As per the winning entry in the most recent reader poll — thanks again to everyone who voted in the poll! — I am analyzing the 1985 classic The Breakfast Club, and in particular, its school library setting. The Breakfast Club earned 75% of the reader poll votes, easily outpacing Good News (1947), Goodbye, Columbus (1969), and Personals (1990, TV movie). I rewatched this movie from my own personal VHS copy, as seen below.
Stack of VHS tapes. Does this photo look like a still life portrait of media to you?
There is no actual reel librarian in this “Brat Pack” coming-of-age movie, which means this movie lands in the Class V category, films with library scenes but no actual librarian characters. Almost the entire movie is set in a school library, so I found it a very interesting exercise to rewatch this movie and focus more on the background and library setting.
The film, written and directed by John Hughes (1950-2009), features five teenagers who serve detention together on a Saturday in the school library: “athlete” Andrew (Emilio Estevez); “criminal” John (Judd Nelson); “princess” Claire (Molly Ringwald); “basket case” Allison (Ally Sheedy); and “brain” Brian (Anthony Michael Hall). The cast list also includes the school principal, Mr. Vernon (Paul Gleason), and janitor Carl (John Kapelos).
Before detention, these teens know of each other, via their groups/stereotypes, but the film explores how they get to actually know each other. About 90% of the film takes place in the school library, so we also get to know this library setting very well. By the end of rewatching this movie, the school library setting felt as much of a supporting character as the school principal and janitor!
Film’s legacy & criticism
This movie was a legitimate hit in the year it was released, earning over $50 million worldwide. The film’s dialog and themes struck a chord in teenagers who felt seen in the movie, with their fears, trauma, and anxieties validated in a way that had rarely been explored in such depth before on the big screen. It was also respected critically at the time of its release, as well, earning praise from Roger Ebert for having “a surprisingly good ear for the way [teenagers] speak,” and Kathleen Carroll from the New York Daily News highlighting its “exceptional cast — who deserve top grades.”
Some critics, however, were not so generous; for example, critic James Harwood from Variety wrote that the movie “will probably pass as deeply profound among today’s teenage audience.” I laughed at this because that was true for me! When I was a teen, I did think this movie was very deep and profound! Watching this movie has become like a rite of passage into young adulthood for many teens. In this respect, this film has aged well, as a lot of the fears and anxieties that the teens express — pressure over getting good grades, pressure to fit in, pressure living up to your parents’ expectations, feeling like a pawn in-between squabbling parents, not knowing how to express your anxieties, etc. — still ring true today.
But other aspects of this film have NOT aged well, and need to be called out today as problematic, including, but not necessarily limited to: sexual harassment (Claire endures both slut-shaming and virgin-shaming); fatphobia (“That’s a fat girl’s name”); physical violence and abuse (Andrew’s reason for detention, the principal’s violent threat against a student); violation of personal privacy (the principal looks up students’ personal records without authorization, the janitor looks through students’ lockers); anti-LGBTQ+ slurs (the word “faggot” gets tossed around a lot); the blinding lack of diversity (everyone in this movie is White — in a film set in Chicago!!); and lack of accountability (sexual harasser John “gets the girl” at the end, yikes — and Judd Nelson also bullied Molly Ringwald off-screen). It can be uncomfortable to rewatch old favorites, and realize just how racist, misogynistic, and/or otherwise problematic they seem now — because the discomfort is really about how that reflects on you, right? But it’s necessary to sit with that discomfort and call it out. A movie can be both a beloved classic and simultaneously problematic in different ways. It’s necessary to recognize that we each contain multitudes, and that we can continue to grow and change. After all, isn’t that the ultimate point of this movie?
“Dear Mr. Vernon,
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us — in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.
Does that answer your question?
Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast Club”
Opening and closing lines of The Breakfast Club (1985)
Filming locations & school library setting
John Hughes set many of his iconic films in and around Chicago, where he grew up. The Breakfast Clubtakes places at Shermer High School — the first shot of the entire film!
“Shermer High School” front entrance in The Breakfast Club
Shermer, Illinois, is also the setting in National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983, written by Hughes), Sixteen Candles (1984), Weird Science (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986). “Shermerville” was the original name of the current town of Northbrook, Illinois, located north of Chicago, and the high school Hughes attended in real life, Glenbrook North High School, was located on Shermer Road.
The building used for Shermer High School was an actual school that had closed down in 1981, the Maine North High School in Des Plaines, Illinois, located northwest of Chicago. Maine North High School had opened in 1970, and the architectural style of blocky concrete is in the Brutalist style, which was a popular low-cost building option for schools and colleges from the 1950s through the 1970s.
Hughes had planned to shoot the film in the actual school library, but it was too small. Therefore, the school library set was constructed in the high school’s gymnasium, but the design of it was based on the school’s actual library. In fact, before rewatching this movie for this post, I was convinced that this movie had been filmed in a real school library, and I was shocked to discover that it was a set! I think it was a smart move to base it on an actual school library; the Shermer High School library is one of the most convincing school libraries I have ever seen onscreen!
School library spaces & collections
Below are the first and final views of the school library in the movie. It seemed fitting that the first view of the library space (at 5:43 mins) was filmed from the front perspective, and the final view of the library (at 1 hour and 34 mins) was filmed from the back perspective.
Click on any image to view in a larger window.
First and final views of the school library in The Breakfast Club
The shape of the school library is more or less a long rectangle, with squared-off corners like an emerald shape, with a ground floor plus a mezzanine level lining the sides and overlooking the ground floor. The layout is mostly symmetrical, with skylights mirroring each side of the mezzanine, exit doors at the back of the library on both levels, and two open staircases in the middle of the library on either side. A large clock anchors the center back of the mezzanine level. The central open space of the library has lounge seating, a large statue, and tables and chairs toward the front. Blue-ish fluorescent lighting lines the bottom of the mezzanine level.
Click on any image to view in a larger window.
Gallery of library layout and features
The front part of the library consists of glass-panelled rooms, two rooms per level, set slightly higher the rest of the library and accessible by a ramp. A concrete staircase wraps around one side of this front section — yes, this school library has 3 staircases! The entrance to the library is asymmetrical, opening to the front right side, with a wrap-around counter and book return.
Click on any image to view in a larger window.
Gallery of school library’s front rooms and entrance
We get to see glimpses of the library’s resources, collections, and equipment throughout the movie — particularly during the “getting high” and dance sequences — including:
Current periodicals (e.g., magazines) and newspapers line the back wall on the ground floor
“Librarians selections” collections flank each back corner of the mezzanine level
Foreign language room on the mezzanine level
Tall bookcases line the walls of the library on both levels, along with lower, mid-height bookcases.
Listening booths (or possibly group study booths?) along the mezzanine level
Overhead projector tucked away in a corner on the mezzanine level
Map and atlas case in the center of the ground floor, below one of the staircases
Rolling book carts
Microform/film/fiche readers along one side of the ground level
Black-rimmed computers/OPACs on one side of the center ground level
Sound system room, with records and a microphone, in one of the front glassed-in rooms on the ground level
Reference storage room, with film reels and archival boxes, in the other front glassed-in room on the ground level
Group study rooms — or small classrooms? — on the top level of glassed-in rooms
Click on any image to view in a larger window.
Gallery of different resources, collections, and equipment in the school library
Card catalogs & call numbers
This school library has an entire wall of card catalogs, with 3 separate card catalog units, as well as computers/OPACs (online public access catalogs). This feels accurate to me, as it reflects the transitional nature of the time period, when libraries had and used both the old-fashioned card catalogs as well as more modern computers. Card catalogs had drawers full of index cards, where you could look up resources in the library’s collection by Title, Author, or Subject Area.
The library also has a lot of signage, in blocky, black letters, on the walls to indicate the location of different collections and resources. This signage also reveals that the library uses the Dewey Decimal classification system, which is a common way for school libraries to organize their non-fiction collections. This system uses combinations of numbers in 10 main classes, from the 000s (General works) to the 900s (History and geography). In this movie, we see glimpses of the sections for Reference, General Works, Philosophy, History, and Language.
Click on any image to view in a larger window.
Gallery of card catalogs, computers, and call numbers in the school library
In a confessional scene between Allison and Andrew, we get more close-up glimpses of call numbers on the library books in the 900s area for history and geography. If you’re a regular reader (thank you!), then you’ll know that I look for call number stickers on books in library scenes and settings, because they are a tell-tale sign that indicates actual library books.
The IMDB.com trivia page also revealed that the the Chicago Public Library donated over 10,000 books for use in the movie!
We also see bits of realistic-looking posters around the library, including bulletin boards, a rainbow-colored “library” poster — I remember from my own childhood that my mom had one of these in her school library! — as well as a few large athletic shoe cut-outs that seem kind of random (but kind of realistically random, if that makes sense, like they’re part of a poster campaign from the athletic clubs or something). Props to the propmasters on this movie, as these kinds of details really add to the verisimilitude of this school library setting.
Click on any image to view in a larger window.
Gallery of bulletin boards, posters, and signage in the library
It’s also interesting to note that card catalog drawers also get a cameo outside the library! When the principal locks John in a storage room in his office, at 50 minutes into the film, we see an old set of card catalog drawers along the back wall.
Old card catalog drawers in the principal’s storage room
A library by any other name…
The library is actually titled the “Learning Resource Center,” a common term/phrase used for school libraries, and this signage is visible at 17:10 minutes into the film on the outside of the front doors, along with the hours. The library is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and closed on the weekends — except when it’s being used for Saturday detention, of course.
