Thankfully, someone has re-opened this thread (as did an SDSAB person beforehand). Thanks to you both.
As everyone who’s seen the film knows, the photographs she takes of winter scenes with no one in them are intended to provide information about Dunaway’s character’s inner life. In fact, I believe at least some of the photos are of scenes that one would normally associate with people (park benches, etc). The two characters even have a conversation about them. Been quite a while since I’ve seen it.
One could say (this one certainly does) that the photos are filled with yearning. Perhaps Redford’s character says this as well. Yearning for (warning - speculation to run rampant) connection, companionship, human touch. Yes, that’s a lot to get out of a few photos. However, they were in the movie for a reason, as are all items. The photos are there in spite of her boyfriend. That says to me that she is not getting something vital from him - clearly related to her yearning. Also, her captor is played by Robert Redford - at or near the height of his bodaciousness.
For these reasons (and one other about which I will not speculate), Kathy’s reactions to her captor seem spot-on.
My take on the psychology of Kathy is that she intrinsically wanted to be alone. But societal conventions and all that meant she had to have a boyfriend, etc. She clearly didn’t really want to do the skiing trip with him. Too much couple-time together. And then what?
Turner/Condor OTOH was more her type. Spend a couple days with him, sleep with him, and then he’ll be gone. Forever.
The Company has it’s own cleaning service as shown after the office hit. No muss, no fuss. (Assuming Condor tells them about it. I’m assuming The Company would want to clean up stuff like that even if it was Atwood’s mess.)
Update: Just re-watched the movie. About 10 seconds, give or take, before the major instructed Condor to not hang up the phone, a light reading “Trace Completed” came up on the Major’s panel; so, I’m assuming it was something other than the trace factor.
Just got the Dave Grusin jazz soundtrack to the movie. It’s a 1996 Italian CD reissue (I Tre Giorni Del Condor), and includes a very upbeat and out-of-place R&B vocal piece, “I’ve Got You Where I Want You,” sung by Jim Gilstrap. I don’t remember hearing it in the movie - was it in a bar, a street scene or something else?
The photo on the back of the CD shows Redford holding a gun on that CIA official in his home office at the end of the movie, and Faye Dunaway in her bathrobe - the photos are arranged so that it looks like Dunaway is sitting right there in the office with them!
I thought they were in Washington, DC at the time of the scene at McCoy’s restaurant?! I would like to know if that link you provided is in fact to the actual restaurant depicted in that scene. The sandwich Higgins had looked delicious!
Higgins was the local NYC director of CIA operations. So he oversaw (maybe up two levels?) Condor’s group which was based there. Hence he generally was in NYC thru the movie. Condor, I think, didn’t go to the DC area until near the end.
That’s right. As noted above, Higgins worked at the World Trade Center, and McCoy’s is, by my count, 26 blocks away from it. Higgins would probably IRL be more likely to take a cab or a government car, but in the movie we see him walking to lunch. Not the first time Hollywood has messed with real-world geography.
