris&Byng, you are so smart to point to the importance of that one small moment with Frau Schmidt that tells us what we need to know about Georg and &Elsa (also her overall function of giving us the backstory). I never thought about “poor wife” that way, so interesting! I think more stories from her POV would be a real contribution - I can think of something small I did, I’m not even sure I published it - who will take a shot at it?
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MeltIntoSpring
Junior Member
"Enchanting little ritual. Something you learned at the.. Abbey?"
Posts: 75
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Post by MeltIntoSpring on Jul 28, 2021 14:05:25 GMT
Oh MeltIntoSpring, never apologize for bringing back a good topic! And Chris&Byng, you are so smart to point to the importance of that one small moment with Frau Schmidt that tells us what we need to know about Georg and &Elsa (also her overall function of giving us the backstory). I never thought about “poor wife” that way, so interesting! I think more stories from her POV would be a real contribution - I can think of something small I did, I’m not even sure I published it - who will take a shot at it? I have had a little exploration in this area when I wrote 'Number Twelve'. A couple of people asked me to continue, and I have written further chapters. Unless someone else has something planned, I dont mind continuing it if anyone would be interested. It might just take me a little longer as I'm still writing 'The Manual of Engagement. Sorry for the double post... I don't know how to delete it from my phone.
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Post by indigoblue on Jul 28, 2021 22:46:26 GMT
Don't worry about the double post, I'm not sure you can delete it now.
I wrote a little story a while back named 'Gone' on ff.net, seen from Frau Schmidt's POV. Turns out she and the Rev Mother had a backstory...
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Post by augiesannie on Jul 29, 2021 5:29:18 GMT
Having trouble sleeping. Off to reacquaint myself with these stories!!!
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MeltIntoSpring
Junior Member
"Enchanting little ritual. Something you learned at the.. Abbey?"
Posts: 75
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Post by MeltIntoSpring on Jul 29, 2021 21:21:16 GMT
Don't worry about the double post, I'm not sure you can delete it now. I wrote a little story a while back named 'Gone' on ff.net, seen from Frau Schmidt's POV. Turns out she and the Rev Mother had a backstory... I don't think I've come across it before. I'll have to find it and have a little read.
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Post by reverendcaptain on Jul 30, 2021 22:05:09 GMT
Sorry to bring this back after over a year, but I can't help but comment after so many wonderful theories and opinions. Frau Schmidt is such an under-utilised character, it's almost criminal. There obviously wasn't much that Norma Varden could do with her character, but the look she gives Maria after she says "That would be wonderful" Well the children would have a mother again." has always stuck with me. Whether it was some sort of foreshadowing, or maybe she was not 100% convinced that the baroness would be a great fit within the family, or whether it was simply a case of not wanting to say too much, I'll never know. Every time I watch the film, the expression in her eyes always makes me wonder... I totally agree with your opinion on Frau Schmidt! I wonder if she really had to be "toned down" due to movie length, because there's a lot she could offer to the overall development, as you say... She must have been with the family for a long time...or was she? Sometimes I am not sure since she refers to the Captain's "poor wife" in 3rd person, not as though she was someone who provided service in her home (why not call her the Baroness? or would that be too many Baronesses?)
I think Frau Schmidt's role is super important in setting up Maria's foreshadowing: "Dear Father, NOW I know why you sent me here...to help these children prepare for a new mother". When I think of Frau Schmidt, that is the route my heart follows
Still wondering...
I always took "poor wife" to mean that she was so broken up about the loss of Agathe (both as a person and because of what her death did to the household) that she didn't even want to say her name. As if distancing her to just "the captain's wife" made it easier to talk about than saying "our beloved Agathe". It would be interesting to know more about Frau Schmidt for sure.
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Post by reverendcaptain on Jul 30, 2021 22:06:59 GMT
Don't worry about the double post, I'm not sure you can delete it now. I wrote a little story a while back named 'Gone' on ff.net, seen from Frau Schmidt's POV. Turns out she and the Rev Mother had a backstory... Your new story "The Unexpected Return" has some awesome Frau Schmidt lines in it too!
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