A closeup look at the school library’s hours and “Learning Resource Center” signage
And from my notes, Brian is the only character who actually says the word “library” out loud. At around 19 mins, Brian reveals that “the school comes equipped with fire exits at either end of the library.”
Of course, the brain of the group would say the word library, and know where the fire exits are, right?! 😉
Library vandalism & destruction
Throughout the movie, we witness how the students — mostly John the “criminal” — casually and nonchalantly destroy, vandalize, or otherwise meddle with library property and resources, including:
John pockets cards from the front counter as he enters the library, and later swipes everything off the front counter as he exits
John rips pages out a book (the ensuing conversation reveals that it’s a work by Molière, a French playwright)
John reshuffles cards in a card catalog drawer and also throws cards on the floor
John falls through the library ceiling (after escaping the principal’s storage room through the dropped ceiling)
Allison throws a piece of bologna onto the center statue during lunch (it falls off), and John later climbs atop the statue during the dance scene
Andrew screams and shatters the glass door for the “foreign language” room during the “getting high” scene
John causes destruction and chaos in the school library
Can you imagine the school librarian(s) coming in Monday morning and having to deal with ripped-up books, shattered glass, and holes in the ceiling? And it will probably take weeks, if not longer, to find and fix/replace all the misfiled or missing cards. Does the principal use the school library for every Saturday detention, and does this kind of destruction happen every time?!
The principal boasts to the janitor that everyone likes him at the school, but I know one person at the school who likely does NOT like him — the school librarian!
Fun facts & trivia
As per the IMDb’s trivia page, one of the original proposed titles for the movie was “Library Revolution” ❤
The large sculpture in the center of the library resembles a work entitled “Standing Figure, Knife Edge” by British artist Henry Moore
After the film wrapped, Hughes gifted the actors pieces of the banisters from the library set
Hughes had written other characters in the original script, including Dr. Lange, a Social Studies teacher, and Robin, a gym teacher — but no school librarian character!
And as I mentioned earlier in the post, the Chicago Public Library donated over 10,000 books for use in the movie
Continuing the “library revolution”
IsThe Breakfast Club a personal favorite of yours? Is the school library set also convincing to you? Please leave a comment and share!
Both versions gift us with more reel librarians to “love, love to hate, or hate.”
Last month, I analyzed Joshua Grannell’s indie camp horror movie, All About Evil (2010), and in that post, I mentioned that the original inspiration and short film, Grindhouse (2003) was also included in the special edition Blu-Ray. (Please note that the 2003 short film Grindhouse is different than the 2007 feature film of the same name, starring Rose McGowan and Kurt Russell.) I thought it would be fun to continue the scary season in order to analyze the original short film and compare the portrayals of the central reel librarian character, Deborah “Deb” Tennis, in both versions.
If you’re unfamiliar with the central character and premise, the summary on the Blu-Ray edition for All About Evil captures the foundation of both the short film and feature film:
When a mousy librarian takes over her late father’s struggling movie theater, a series of grisly murders caught on camera will transform her into the new queen of indie splatter cinema.
Let’s start by outlining some basic info about each version:
Grindhouse
All About Evil
Year released
2003
2010
Director & screenwriter
Joshua Grannell
Joshua Grannell
Length
14 mins
98 mins
Lead actor playing Deb
Jennifer Taher
Natasha Lyonne
Additional librarian characters
None
Mink Stole as Evelyn
Library scenes
No library scenes; Deb is referred to one time as a “dirty little librarian” by her mother
Two scenes set and filmed at San Francisco Public Library Presidio Branch library
Character played by Joshua Grannell
TV interviewer Richard Hunter
Peaches Christ, drag queen & horror movie buff
Comparing basic details of Grindhouse and All About Evil versions
Below is a visual comparison between how we first meet Jennifer Taher as Deb in Grindhouse vs. Natasha Lyonne in All About Evil. Both versions showcase Deb reading a book while at the concession stand, dressed in dowdy clothing and a messy bun. Interesting to note that the 2003 Deb wears glasses — a typical prop for the reel librarian! — while the 2010 Deb does not.
Our visual introduction to Deb the reel librarian in Grindhouse (top) and All About Evil (bottom)
The initial transformation of Deb from librarian to a star — after her first kill is caught on the movie theater’s security camera and accidentally shown to the audience in the theater — remains very similar in both versions. Deb embraces her “star quality” after her first kill, and her liberation from librarian to filmmaker begins:
Deb embraces her “star quality” after her first kill, in Grindhouse (left) and All About Evil (right)
The way that Deb’s mother describes her also remains almost identical between both versions (except for an adjective used with “librarian”):
2003: “You are nothing but a dirty little librarian with big, big, big dreams, and hideous little looks. You read too much. You are nothing but a loser.”
2010: “You are nothing but a boring, little librarian with big, big dreams and hideous little looks. Besides, you read too much. You’re a loser.”
In both versions, this is the only time anyone refers to Deb as a librarian.
After this initial “first kill” scene, the rest of the short film then features a TV interview with Deb and interviewer Richard Hunter (Joshua Grannell), during which we flash back to scenes from her real-life slasher films. The TV interview and reporter also pops up in the feature film; the character, a much smaller role, is renamed Peter Gorge (Patrick Bristow). It’s also fun to see how different Deb looks in each incarnation:
Comparing Deb’s interview in Grindhouse (top) and All About Evil (bottom)
Both versions feature tongue-in-(bloody)-cheek references to great literary works, which serve as the inspiration for Deb’s short films:
Film title / literary inspiration
Grindhouse (2003)
All About Evil (2010)
A Tale of Two Severed Titties / A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens
✓ (movie poster)
✓ (scene & movie poster)
The Slasher in the Rye / The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J. D. Salinger
✓ (scene)
✓ (verbal reference)
The Scarlet Leper / The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne
✓ (scene)
✓ (scene)
The Maiming of the Shrew / The Taming of the Shrew, a play by William Shakespeare
✓ (movie poster)
X
Gore and Peace / War and Peace, a novel by Leo Tolstoy
X
✓ (movie poster)
The Diary of Anne Frankenstein / a literary mashup from The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, and Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley
X
✓ (movie poster)
The Satanic Nurses / The Satanic Verses, a novel by Salman Rushdie
X
✓ (movie poster)
I Know Why the Caged Girl Screams / I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a memoir by Maya Angelou
X
✓ (movie poster)
MacDeath / Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare
X
✓ (movie poster)
Comparing literary references in Grindhouse and All About Evil
Beyond the movie titles and posters, Deb’s focus on literature is also highlighted in both versions:
In the 2003 short film, Deb states in the interview that “While it’s true my films are filled with gore and violence, if you look past all that, you’ll find the great literary works of all time.”
In the 2010 feature film, we see Deb doing research with a copy of A Tale of Two Cities in her hands, and she gets angry at Mr. Twigs when she suspects he hasn’t read the book she gave him.
This literary connection is also why I think it matters that we learn she’s a librarian in the opening scenes. Although Deb soon sheds her librarian persona in favor of being a “directress” (her own words in both versions), she remains true to her librarian and literary roots.
Here’s a visual comparison between the posters for “A Tale of Two Severed Titties” featured in both versions:
Movie poster comparison in Grindhouse (left) and All About Evil (right)
The closeups of Deb portraying “The Scarlet Leper” is also a fun visual comparison, as the bathroom setting for this short film remains similar in both versions.
Comparing “The Scarlet Leper” closeup of Deb in Grindhouse (left) and All About Evil (right)
The original short film doesn’t delve into WHY Deb kills people, beyond her first kill when she stabs her cruel, domineering mother. Grannell fleshes this out in the feature film version, and here’s how I described it in my post last month:
But in her mind, she doesn’t just murder people for fun… she murders them for a reason, because they break “the rules,” her rules. Yet in killing them, she becomes the ultimate rule-breaker herself.
Interestingly, in the 2003 short film, the interviewer also references rule-breaking when describing Deb:
I must say, Deborah, you truly are an original. Never one to play by the rules, you’ve carved out your own Hollywood-type niche.
Ultimately, when comparing the original 2003 short film with the 2010 feature film version, the broad strokes remain the same: Deb’s liberation from librarian to serial killer, her focus on literary works, her murderous method of making her short films, her evolving sense of style, as well as her growing self-confidence and ego. Grannell took the kernel of the idea and reel librarian character from the short film and expanded it, including adding another (epic!) reel librarian character (Evelyn, played by Mink Stole). The more expansive structure and additional characters makes sense, in order to turn a short film into a feature-length film, and it’s gratifying to realize that the foundation for both is similar and solid. Both versions gift us with more reel librarians to be able — as the reporter in Grindhouse puts it — to “love, love to hate, or hate.”
A tale of two reel librarians in this indie horror cult classic
Continuing the scary season during the month of October, this is a time when I focus on analyzing reel librarian portrayals in horror movies, thrillers, etc. And I have a super-scary, super-sized analysis post this week about the reel librarians in the 2010 cult classic, All About Evil.
Me: I haven’t seen this film [yet], but I want to see it. I couldn’t find a copy of it, but I’m intrigued by the 2010 … indie horror film called All About Evil. And Natasha Lyonne stars as a librarian who inherits a movie house, and she then — from what I’ve read about the description, because I haven’t been able to track it down — she then starts making snuff films… Do y’all know this film?
