Cabal on Paper Mask

 

See here for essential background: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2015/07/paper-mask-full-movie-online.html.
My good friend and brother porter who goes by the online nom-de-guerre "XCABALX" has written his own review of Paper Mask. The article is in both Polish and English because, like many HP's, Cabal hails from Eastern Europe. His insight into the film is very interesting and he spots many things that I missed. He has also captured a number of screenshots from the movie. Since watching Paper Mask I have also seen Withnail and I and I must admit Paul McGann is very good in that excellent comedy. Therefore he has redeemed himself slightly in my books. Cabal rightly points out the incredulity of the plot. It is not realistic; in fact it is something of a fantasy. Even back in the 90's, in Poland or the UK, it would have been impossible to impersonate a doctor as easily as Matthew Harris did. Today it would be even harder, with the endless electronic ID checks we all have to go through. I have also watched the film The Talented Mr Ripley, which tells the story of a habitual conman who kills a millionaire playboy and impersonates him. There are parallels between the two stories. Simon Harris is every bit as much an antihero. He is not only extremely deceitful; he is heartless, selfish and cowardly. He only expresses genuine emotion when his own hide is jeopardized. The scriptwriter is indeed a doctor, and I have yet to read his novel from which he adapted the film; I do have a copy though. He would have been in a position to research the HP's at his hospital, and didn't do too bad of a technical job; although, as I have said before, I bitterly resent his offensive and patronizing portrayal of us. I also don't like the way the extent of the porters' uniforms at the fictional hospital Harris serves at consists of a filthy grey overcoat pulled over their ordinary jeans and sweatshirts. HP's don't actually look like that (or they shouldn't). One element of the story that is one hundred percent accurate is that literally moments after Matthew/Simon has been unwillingly reunited with Moran, the first thing his old brother porter says is: "So are we going to a pub or what?" Typical HP! As it happens Harris is luring Moran away to murder him. Well done to Cabal for producing this neat bilingual essay on that most hateful of cinematic curses. Source: https://dreamingspireart.wordpress.com/2022/08/11/za-maska-recenzja-filmowa-paper-mask-1990-movie-review/.
See here for more background: https://hpanwo-hpwa.blogspot.com/2016/12/hospital-porters-in-media.html.