Did you understand what was up with Eli the first time?

[CyberGhostface]

This is a question for those who saw the film before reading the book.

When you saw Eli's scar did you

A.) Just think it was a normal vagina
B.) Recognize that something was wrong/that it was a scar
C.) Recognize it as a castration scar and that Eli was in fact a boy

On IMDB, it appears that a lot of newcomers didn't get it, with some people thinking that it was A.

I didn't see it as a castration scar, but I did know it wasn't "normal" and that something had happened to Eli.

Thoughts? Did you think it was clear enough?

[sauvin]

First time I saw it, I thought "wtf!?" I had no idea what to make of it.

[cmfireflies]

First time I saw it, I thought "wtf!?" I had no idea what to make of it.

This

Fun fact: I saw LtROI first on a laptop, then on dvd, and finally in a theater. The only time I saw the scar clearly was in the theater.

[sauvin]

First time I saw it, I thought "wtf!?" I had no idea what to make of it.

This

Fun fact: I saw LtROI first on a laptop, then on dvd, and finally in a theater. The only time I saw the scar clearly was in the theater.

Funner fact: I first saw it on my laptop. I have screen capture and frame stepping capability. I used them. I still had no idea what to make of the scar. I resumed the film, with that image in my mind almost serving as the very definition of "wtf!?"

[drakkar]

B. Almost.
First time I hardly noticed it at all, except from an uneasy feeling of something being wrong.
Getting the bd six months later of course brought more clarity into it, but the bd helped much more in finally getting the brilliant performance of the actors. I didn't see clearly all details in passages like the lust in Per Ragnars eyes or the fleeting smile on Linas face when asked about smelling funny until then.

[Aurora]

B. I first saw it at a cinema and there was no doubt that it was a scar. Why there was a scar there wasn't clear to me until I checked the FAQ on IMDB which explained everything.

[danforth]

First time I saw it, I thought "wtf!?" I had no idea what to make of it.

This for me, too. I've watched it with 4 different people now, and only one of them was able to correctly identify it as a scar. But none of them would be able to answer 'C' to your question.

As for it being 'clear enough,' in my opinion, it wasn't. It's an important part of the book, an aspect of it that I really felt added to the story. As for the movie, I feel like they either needed to do more or just take it out completely. I understand that it might have been thrown in there for the fans that had already read the book (so I'm sure that some or most of you disagree), but for others, the consensus seems to be that not enough information was given. I'm actually fine with the remake not even addressing the issue, because it's something that can easily be poorly handled, which I feel was the case with the original.

[DMt.]

B., I think, although I still wanted to see Eli as a girl...

[El Defenestrator]

C, actually; I started thinking Eli might be or had been a boy at the "I'm not a girl" line, and when the scar scene came about, I had a bit of a "CALLED IT" moment.

But my triumph quickly got buried under the shock of having just seen such a shot.

[moonvibe34]

B for me also. I didn't know what the scar represented, I just figured it had something to do with Eli's vampirism. It was also a major wtf moment for me too. My wanderings on the IMDB board eventually shed some light on the subject then a little later the book cleared things up completely, making me cringe in the process.