Hope: We’ve heard of it as well. It is impossible to get. I’ve been trying. I mean, how delightful does that movie sound? If you watch the trailer, it really looks like a hoot! It looks like so much fun, and yeah, I’ve been trying for years to track it down… We’re dying to watch it!
Thank goodness we didn’t have to wait that long! This past summer, Hope let me know that All About Evil was getting a special Blu-ray release! I promptly pre-ordered myself a copy, and the timing was perfect to analyze it for this scary season!
Front and back covers of the BluRay edition of All About Evil
Here’s the summary from the back of the special edition Blu-Ray:
When a mousy librarian takes over her late father’s struggling movie theater, a series of grisly murders caught on camera will transform her into the new queen of indie splatter cinema.
Since Natasha Lyonne, the star of the movie, is present throughout the entire film, I really cannot analyze this movie without divulging MAJOR plot spoilers, including the ending.
Also a spoiler? What Hope and I both hoped about this cult classic is TRUE: This film overall is delightful. It is a hoot. If you love horror and camp — and classic cinema in general — you will very likely lovelovelove this movie.
However, I do feel I need to point out that there is a shocking and abrupt scene of violence against an older Asian woman in the film. While this scene is used to demonstrate the depravity of a specific character, this kind of violent act is even more sensitive today due to the rise of anti-Asian violence. This scene also stands out more in this film because of the relatively little racial diversity in its cast, as all of the leads are White (or White-presenting) actors. I felt compelled to include this as both as a spoiler and as a trigger warning.
And if you are a real-life librarian, you are probably going to feel alllllllll the emotions with this one… because, well, this movie does NOT hold back with what happens to librarians who break the rules. And both librarians break the rules in this movie, in different ways.
And yes, there are TWO major reel librarian characters in this movie. More to analyze! In fact, I am going to structure this analysis post by exploring the journeys of these two reel librarians: Deborah “Deb” Tennis and Evelyn.
The tale of Deborah Tennis (from stage fright to stage star)
The lead character in this movie is reel librarian Deborah Tennis, played by Natasha Lyonne. Her “origin” story begins the film, as we start with an external view of the Victoria Theatre in 1984, showing The Wizard of Oz. Debbie’s father owns the theater and is seen as supportive, telling Debbie she has “star quality,” while her mother, Tammy (dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West) is cruel and taunting. Debbie, dressed as Dorothy, starts singing nervously to the theater full of children and accompanied on the piano by her father. When taunted by the children – and her mother – her bladder lets go and drips onto the cord of the microphone. Debbie electrocutes herself, which causes the streak of grey in her reddish hair.
Cut to present day, outside of the San Francisco Public Library’s Presidio Branch Library, and we learn about Deb’s commitment to the movie theater and her father’s legacy as she locks up the library and chats with Evelyn, another librarian. [More details about this conversation in Evelyn’s tale, below]
External view of the San Francisco Public Library’s Presidio Branch Library
First kill
Deb then opens up the theater, and we meet the projectionist, Mr. Twigs (played by Jack Donner). Deb reads a book while staffing the concession stand. Her hair is in a messy bun, and her outfit is drab, with an olive skirt, brown button-down shirt, and tan cardigan.
(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)
Deb’s style as a librarian
At 11:44 minutes, her mother (played by Julie Caitlin Brown) confronts her about wanting to sell the movie theater, demands that Deb sign the papers, and insults her AND her profession.
Tammy: Now you listen to me. You are nothing but a boring, little librarian with big, big dreams and hideous little looks. Besides, you read too much. You’re a loser, just like your fat ass father was.
Tammy then assaults Deb by holding Deb’s hand by the hot popcorn maker. Deb takes the pen and holds it like a weapon. Her mom scoffs at her.
Tammy: Face it. Your father knew deep down inside that you were useless. You’re one of those plain girls living in the world of the bland. You lack any sort of star quality.
Deb: Fuck you, Mother! [stabs her in the neck with the pen]
First kill!
The camera then cuts over to grainy security footage. (Is it odd that the concession stand counter kind of reminded me a library’s front desk counter?) And then we witness Deb’s transformation in self-confidence (and serial killing) begin as we see her shake out her hair from its messy bun – an interesting play off the Naughty Librarian’s signature move.
Deb [now laughing]: Blood! The wicked bitch is dead! [unbuttons her blouse] Star quality.
(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)
The transformation of a reel librarian into a star
What an introduction and transformation to this central librarian character!
The audience starts shouting at them to start the movie, and Deb rushes upstairs to project the movie. She accidentally starts playing the security footage onto the movie screen. Mr. Twigs, who had briefly gone out to the corner store, quickly dons a red blazer and announces on stage that this was an original short film. Deb then helps Mr. Twigs stash her mom’s body in the movie theater’s attic.
Deb revels in the praise for her “short film,” including after Steven, a high schooler and movie horror fan (played by Thomas Dekker), compliments her “surveillance slaughter.”
Second kill
At 20:42, we see Deb back at the concession stand, but this time dressed in a trendier lace-trimmed top, and her hair down in waves. This is when Peaches Christ (a drag queen persona created by the film director Joshua Grannell) makes a cameo. Steven explains how major it is that Peaches, “the queen of the midnight movie scene here in San Francisco,” has come to the movie theater.
I immediately said out loud, “No one better harm Peaches!”
Deb then encounters Veronica (Kat Turner), a Goth girl, who is talking on the phone while she orders a soda. An annoyed Deb, a quick thinker herself, puts a sleeping powder into Veronica’s soda. We are witnessing more of Deb’s transformation as she clearly sees opportunities (for murder) and takes risks. This is also the first time that Deb introduces herself as “De-BOR-ah,” an affectation that continues throughout.
Veronica wakes up in a deserted theater. Deb and Mr. Twigs lure her down to the theater’s basement, where she runs into Deb, dressed up like Marie Antoinette and knitting. Deb recites the immortal first line of A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” There is a guillotine in the corner of the room. However, Mr. Twigs cannot fit the girl’s head through the hole.
Even in the midst of murder, Deb reveals her inner librarian.
Deb: You idiot! Fool! I said a proper guillotine. I gave you the book… Did you even read the book?
Did you even read the book?
Deb then has an idea, and we cut to a movie poster, “A Tale of Two Severed Titties” and a long line outside the theater. Deb – looking glamorous with straight-ironed hair, eyeliner, and lipstick and outfitted in a 1940’s style black dress, similar to Joan Crawford or Bette Davis – introduces her new short film as a reminder for the audience to silence their cell phones during the movie. “Or else.”
Killer research
Evelyn then comes to the movie theater to find Deb and leaves a note for her. [There are more details of this scene in Evelyn’s tale below] Mr. Twigs brings the note to Deb, who’s sitting in the movie theater and reading another book (The Scarlet Letter) and taking notes. My librarian spidey senses lit up – she’s doing more research!
Deb complains that Evelyn is too loud. Deb also reveals that she never went back to the library and that she’s not a librarian anymore. Rather, she’s an actress and a filmmaker.
Just so we’re clear: According to Deb, talking in a movie theater is rude, but ditching your job without an explanation is not. Ok, then.
I’m not a librarian anymore.
Deb then reveals that they need more help. The camera then pans to a closeup of a newspaper with a front-page story of “Killer Twins Prepare for Release: Diabolical duo slaughtered entire family at age 7” and another article entitled “Trampsylvania” about how homelessness is up 12% from last year. A copy of A Tale of Two Cities is also visible. Next, we see a copy of a police report about the “killer twins” (played with almost-silent relish by real-life twin sisters, Jade Ramsey and Nikita Ramsey).
I was right – more research by this killer librarian! Deb may say she’s no longer a librarian, but she’s obviously still using her librarian skillz. There’s a saying in the library world that I think applies here: Once a librarian, ALWAYS a librarian.
Research for a serial killer librarian!
Deb then poses as the twins’ aunt as she and Mr. Twigs bring the twins back to the movie theater. On the way back to the movie theater, they spy Adrian, a violent man who is homeless, and their murder crew is complete.
At 39 minutes into the movie, Deb lays down the rules to the crew at a diner, further cementing her transformation:
Deb: There’s magic in movies. I learned that from my father. You are entering into a code of conduct here, an artist’s secret society, and there are rules. I am in charge. You will do as I say, and in return, I will give you a life most people, they only dream about. This is the business we call show. And I’m your manager, your publicist, your agent, and your directress. Otherwise, you’re on your own.
Just a reminder that even though Deb no longer considers herself a librarian, she is still fixated on RULES. You can take the lady out of the library…
Third kill
The next scene, at 42 minutes into the movie, involves the crew walking up to the San Francisco Public Library’s Presidio Branch Library at closing time. Their next victim for their next short film? Evelyn, the noisy librarian! [I go into more detail about the ensuing chase in the library in Evelyn’s tale below.]
The murder crew arrives at the Presidio Branch Library
In the next scene, the high schooler Steven is talking with his mom (played by Cassandra Peterson, who plays the iconic Elvira!!!) and reveals that he thinks he’s in love with “an older woman.” In a cheeky Easter Egg, his mom looks up to a poster of Elvira on his wall, but we know that he’s talking about Deb.
We next see Deb introducing her new short film, as a way to convey the movie theater etiquette of not talking during the movie – these moral lessons come at a deadly price, y’all.
