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43.
Bottom's baton
Peter Quince and
Francis Flute gawp at Bottom's new swagger stick. His
self-promoting change of heart and status will be fully
revealed in the next scene when he comes on as an American
Military Police sergeant (apparently under Elvis Presley's
influence). At this point all he has is the big truncheon
and a cocky idea.
There may be a wry
Cold War subtext here about Japanese postwar 'miracles'
which parallels the love/hate relationship of the lovers in
the wood of transformational opportunity. "Getting our
play...preferred" necessitates a slight but important change
of setting. In the late 40s and early 50s, traditional
Japanese classics like Chuushingura ('The Treasury of Loyal Retainers') were
banned by the Occupation Force censors as too militaristic.
Democratic - and so, of course, American - content was
encouraged.
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