Susan Glaspell Presents “Trifles” The Movie Part A

These pictures represent Minnie’s initial discovery of the lifeless canary and the anger that leads up to the murder of her husband. She then feels the men judging her as she is taken away. We then see the women talking to each other and observing for themselves the life Minnie Foster has led and the reasons for the murder. I imagine this movie to be the sort that flashes from past to present (there’s probably a technical term for that) as we first see the result of a life of isolation and pain and then all the events leading up to that moment. The last two images portray Minnie and her two saviors Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters and then Minnie herself, smiling and free.

“Trifles” Part B Starring

George Clooney as “Mr. Hale” His role in “O’ Brother Where Art Thou” brought to mind a bumbling man who might imagine himself smarter than his female counterparts.

Kathy Bates as “Mrs. Hale” Mrs. Hale is described as a large and comfortable women and Kathy Bates has played many roles as a strong willed woman who doesn’t cower before men. I’m thinking Tawanda in Fried Green Tomatoes.

Tommy Lee Jones as “Sheriff Peters” In one of his newest roles he plays a sheriff in No Country for Old Men. The scene where he is talking to the wife in the restaurant he is condescending and under estimates this woman just like Sheriff Peters character.

Meryl Streep as “Mrs. Peters” Mrs. Peters is described as thin and nervous looking. Mery Streep is one of my favorite actresses and is able to portray all emotions beautifully. I can imagine her transformation from dutiful wife to co-conspirator.

Matt Damon as “The County Attorney” A young man, maybe like his character in Oceans Eleven where he is arrogant and head strong. I imagine he doesn’t care for anyone’s opinion except his own, especially not a woman’s.

“Trifles” Part C Musical Score

Tori Amos-Crucify There’s a line in this song that says: “You’re just an empty cage girl if you kill the bird.” I think that means if you don’t truly live life and find meaning you’ll die inside and be like an empty cage. I imagine Minnie herself could be singing this song as it talks about freeing her heart from chains and looking for a savior to help her out of her situation. Everyday she lived in misery she was “crucifying” herself. Paula Cole-Where Have All the Cowboys Gone This song refers to the disappointing life a lot of women lead after they marry. It talks about the forced duties of different gender roles and how the woman yearns for a man unlike her husband who will take care of her and treat her with respect, just as Minnie surely yearned for her own cowboy. Grateful Dead-Man Smart, Woman Smarter The title sort of speaks for itself. The song talks about several different instances where women outsmarted the men just as the women in Trifles were able to find clues the men could not. Mary Chapin Carpenter-He thinks He’ll Keep Her Again this talks about a wife who spends years doing her duty as a wife and then one day decides she’s had enough. Her husband never sees it coming just as John Wright never imagined his own wife would one day snap as well.