Fourth kill
Before the short film premiere, Steven’s date, mean girl Claire (Lyndsy Kail), is rude about Deb and drag queens. Claire also interrupts Deb’s introduction of the new short film by announcing that she has to go to the bathroom. Ever the opportunist, Deb dispatches Claire forthwith – and we get to see the shot that made it to the special edition’s Blu-ray cover! We also get another fun literary allusion – the clapboard reads “The Scarlet Leper” (The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne).
Deb closes in for another kill
We then revisit Evelyn, who’s tied up in the movie theater attic – and again, those details are in Evelyn’s tale, below.
At just over an hour into the film, we next hear about another literature-inspired short film, as Deb and Mr. Twigs review footage in the projection room. They reference “The Slasher in the Rye” (The Catcher in the Rye, a novel by J. D. Salinger). Deb is feeling and sounding more self-confident… arguably over-confident by this point.
Because by this time, the high schooler Steven is getting suspicious by Claire’s sudden disappearance, and his friend Judy (Ariel Hart) pretends to be a reporter who wants to interview Deb. I’ll just say that we don’t hear from Judy again until the end of the movie, and her disappearance convinces Steven that “something is rotten” at the Victoria Theatre….
Meanwhile, Deb metamorphoses again, this time with a Clara Bow-type pout. A local reporter, Peter, interviews her, and Deb is referred to as a film director. Deb’s celebrity continues to rise, along with her ego.
Deborah Tennis, film director
At 1 hour and 12 minutes into the movie, the movie theater is advertising a “Soup Kitchen Matinee,” and we quickly see how this event is a cover for Deb to scout out potential victims for upcoming films.
Steven arrives with a police officer, Detective Woods (Nicholas Bearde), to ask to search the theater for Judy. Deb refuses and accuses Steven of being an “obsessed fan.” Detective Woods leaves to get a warrant (“We gotta do this by the book”… just a different book than Deb uses for inspiration, hah! 😉 ), and Deb confronts Steve outside the theater.
Final kill
This conversation sets the scene for the finale and the premiere of Deb’s first feature-length film, “Gore and Peace.” They hand out complimentary beverages to the audience members – including Peaches Christ! Again, nothing better harm Peaches!!! – and tell them to wait until directed to drink it. Steven’s mom shows up, in an effort to better understand Steven’s interest in Deb and in horror movies, so Steven feels he has to stay to protect his mom and to find out what happened to Claire and Judy.
Deb is dressed in her most avant-garde outfit yet, with her highest hair. Her ego has risen in tandem with her hair volume.
Deb’s highest hairstyle
Deb announces that they’re going “to make film history tonight” by premiering “the debut of a brand new type of cinema.” No one pays attention at first to Steven’s pleas to not drink the complimentary beverages (which are poisonous)… and then all hell breaks loose. The audience realizes they are locked into the theater, and the decomposing victims start dropping out of the attic through a blood-soaked grate. [Yes, Evelyn’s body is one of them… but again, more details about that in Evelyn’s tale below.]
Finally, at 1 hour and 30 minutes into the movie, Deb, Steven, and his mom end up on the roof, with Deb threatening Steven’s mom with a knife. Deb has a wild look in her eyes, and you can tell Natasha Lyonne relished every over-the-top facial expression she got to give during this climactic scene.
(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)
Deb’s facial expressions during the climactic scene
Steven and his mom taunt Deb about her lack of “star quality,” which sends Deb over the edge… literally. Deb falls onto the spotlights outside the movie theater. A star til the very end…
That was indeed a journey with reel librarian Deb, from stage fright to stage star to finally becoming a victim to her own success and ego. And even though she rejected being a librarian, she couldn’t shake her research instincts, which we witnessed her employ in order to find members of her murderous film crew as well as to create short films that played off classic works of literature.
Deb’s reel librarian role + significance
What role and character type did Deb serve in the movie? She is the lead of the movie, so this movie definitely qualifies as a Class I film, in which librarians are lead characters, and their occupations serve as a catalyst or are otherwise integral to the plot. In a way, you could argue that Deb is a Naughty Librarian, one who is considered unsuccessful in their profession and finds an (illegal or unethical) outlet to express their unfulfilled desires. Deb does embrace her “femme fatale” persona throughout the film.
However, I think Deb is more akin to a Liberated Librarian, as she becomes more confident and assertive through the course of the film… but the twist (of the knife) is that contrary to most Liberated Librarians, who find liberation through being a librarian, Deb finds liberation from the library by killing people. But in her mind, she doesn’t just murder people for fun… she murders them for a reason, because they break “the rules,” her rules. Yet in killing them, she becomes the ultimate rule-breaker herself.
The tale of Evelyn (from cats to (body) cast)
The role of Evelyn is played by actress Mink Stole, who has appeared in every film directed by John Waters.
First sin
Evelyn first appears after the title credits as the screen pans to the San Francisco Public Library, present day. We get our first glimpse of both Evelyn and Deb on the steps outside the front doors. The two reel librarians have clearly just locked up the library for the night and have paused for some introductory exposition. Their conversation reveals Deb’s situation with the movie theater, and we also learn more personal details about Evelyn. Evelyn also criticizes Deb and her interests, casting her first sin — at least in Deb’s eyes.
Evelyn: So how are you really, dear?
Deb: I’m fine.
Evelyn: You know, I’m concerned, Deb. Ever since your father passed, well, you need to talk about it. It just kills me to think of you sitting over there, running all that horror nonsense. Those are not real movies.
Deb: The plan is business as usual.
Evelyn: Honey, I know what it’s like to feel alone. No husband, no children. Just me and the cats.
This should be a meme.
Deb: I’m sorry, Evelyn. I need to get to the theater before the –
Evelyn: Deb, I’m serious. Don’t take on your father’s showbiz debts and burdens. Honey, I know you were close, but, well, there’s no future there.
Deb: My father invested everything he had into the Victoria Theatre. He truly loved the movie experience, and above all else, Daddy was a showman. Years of blood, sweat, and tears went into the business he loved so much, the business of show. He never wanted me to be a librarian. I was to be a great Hollywood actress. Well, I may have disappointed my father in life, but I’m gonna do my absolute best to make him proud, even in death. It’s like Daddy always said, the show must go on.
Another meme-worthy moment: Here’s how Evelyn reacted when Deb stated that her dad never wanted her to be a librarian. INDEED.
Another meme-worthy moment after a fellow librarian says she was never supposed to be a librarian.
Second sin
Half an hour later, at 33 minutes, we see Evelyn walking to the movie theater and knocking loudly at the locked front doors (her second sin is being loud). She is wearing casual clothing, including a straw hat, a floral canvas jacket, and a chunky necklace.
Evelyn finally leaves a note and card for Deb under the ticket booth window.
Evelyn knocks at the movie theater entrance
Mr. Twigs brings the note to Deb, who is researching. Deb has a negative reaction to Evelyn’s note (and knocking), and we learn more about her dynamic with Evelyn.
Deb: I know. I heard her. Everyone heard her.
Mr. Twigs: She’s old.
Deb: It was Evelyn, the librarian. [She opens the letter.] She’s worried about me. I was scheduled to work at the library and haven’t shown up. I can’t go back there. I’m not a librarian anymore. You know, Evelyn doesn’t know me at all. How dare she come here and bang on the door? I mean, she was banging, right? Not knocking. She’s always so loud. I have work to do, Mr. Twigs. I can no longer sell tickets and shovel popcorn. I am not a concessionnaire. I’m an actress. I am a filmmaker. How dare she.
Uh oh. Watch out, Evelyn! No one likes a loud librarian! Rogue, rule-breaking librarians need to be stopped!
And Evelyn has indeed become the target of Deb’s next movie… and murder. At 42:37 minutes, the new crew is walking up to the library at night. I have a bad feeling about this…
Shushing the librarian
Next we see Evelyn behind the library counter, dressed in a bright print top and chunky necklace. (I admit, I admire Evelyn’s sense of style. She’s not afraid of bold colors and prints!) We can see a cart of books and tied-up newspapers and books behind her. Evelyn then walks through the library and calls out, “Good night, books.” (I found this quite charming! I can neither confirm nor deny that I have done the same thing. 😉 ) We also see a closeup of a row of books with call numbers and barcodes. Those little details reveal how this was filmed at a real-life library. (You can see past photos of the Presidio Branch Library here, and you can tell it’s the same library.)
(Click the photos in the gallery below to view in a larger window.)
Evelyn locks up the library… and gives good side-eye
Evelyn hears a noise and looks around. And Evelyn’s tale here also becomes a tale of shushes, as this reel librarian gets shushed a total of 7 times (!) during this scene.
Evelyn: Hello? Is there anybody there?
[Deb: Shhhh]
Evelyn [to herself]: You are really crazy, lady. Now you’re hearing shushes.
[Deb: Shhhh]
Evelyn: Hello? I said the library’s closed.
A spotlight flicks on, and Deb runs around to see the camera crew and Deb in her French Revolution wig and costume.
And I told you, Madam Evelyn, to shhh.
Evelyn [clearly shocked]: I said the library was closed.
Deb: And I told you, Madam Evelyn, to shhh.
Evelyn: Who are you? What is this all about?
Deb: Perhaps my lady does not understand ye olde English. Shhhh means shut the fuck up, bitch! [slaps her]
Reel librarian fight!
Evelyn runs into a bookcase corner and pulls out a pair of scissors from her tote bag. (I admit, I was impressed by Evelyn’s pluck and resourcefulness.)
Deb grabs Evelyn through a bookcase, still taunting Evelyn.
Deb: So you can be quiet. My lady was quiet as a mouse.
Evelyn stabs Deb’s hand with the scissors but is confronted by the twins, both of whom shush her!
Evelyn then pushes out a row of books to escape through a bookcase, but she drops the scissors. Deb picks up the scissors, and the lights come up. Evelyn finally recognizes Deb.
Evelyn puts up a good fight
This chase scene in the library ends at 45:30 minutes and last 3 minutes total.
Two minutes later, at 47:46 minutes, we return to the library, where Deb has brought out a sewing kit and prepares to sew Evelyn’s mouth shut. (And probably used Evelyn’s scissors to cut the thread. Oh, the irony.) The camera is rolling as Deb continues to chide Evelyn for being loud.
Deb: As victors of my silence cannot boast, I was not sick of any fear from thence. For I impair not beauty, being mute, when others would give life and bring a tomb.
Evelyn: Oh, Debbie, please. You don’t have to do this. Listen to me, whatever this is all about, we can get you some help.
Deb: All done? Shhhhh.
Deb then proceeds to sew Evelyn’s mouth shut (FYI, they used a prosthetic for this). Switching to grainy black and white, we see Deb turn to the camera.
Deb: You’re getting this in close-up, right?
You’re getting this in close up, right?
Deb then drives home the message to the audience.
Deb: My movie theater shall be silent as a library, a managerial promise made to thee. Silence whilst the movie screens, for if thou speech is deemed undo, you too shall star in “The Maiming of the Shrew.”
Library film set
The library scene ends at 49:40 minutes, lasting two minutes. The complete library scene with Evelyn, comprised of both the chase scene and final filming scene, lasts a totality of 5 minutes.
The final insult
About ten minutes later, Deb’s newest short film premieres to a full house. The camera then pans to the movie theater’s attic, where we see that Evelyn is still alive, still tied up and her mouth still sewn shut! She is surrounded by other bodies. While the film plays, she starts screaming and tears open the threads on her mouth. Mr. Twigs realizes what has happened and comes up with an axe.
Evelyn: Somebody! Help me! [sees Mr. Twigs] You motherfucker. You let me out! You hear me, you ignorant old fuck! Let me out of here, you illiterate old fuck!
Mr. Twigs [swinging down the axe]: She told you to shush.
Evelyn gets shushed for the last time
Yes, Evelyn the librarian gets shushed one last time, EVEN AFTER DEATH. The indignity, y’all.
Steven goes out to the lobby and congratulates Deb on her new movie.
Steven: Your new movie’s amazing! Seriously, it’s like they just keep getting bigger and better. Who was that lady? She was rad.
Deb: Thanks, Steven. She’s an old friend.
We know “that lady” and “an old friend” is Evelyn. I’m going to react here by channeling Evelyn’s facial expression from earlier:
Channeling Evelyn’s librarian stare
There is one more scene featuring [parts of] Evelyn. All hell breaks loose for Deb’s feature film debut. A local reporter describes it as, “Filmmaker Deborah Tennis is conducting a real life movie massacre.” As everyone is screaming and trying to get out of the movie theater they are locked in, the decomposing bodies start dropping out of the attic through the grate. Evelyn’s hand – a very realistic-looking prosthetic, props to the prop department! – drops into Peaches Christ’s popcorn. [That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write!]
Adrian then comes at Peaches with a cleaver, and Evelyn gets her final revenge. Her beheaded body drops from the ceiling… and lands on Adrian’s own head, suffocating and killing him.
So that is the tale of Evelyn the reel librarian… from cats to (body) cast.
Evelyn’s reel librarian role + significance
What role did Evelyn serve in this movie? Her character held some surprises for me. Sure, they made a point of highlighting that Evelyn was single and had cats – a hallmark of the lonely, Spinster Librarian character type – but she also looked like a woman happy with her life choices. She also cared about Deb and was worried about her — although she expressed this in a nosy, judgmental way (“Those are not real movies”) — and took the time to try and contact Deb in person. Evelyn also showed pluck and resourcefulness in how she fought against the murderous crew in the library, brandishing her scissors and crawling through bookcases. She was also viewed as a rule-breaker (at least by Deb) for being loud.
Because a lot of her role, especially the beginning scene, filled in expository details, I think Evelyn partially serves as an Information Provider. Dressed in brightly colored, patterned clothing and jewelry, I think her characterization also plays against the Spinster Librarian character type (but is still informed by that stereotype). And based on all those shushes and the body-dropping final shot of her time onscreen – which is a hilariously campy and suspension-of-disbelief kind of moment – I would also argue that Evelyn also partially serves as Comic Relief.
Surprisingly (to me!), I would also argue that Evelyn could be seen as an Atypical portrayal, as well. We see her outside the library, when she walks to the movie theater, and we witness her personality and intelligence, like when she fights in the library and when she continues to yell at Mr. Twigs at the very end. She doesn’t have that much screen time, relatively speaking, but Mink Stole soaks up every minute she does get onscreen and has truly created a memorable reel librarian character in Evelyn.
Tales of classic lit + movie posters
The movie credits feature posters of more movies directed by Deborah Tennis, all based on classic literature title puns! Two of the posters, “A Tale of Two Severed Titties” and “Gore and Peace,” were featured in the movie, as I mention above, but the other posters are new. (Interesting that “The Slasher in the Rye” was mentioned in the movie but isn’t featured here.)
A Tale of Two Severed Titties (A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens)
Gore and Peace (War and Peace, a novel by Leo Tolstoy)
The Diary of Anne Frankenstein (a literary mashup from The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, and Frankenstein, a novel by Mary Shelley)
The Satanic Nurses (The Satanic Verses, a novel by Salman Rushdie)
I Know Why the Caged Girl Screams (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a memoir by Maya Angelou)
MacDeath (Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare)
Gallery of All About Eve movie posters
Tales of trivia + Easter eggs
Most of the trivia below comes from the special features and documentaries included in the special edition Blu-ray.
The title,All About Evil, comes from the 1950 classic movie, All About Eve, starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. (I love that this movie references both classic and cult classic cinema!)
The director, Joshua Grannell, grew up loving horror movies and studied film production at Penn State. His first short film, “Jizzmopper” also featured the origin of his Peaches Christ drag character.
Grannell moved to San Francisco after college and became a theater manager at a local single-screen movie theater, The Bridge Theatre, and began the “Midnight Mass” stage show in the late 1990s.
Grannell made a short film called “Grindhouse” that All About Evil is based on… and “Grindhouse” was included in the special edition Blu-ray!
Mink Stole was the first celebrity guest for the “Midnight Mass” stage show and agreed to be in the movie without reading the script.
Cassandra Peterson (the iconic Elvira) was jealous of Mink Stole’s part in All About Evil!
Grannell envisioned Deb’s character as similar to Doris Wishman, who was an American film director and screenwriter, particularly in the sexploitation film genre… and Natasha Lyonne, Grannell’s dream choice for the lead, had actually met Doris Wishman in real life!
The movie was scheduled to shoot at the Bridge Theatre, but had to find a different location 10 days before shooting began. The Victoria Theatere served as the actual set in the film.
Peaches Christ was not originally meant to be in the feature film. Joshua Grannell spent 8 days of filming as Peaches, which he revealed were the hardest days for him, as he had to apply the drag makeup before he came to set. He was known as “Peachua” on those days.
The film’s premiere was at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2010, and they did a “Peaches Christ” road show with the movie to introduce it across the U.S.
Mink Stole, an indie film pro, started taking charge in the library scene to hurry up production!
The “Behind the Evil: 2010 Making of” featurette reveals several behind-the-scenes shots of the library scene and reel librarians!
Behind-the-scenes gallery of library and librarian scenes
Continuing the conversation
As I mentioned above, All About Evil is based on Joshua Grannell’s 2003 short film, “Grindhouse.” This original short, which is 13 minutes long, is featured on the Blu-ray special edition, and I watched just enough to find out that the short film’s lead character is still a librarian. The light bulb went off in my head… so I will follow up next time in November with an analysis post about the original short film, “Grindhouse.” Let’s continue the scary season, shall we? 🙂
I also thought it would be interesting to compare the serial killer librarian in Chainsaw Sally with the serial killer librarian Deb in this movie… what do y’all think about that idea for a future post? Cage match between reel librarian serial killers!
Have you seen All About Evil? Is campy horror your thing? Are you intrigued by the two reel librarian characters in this movie? Please leave a comment and share!
Sources used
All About Evil. Dir. Joshua Grannell. Perf. Natasha Lyonne, Mink Stole, Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson. Severin Films, 2010.
This is another post in my “first impressions” series of posts, which focus on current films that include reel librarians and/or library or archives scenes that I have watched in theaters. The resulting “first impressions” posts are necessarily less detailed, as I don’t have the luxury of rewatching scenes and taking notes in the movie theater, but I do take notes as soon as I can after watching the film.
This spring, I was able to watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at our nearby drive-in theater, Rodeo Drive-In. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this post together; real-life complications got in the way, y’all, and as my husband advised, “Multiverse of mind, embrace the chaos.” 😉 And it is interesting to note that it is actually good timing this “first impressions” post got delayed because this movie will soon be available for streaming via Disney+, on June 22, so you can watch (or re-watch) the movie very soon!
Below again is the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, to set the stage for the film’s plot and main characters of Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wong (Benedict Wong), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), and Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
1. Did Wong ever get invited to Tony Stark’s wedding?
Hear me out, I swear this random question will make soon make sense. Near the beginning of the movie, Strange attends Christine’s wedding, without Wong by his side. That made me wonder if Wong ever got invited to Tony Stark’s wedding? This connects back to a scene in Avengers: Infinity War (2018):
Wong then ultimately defeats Cull Obsidian by transporting him to a snowy region/planet and then severs off the villain’s arm when closing the portal. It’s nice to see Wong victorious in battle in this movie, especially considering his previous battle at the end of Doctor Strange, which I went into detail in last week’s post. Stark is so impressed with Wong’s quick thinking and magical skillz that he shouts, “Wong, you’re invited to the wedding!” (We had learned earlier that Tony and Pepper are recently engaged.)
We never did learn that cliffhanger question in that movie, if Wong ever got to go to Tony and Pepper’s wedding. And why wasn’t Wong invited to this wedding? Obviously, as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) showed, Wong would make an excellent guest. 😉
Wong is ALWAYS a bad-ass, of course, but it was cool to get to see him literally in action. In the initial fight scene with Wong, Strange, and America Chavez battling Gargantos (a big eyeball, squid-like monster variant of Shuma-Gorath), Wong wields a lasso and a sword. Plus, we get a closeup view of Wong’s costume, which we had gotten a sneak peek of when his action figure came out earlier this year:
Left: Screenshot of Wong fighting Gargantos in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness (2022) ; Right: Photo of the Wong action figure I purchased this spring, which shows the costume and sword that Wong has in the movie.
3. There are books kept secret from the Kamar-Taj librarian?!
When Wong and Strange debrief with Chavez after they dispatch Gargantos, they start talking about the Book of Vishanti. Wong explains how he found out about this book:
You find out there’s a secret book you get when you become Sorcerer Supreme.
So that means that when Wong was the Kamar-Taj librarian, back in 2016’s Doctor Strange, he DID NOT yet know about all the books in that library’s collection!
4. How many languages can Wong speak?
There was also a brief bit in this scene with Chavez where she and Wong start speaking Spanish to each other, much to the annoyance of Strange. (But everything seems to annoy Strange, doesn’t it?) It just makes me wonder how many languages Wong speaks… and how good he is at everything he does! #TeamWong #WongVerse
Wong invites Chavez to Kamar-Taj to help keep her safe from Wanda, the Scarlet Witch. And once again, Wong proves how he is the Supreme Researcher, as he then provides the exposition about the Scarlet Witch and the prophecy:
The Scarlet Witch is a being of unfathomable magic. She can re-write Reality as she chooses, and is prophesied to either rule or annihilate the cosmos.
Wong also explains about the Darkhold vs. the Book of Vishanti. Essentially, it’s the story of good vs. evil, embodied within books. Darkhold contains spells of black magic and represents the evil, whereas the Book of Vishanti contains spells of white magic and represents the good.
Wong primarily serves the role of an Information Provider, but at this point you could argue he’s grown into an Atypical character, which are reel librarian “portrayals [that] go beyond stereotypical constraints.”
6. Are we seeing the missing book from the Kamar-Taj library in this movie?
Could either the Book of Vishanti or the Darkhold be the missing library book from the Kamar-Taj library’s “forbidden section,” as glimpsed in Doctor Strange (2016)? I would suspect it is likely the Darkhold, rather than the Book of Vishanti, because Wong only found out about the latter when he became Sorcerer Supreme (see #3 above).
Ryan Arey from ScreenCrush also theorizes it’s the Darkhold that went missing from the Kamar-Taj library:
When Wanda the Scarlet Witch attacks Kamar-Taj, Wong wastes no time in snapping into commander-in-chief mode — he IS the Sorcerer Supreme, after all! — and shouting orders to the students:
Kamar-Taj must now become a fortress. Stop the teaching, arm the students.
[…]
Defensive positions, now!
[…]
Fortify your minds!
8. Reel librarian Wong helps destroy a book!
Yep, (former?) reel librarian Wong helps destroy a book. But not just any book. The Darkhold, the book of dark magic, the book of evil. Do the ends justify the means?
Wong tries to save Chavez from the Scarlet Witch, but he ends up getting blasted by Wanda and banging his head and passing out. When he wakes to finds himself tied up, he spies one of the students, Sara (Sheila Atim), sneaking her way into the room. He tries to stop Sara.
Sara: I need to destroy the book.
Wong: No, it cannot be you!
The Darkhold does gets destroyed in this scene. I know that the Darkhold and the Book of Vishanti serve as this movie’s MacGuffins, but if we’re not going to get to see the Kamar-Taj library again, then at least we’re getting a Wong story focused around books!
9. Did the Kamar-Taj library get destroyed?
We see Kamar-Taj in rubble after the Scarlet Witch blasts it to pieces. Did the Kamar-Taj library get destroyed, or is it still intact? Is there a new librarian? Where is the library located within the monastery? Inquiring minds want to know!
Here’s a quick look behind-the-scenes of destroying Kamar-Taj:
One of Wong’s greatest strengths, or superpowers — and a big reason why I think he’s become a fan favorite — is his humanity and belief in people. But this superpower can also be manipulated.
Although the Darkhold gets destroyed, Wanda figures out that Wong must know about more the Darkhold. (Because he’s the librarian and knows everything, right? Kinda slow there, eh, Wanda?!) Wong says that she will have to kill him to get that knowledge. But Wanda has also already figured out about Wong’s humanity — and that his humanity can be manipulated — so she threatens to kill the other students, including the Rintrah (a green-skinned minotaur that was part of Marvel’s Build-A-Figure marketing ploy with Wong’s action figure).
Of course, Wanda’s evil ploy works, and Wong confesses that the Darkhold that got destroyed was a copy, and the original is at Wundagore Mountain. (Did anyone else hear this first as Wandacore? Sorry, I don’t read the comics, so I was unfamiliar with it.)
Here’s a quick video that explains the significance of Wundagore Mountain:
So although we don’t get to see the Kamar-Taj library again — no, I’m NOT letting that go, such a wasted opportunity in a storyline about forbidden books! — we do get a scene of the Gap Junction, “a plane between universes” where Strange hid the Book of Vishanti.
Essentially, this serves as a library of one, right? Riiiiiiiiiight. 😉
12. Wong still has his sense of humor.
After Wanda throws Wong off a cliff on Wundagore (RUDE!), he uses his lasso to climb back up. He also picks off one of the guard monsters to help distract them for Zombie Strange.
When Zombie Strange shows up, Wong quips:
I don’t even want to know.
Never change, Wong. Never change. 😀
13. Wong is wrong!
Wong is… wrong?! I know. I was shocked, too.
When Zombie Strange is trying to rescue America Chavez while simultaneously battling Wanda, Wong conjures up a cage to contain Wanda (ever helpful, our Wong). Zombie Strange hesitates between untying Chavez or usurping her magical powers (and therefore killing her) in order to beat Wanda once and for all.
Wong urges him to do the latter:
It’s the only way!
But Wong is wrong.
The only way forward is for Strange to save Chavez, so she can finally believe in her true power and and wield it to save herself.
Honestly, I thought this was a pretty cheap and manipulative use of Wong in this movie. (And don’t get me started with the cheap and manipulative use of Wanda and her motivations and lack of agency in this movie!) They showed Wong’s humanity when he gave up the secret of the Darkhold to help save the Kamar-Taj students, but then they flipped the script — and Wong’s personality — at the end in order to make room for Zombie Strange to show his ultimate humanity and character growth. (That was an odd sentence to write. It’s a weird storyline with lots of characters, y’all!) It didn’t have to be either/or; both Wong and Zombie Strange could have had cinematic space to show their humanity.
14. Strange is finally Wong’s right-hand man.
There’s a running gag throughout the movie that Strange can’t be bothered to bow to Wong, even though Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme. (Shades of White supremacy, anyone?) But at the end, Strange finally does bow to Wong, showing his respect. About time!
Throughout my analysis post of Doctor Strange (2016), I kept pointing out how many times Wong is visually shown to be Strange’s right-hand man (note: he stands on Strange’s right side, which reflects opposite onscreen), which fits his role in that movie as a supporting player. But Wong has grown as a character — and as a fan favorite! — and is now the Sorcerer Supreme, at least in this universe. Therefore, Strange is now Wong’s right-hand man, and it’s fitting that he finally accepts that. Again, about time! 🙂
Strange bows to Wong in this screenshot from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, taken from this YouTube video
15. Is Wong a Nexus being?
At the end of the movie, Strange asks Wong a question.
Strange: Are you happy?
Wong: That’s an interesting question. Sometimes I do wonder about my other lives. But I’m still grateful of this one. Even with its own tribulations.
Wong sounds very wise here, being grateful and content for this life in this universe. But although we see many variants of Dr. Strange in this movie, we never see variants of Wong, even though Wong references “my other lives” in this brief exchange. In the other universes we see, the Dr. Strange variant is also the one serving as Sorcerer Supreme. But in this reality, Wong serves as Sorcerer Supreme, not Strange.
That got me thinking… could Wong be a Nexus Being?
A Nexus Being is someone who exists in all parallel worlds of the Multiverse, serving as anchors to that reality. America Chavez proves to be a Nexus Being in this movie, because she can travel between worlds, and she always remains herself. It is my understanding that the Scarlet Witch is a Nexus Being in the comics… but because this movie’s plot depended on there being variants of Wanda, doesn’t that mean that she isn’t a Nexus Being in the movie versions? If I have misunderstood this, leave a comment!
This Screen Rant article ponders the question of Wong being a Nexus Being:
As his appearances have grown more frequent, Wong has also become more powerful than audiences had ever seen him before, perhaps indicating that the sorcerer is dealing with a larger power that he is perhaps unaware of. Given that he will no doubt accompany Dr. Strange on his multiversal exploits, it may be revealed that the beloved character has been a Nexus being all along.
If Wong does end up being a Nexus Being, that would be AWESOME. And befitting one of the most beloved reel librarian characters ever.
16. Wong shows up when you need him.
The opposite of a bad penny (turning up when no one wants you), Wong turns up exactly when you need him. Or rather… when the plot needs him! That’s why he’s often used for exposition, to explain things in order to move the plot forward.
Here’s the way my husband put it:
Wong shows up when you need him. Not like “deus ex machina,” but like “sorcerer and the script.” It’s like plot armor!
Wong, the true hero of the MCU, in a screenshot from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, taken from this YouTube video
I agree with this article that argues that Wong is “the real one holding it all together” in this movie:
Despite what you may have been led to believe, the hero of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is not Benedict Cumberbatch’s [Stephen] Strange. At least, he isn’t the real one holding it all together. Sure, he may get top billing on all the posters where he towers above everyone else. However, the real protector of all that is good across the various multiverses has proven time and time again to actually be the reliable Wong. He is the true Sorcerer Supreme, the protector of the New York Sanctum, and the dedicated librarian of Kamar-Taj.
Obviously, I am just one of millions of fans who love Wong. I think the way Wong’s character was rewritten for the screen (which I go into more detail here in this “Perspectives about Wong’s reel librarian character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe” post); Wong’s humanity; and also, actor Benedict Wong’s humor and screen presence, have all helped make Wong a firm fan favorite.
Below are a couple of other perspectives on why Wong is so popular.
The secret is probably Benedict Wong, the actor chosen to portray the character. Fans seem to love this character, one that was once a dull stereotype and a reminder of a more unpleasant age. Thanks to a new take and a stellar casting choice, Wong has become the universe-hopping fixed point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wong is everywhere and nobody is complaining, in fact, they want more. Let this once-minor character continue to outgrow his start and become as important and iconic to the MCU as Steve or Tony. He’s earned it.
So, we created this no-nonsense, midfield general librarian with hints of Roy Keane [former Manchester United player] in there. This character has progressed now, and I found out when [director] Sam Raimi was on a conference call and talking me through the story. Here was this legend. He said, ‘Of course, you’re going to be the Sorcerer Supreme,’ and as this geek, it’s so great what they’ve done with the character and how he stands toe-to-toe with Doctor Strange.
18. It’s the WongVerse, and we’re just living in it.
Wong has so rapidly become a fan favorite, it’s really the #WongVerse now! Benedict Wong has appeared thus far in 7 MCU movies and series… and counting:
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Plus, Benedict Wong is credited to appear in at least one episode of the upcoming TV series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. So we will see Wong again… and not a moment too soon!
So there’s my round-up of random thoughts, questions, and first impressions I had while watching Wong and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). What other thoughts, questions, theories, and observations did you have? Please leave a comment and share!
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Marvel Studios, 2022.
And when you have a research quest, where do you go? The library, OF COURSE.
Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day — or Galentine’s Day, whichever you prefer! ❤ And of course, I had to analyze a romantic movie for this post, and I chose Winter’s Tale (2014), starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly. The movie was adapted from Mark Helprin’s 1983 novel of the same name. (And if you were confused about this movie and thought it might be an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play “The Winter’s Tale,” then please know that you are not alone!)
This movie’s plot is impossible to describe — or follow that well, if you’re unfamiliar with the source novel, like me. The most straightforward way to describe it is that it is a time-bending fantasy romance that flashes between 1916 and 2014. The central romance is between Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) and Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay).
Spoiler alert: This movie is NOT GOOD. And I also get super CAPSY (which means cranky) throughout the following analysis.
Here was my reaction while watching this movie (slideshow of tweet screenshots archived from my now-inactive Reel Librarians Twitter account):
I do kind of love that the official trailer includes Jennifer Connelly asking, “What’s happening here?” (at 1:49 mins), which really does sum up this movie:
Like I said, this movie is BONKERS. I can’t decide what’s worse… Colin Farrell’s haircut? Russell Crowe’s Irish accent? The endless parade of really good actors inexplicably popping up in minor or bit parts? (See my shout-out to legendary Broadway actor Norm Lewis in my tweet above.)
I have to imagine that the original novel is better able to capture the sweeping scale of the tale, right?! For example, the pop culture site Pajiba includes a review of the book (“I’m not sure if it’s the best… book I’ve ever read, but it’s pretty… close”), contrasted with a review of the movie adaptation (“The worst movie ever made can’t even touch this”).
If you have read Helprin’s book, please leave a comment and share.
Step 1 in the research quest: The New York Public Library scene
At 80 minutes into this 118-minute long movie, Peter is walking around with amnesia in 2014 but finds what he thinks is a clue to regaining his memory, a token that reads: “Coheeries Chocolates, Happy New Year!”
And when you have a research quest, where do you go? The library, OF COURSE. And not just any library. He heads straight for the central branch of the New York Public Library, with the iconic lion statues that are visible in the screenshot below. (I’m relieved that knowing about the NYPL withstands time-bending amnesia.)
The iconic lion statue(s) outside the New York Public Library
In a scene that lasts only a few seconds, we glimpse the famous Reading Room of the NYPL behind a White woman with long, straight blonde hair. She is wearing glasses and is sitting behind a tall counter with a laptop in front of her. The librarian doesn’t say anything — not even a greeting! — and doesn’t even look up at him until Peter comes up to the counter. Her facial expression is quite stern. (This is not realistic, from my experience. It’s almost Pavlovian for librarians to smile and say something encouraging like, “Hello, how can I help you?” when a patron comes anywhere near the reference desk.)
The NYPL librarian
Peter hands her the token, and we get a closeup of the librarian picking it up.
A Coheeries clue
The character is listed in the credits as simply “Librarian,” and is played by Caitlin Dulany. That’s all we see of this reel librarian, which lands this portrayal in the Class IV category, with librarian cameos.
Based on the next scene, the librarian is clearly successful in having found something useful and providing enough information for Peter to move to the next step. My guess is that she would have looked for any records of a company called “Coheeries Chocolates” and/or possibly just searched for “Coheeries” as a keyword; that is the research route that I would have taken in this situation.
Therefore, although we never hear the librarian speak or see any more of her, she serves as a successful Information Provider.
Step #2 in the research quest: The NY Sun’s Reading Room and newspaper archives
Next, at 1 hour and 22 minutes into the movie, we follow Peter to The Sun newspaper headquarters.
Next stop: The Sun’s newspaper archives
As Peter walks up to another reference counter, we see the sign along the side wall that reads “Isaac Penn Reading Room.” Who is Isaac Penn? He’s played by William Hurt, and he is the father of Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), the woman Peter fell in love with back in 1916.
A view of the (fictional) Isaac Penn Reading Room
At the reference desk — and in the screenshot below, you can see a small brown sign on the wall that reads “Reference Desk” above the fire escape floor plan — is Norm Lewis. The Norm Lewis, who was the first Black American actor to play Javert in a production of the musical Les Misérables (in 2006) and the first Black American actor to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (in 2014; Robert Guillaume was the first Black American actor to play the Phantom regionally, in 1990). The Norm Lewis, who has also starred in productions of Miss Saigon, Sweeney Todd, Dreamgirls, Chicago, Hair, The Little Mermaid, The Music Man, and Porgy and Bess. The Norm Lewis, who has been nominated for a Tony, a Drama Desk award, a Grammy, and a SAG award. (Can you tell I’m a fan? This man’s skill is undeniable.)
And in this movie, Norm Lewis gets stuck playing a bit character called “Custodian” (WTF?!!!), with his natural charisma muted to being a cardigan-wearing obstructionist to Colin Farrell’s floppy hair. Norm Lewis deserved better; we all deserved better. (To be clear, playing a reel librarian or reel archivist is not the problem here; the way this character is written and used in this scene is the problem.)
Hi, I’m the Norm Lewis. Show some respect!
Let’s listen in as Peter walks up to the desk and asks to meet with Isaac Penn.
Custodian: This is the Isaac Penn Reading Room.
Peter: I’d like to speak to him if I could.
Custodian: Be a neat trick … Penn’s been dead 90 years. [He’s so deadpan! Peter is unamused.]
Peter: There’s a theater on Hudson Street, called the Theater of the Coheeries. Can you tell me if you have any information on it please? Isaac Penn donated it.
He taps on his computer, and as he leans forward, we also glimpse two more workers behind him, a Black woman at a desk and another shadow-y figure (a man?) seated at another desk behind a column. These two roles are uncredited in the cast list.
Three reel librarians in one screenshot!
Custodian: I see it here. But the information on it hasn’t been cataloged from the microfiche.
Peter: Ok, might I see them please? These “micro fish.”
Custodian: Sure. Two forms of ID .[He reaches for a form.] Fill this out. Two-week approval period, and you can search back there til your heart’s delight.
Peter: Can I just —
Custodian: I’m sorry, can’t help you.
Let’s pause for the EPIC “I don’t give a f—” facial expression that Norm Lewis is giving Colin Farrell here. You can just tell the weariness behind trying to explain policies to a person — especially a White man? — who doesn’t want to listen and thinks those policies don’t apply to them. (For what it’s worth, the policies above sound pretty standard to me, for access to a private newspaper’s specialized collection of archives. It’s not a public library. Or am I just used to policies like these? Leave a comment and share what you think.)
That is also ALL OF US as we are forced to gaze upon Farrell’s haircut in this movie.
Dude, don’t give me attitude with that haircut.
At this point, Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelly) — the one who says, “What’s happening here?” in the trailer — walks over. I guess because reasons of PLOT, but also because I guess White-presenting people gotta stick together when a Black man is explaining the rules to a White man who doesn’t want to listen? It’s not a good look, y’all. 😦
Virginia: There are so many regulations these days.
ROLLING MY EYES HERE. Ok, Karen.
After Virginia introduces herself and asks if she knows him from somewhere, Peter shares that he’s lost his memory but is starting to remember things again.
Peter: I’ve become convinced that if i can just learn what this Coheeries is, it may help jog my memory. And now they’re telling me [he gestures to Norm] I have to wait two weeks, and I have to have two forms of ID that I don’t have, just to even get back there. Although I have a growing suspicion that I may be able to get to what I need faster as soon as everybody goes home for the night… if only I knew what a “micro fish” looked like.
Virginia: You know, places like this have all sorts of security systems.
Peter: Well, somehow I find myself undaunted.
What are you even saying right in front of Norm Lewis?!
Ok, just to point out the obvious… so Peter is talking about breaking into a place of business, and he doesn’t even know what he’s looking for. Pause to point out that Peter is also saying all of this RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PROFESSIONAL AT THE REFERENCE DESK. We’re not invisible, y’all! The Black man at the counter right next to you is not invisible! The White privilege rolling off Peter is so palpable it’s like its own character.
This is deeply disturbing and condescending behavior. Regardless, Virginia — inexplicably, because EVERYTHING IN THIS MOVIE IS INEXPLICABLE — decides to help him out.
Virginia: You’re in luck. I work here, so I don’t need any approval. Isn’t that right, Jack?
Jack: Reporters come and go as they please, Miss Gamely.
Pause to recognize that the “Custodian” listed in the credits gets a first name in the movie: Jack! Not a full name, just a first name. Still not enough to earn him that name in the credits. And Jack still calls her “Miss Gamely.” So it’s clear that they’re not on equal footing in this scene, and this scene is written to emphasize that. She is giving favors and bending the rules for a strange White man who just threatened to break into the place, after which she tells the Black man to step aside. Again, NOT A GOOD LOOK.
#TeamNormLewis
But let’s applaud the fact that Norm Lewis is giving another “I don’t give a f—” facial expression to Virginia, similar to the expression that he gave earlier to Peter. How much of the resigned weariness in his face is informed by his own experiences as a Black man dealing with people who seem to have, and act upon, a sense of entitlement? Am I reading too much into this? Maybe, but that’s how I’m reading the scene at this point in time.
This scene ends at 1 hour and 24 minutes into the movie, so this newspaper reading room scene lasts two-and-a-half minutes.
What role does Norm Lewis play?
I struggled with how to classify the role that Norm Lewis plays in this film. He’s a staff member at a newspaper’s reading room reference desk, so it’s not a typical library. Or you could argue that this is an archives rather than a library.
I asked this on Twitter, if his role would be considered an archivist or a librarian working in an archives, or something else.
If you follow the tweet thread embedded above, you’ll see that Burkely Hermann (the real-life archivist behind the Pop Culture Library Review site) replied that “Maybe they’d be a records clerk or something? It might be a bit of a stretch to call them an archivist” but also that a “recordkeeper… is basically equivalent to archivist from what I’ve read.“
So this role seems to fall more on the reel archivist side of the scale than a reel librarian, and I am also going to land more on the reel archivist side for Jack the Custodian, especially in contrast with the reel librarian role shown earlier at the New York Public Library scene.
The library and archives scenes last only a few minutes total, and only a few lines of dialogue for the reel librarians/archivists, so I would argue this lands the movie in the Class IV category, with cameo roles.
One final note to sum up this very odd scene in a very odd movie: I’ve NEVER heard of the term “custodian” being used before in our respective fields. A “custodian” is a more common term for a facilities worker who does the (often dirty but absolutely vital) work of cleaning and maintaining buildings. This is NOT THE SAME WORK as a librarian or an archivist or any kind of records keeper. They are different jobs. Yet one more tone-deaf strike against director/screenwriter Akiva Goldsman.
Or is this how this character was referred to in the source novel? (I hope not.) Is this newspaper reading room scene in the novel? Please leave a comment and share!
Archives scene: How to tell the difference between microfilm vs. microfiche
And now, for my final rant regarding this film. I also tweeted about this, that NO ONE in this movie seems to understand the difference between microfiche and microfilm.
Yes, fair warning, this is a personal pet peeve. I’m going to continue getting all CAPSY in this post.
So let’s do this.
Most of this stack of archival materials includes cardboard boxes of microfilm
After Virginia gets Peter past Jack, we next we see a stack of archival materials labeled “Coheeries.” Almost everything in this stack of materials is microfilm. You can tell by the boxes.
Then we see Virginia rolling a spool of microfilm (NOT microfiche, although that’s the word everyone used in the prior scene) into a microfilm reader.
That is a spool of microfilm, NOT microfiche
Something’s not working, so Peter fixes the machine with his magical power of feeling and fixing things with his mind and hands, because SURE WHY NOT.
“What’s happening here?” indeed.
Virginia: But you didn’t even know what microfiche was.
Peter: I’ve just got a knack with machines.
[Insert my real-life librarian’s scream here: Maybe the problem is that NO ONE knows what microfiche is… because THERE IS NO MICROFICHE IN THIS SCENE.]
We learn what Coheeries is — it doesn’t matter, because nothing in this movie matters, but I’m a completist, so I will share that Coheeries is a town — and the photos of Isaac Penn and his daughter, Beverly, help Peter’s memory restore itself.
So this archival research was vital to the plot, after all! Hurray???
This scene lasts less than a minute and a half total, but it is rage-inducing — to me, at least — for showcasing a careless mix-up of microfilm vs. microfiche. I guess they just wanted the verbal comedy (?) of Peter saying “micro fish” instead of “microfiche,” like the, uh, fish out of water (sorry, terrible pun) he is in the year 2014? Y’all, microfilm and microfiche are still important in the field of research. Many primary sources, such as newspaper articles, have been converted into microfilm or microfiche over the past century (for preservation and storage purposes), and there are soooooooooo many of these resources that have not yet been digitized and are not accessible online. I know I’m a librarian, so I’m biased, but it’s true: Not. Everything. Is. Online. It’s good to know that these microform formats still exist, and why they’re still important.
So, to clear up any confusion for an issue you have probably never thought about twice, or even once ( 😉 ), here are the major differences between microfilm vs. microfiche, which are both types of microforms:
Microform:
Microform is the umbrella term used to describe scaled-down reproductions of documents for the purposes of easier storage.
Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or 1/25 of the original document size.
Microforms are commonly used to store newspaper archives in library and archival collections, because newspapers are bulky and take up a lot of space, and the material used to print newspapers easily decomposes.
Microfilm:
“Microfilm” is a type of microform is that is printed on reels or spools, often referred to as cartridges.
Microfilm is stored in a cardboard box because of the circular shape of the cartridge (this is how I instantly knew that most of the archival materials in the screenshot above were microfilm, because of the cardboard boxes).
Microfilm is not as easy to use, as the spool of film has to be looped carefully into a microfilm reader, as demonstrated in this movie.
Microfilm is older technology, and reader machines have often been adapted to read both microfilm and microfiche. So you’ll often hear librarians say “microfilm reader” even when the machine can read, or project, both microfilm and microfiche. (Maybe that helps explain where the confusion between the two terms?)
Microfiche:
“Microfiche” is another type of microform that is printed on flat cards.
Microfiche is stored in a paper sleeve that is open along the top.
Microfiche is easier to use, as it slides easily under a projector, similar to how you slide things under a microscope.
Microfiche is newer technology and developed from microcards, which are no longer produced but were similar to microfiche but printed on cardboard.
It’s REALLY EASY to visually tell the difference between microfilm vs. microfiche, as seen in the comparison graphic below. Use the slider on the graphic below to compare the microfilm, on the left, which looks like a miniature film reel, versus the microfiche, on the right, which is a flat sheet seen stored in a paper sleeve.
It’s NOT HARD, y’all, to tell the difference. Right? And honestly, just ASK A LIBRARIAN. Propmasters and screenwriters of the world, please just ask a librarian.
And that’s just good life advice in general, y’all. Ask a librarian. We answer questions for a living! And I promise not to get all capsy on you in real life if you ask me how to tell the differences between microfilm and microfiche. But I WILL get capsy on you if you ask me to watch Winter’s Tale again. 😉
Continuing the spool of microfilm?
You’ve made it through my rant about microfilm vs. microfiche — congrats! — and while it is a pet peeve, it’s not quite on the same level for me as getting call numbers wrong onscreen. But would you like me to write a longer post about how and when movies get it wrong about microfilm vs. microfiche, similar to what I did in this epic post about call numbers? Leave a comment and let me know!
In the meantime, if you’re jonesing for more library or archives scenes with microfilm or microfiche — and why wouldn’t you be?! — here are some past posts to enjoy:
Winter’s Tale. Dir. Akiva Goldsman. Perf. Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly. Adapted from Mark Helprin’s 1983 novel.
REEL LIBRARIANS 