perform it
By getting him to act out bits of business from the play.Deathtrap · 1982 — 第 30 / 30 章 · 2'26" · B2
Clifford Spares Sidney, Explained：a can of worms
Clifford has Sidney handcuffed to a chair and seems ready to finish him. Instead he says, "I'm not gonna kill you," then lays out terms: Sidney tells everyone he fired him, or Clifford opens "a very messy can of worms." The threat is calm, and that makes it colder.
あらすじ
Sidney Bruhl sits handcuffed to a chair in his own study. Clifford Anderson packs a bag and calls a cab as Sidney listens. Before he leaves, Clifford explains how the play Deathtrap ends and tells Sidney he will not kill him — Clifford only wanted a hit play.
注目の表現
set someone upin your debtled astraybad vibes
00:00 / 02:26Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
a can of worms
a tangled mess
On his way out, Clifford warns that any trouble from Sidney opens a tangled mess.
Bringing that up opens a can of worms.
このシーンの他の表現
- set someone up
trap someone
- in your debt
owing you a favor
- led astray
lured into bad ways
- bad vibes
an uneasy feeling
- fill in the holes
patch the gaps
このシーンのメモ一覧
41 行のセリフに 23 件のメモ
practical, doable
I mean, wow! That is simple. It is workable. It's gonna play.going to — Spoken shorthand; keep it out of formal writing.
I mean, wow! That is simple. It is workable. It's gonna play.a repulsive person — An insult for someone repulsive; casual but harsh.
You big creep.at that very moment
But just then Inga Van Bronk and the lawyer come in.present perfect continuous: Has been getting shows the feeling has lasted all night and may still continue.
She's called him because she's been getting bad vibes all night.an uneasy feeling — Casual talk about intuition; common with friends.
She's called him because she's been getting bad vibes all night.just enough time to
Victor lives just long enough to tell the truth about himself and Julian...dead, the two of them
What do you mean, "Is that it?" They're both dead dummy. The play's over.extremely weak
That's exceedingly feeble, Clifford.the main surprise
Now, here 's the big surprise, Sidney. Are you ready?Gonna swallows going to into a single word.
I'm not gonna kill you.a successful play
I just wanted a hit play.relative clause: The that-clause modifies sociopath, adding the image the other person prefers.
And I'm really not the total sociopath that you'd like to think.phone for a taxi
Sidney, I'm gonna pack, I'm gonna call a cab...the whole night
Otherwise you'll have to sit there this way all night.hand you the key
I'm going to give you the key and unlock one wrist.compound predicate: Two verbs share one subject and are joined by and, listing two promised actions.
I'm going to give you the key and unlock one wrist.bother someone
But if you hassle me in any way...Link can of so the n runs into of.
You will be opening up a very messy can of worms.the launch of
If you don't bother me until the opening of Deathtrap...The g in opening softens as it links into of.
If you don't bother me until the opening of Deathtrap...long ago
I'll say, "Yes, I got the idea years ago.「Clifford Spares Sidney」を読み解く
What's really going on
The scene looks like a villain deciding to spare his victim, but the power has quietly changed hands. Sidney spent the whole story scheming; now he is the one cuffed to a chair while Clifford calmly packs. When Clifford says, "I'm not gonna kill you," he isn't being kind — he is telling Sidney that the one thing he built his life on, a hit play, now belongs to Clifford. The terms are crueler than a knife: Sidney must say he fired Clifford, or Clifford threatens, "You will be opening up a very messy can of worms." Even the timing stings — Clifford only wants silence until "the opening of Deathtrap," the play Sidney wanted for himself.
Theme
DeceptionClifford's calm voice hides a threat: he leaves Sidney cuffed and free to invent the story of what happened.
AmbitionEverything is traded for one thing, a hit play. Clifford spares Sidney's life but keeps the credit for himself.
このチャプターで学べること
- A hostage scene ends with terms, not bullets.
- The final threat is a picture, not a scream.
- Thunder does the last line better than any actor.
- The winner here is the one still talking.
発音のポイント
- gonna kill — Gonna swallows going to into a single word.
- can of — Link can of so the n runs into of.
- opening of — The g in opening softens as it links into of.
I'm not gonna kill you.Clifford's big reveal to a handcuffed Sidney: he had the chance and the plan, but he will not go through with murder. It turns everything before it into a choice rather than a necessity.
And I'm really not the total sociopath that you'd like to think.Clifford insists he is not the cold killer Sidney believes he is — a self-justifying line that lands as more chilling than any confession.
You will be opening up a very messy can of worms.A warning rather than a threat of violence: if Sidney causes trouble, Clifford will drag all the hidden deaths and lies into the open. A can of worms is a mess no one can contain.
I mean, wow! That is simple. It is workable. It's gonna play.Clifford's praise of Sidney's plot device: simple, workable, and sure to play well on stage. In context it shows how easily he judges a murder scheme like a script.
このシーンについての質問
Why doesn't Clifford kill Sidney after all his planning?
Because what he actually wanted was a hit play, not revenge. Killing Sidney would bring a murder investigation; keeping him alive, silent and humiliated, lets Clifford walk away clean and still claim the idea for Deathtrap.
Why does Clifford make Sidney say he fired him?
It protects Clifford's story. If Sidney tells people he gave Clifford his notice, no one asks why a famous playwright and his assistant suddenly parted ways, and the real events in the study stay buried.
Is Clifford really a sociopath?
He denies it — "I'm really not the total sociopath that you'd like to think" — but the way he plans, threatens and jokes about the deaths leaves the answer uncomfortably open.
What does "a can of worms" mean here?
A tangled, unstoppable mess. Clifford's warning means that if Sidney ever bothers him, he will expose the hidden deaths and lies, turning a private silence into a public scandal.
Why does Sidney call the ending "exceedingly feeble"?
He is criticizing the way the play ends: after all the scheming, one character simply shoots himself. A professional playwright finds that too easy and unconvincing as a finale.
デストラップ・死の罠 · 全 30 章
すべて見る →
第 1 章truth in advertisingSidney's Play Flops on Opening Night
第 2 章add insult to injurySidney Rants About Being Written Out
第 3 章top billingSidney Plots to Steal a Play
第 4 章a god-sent opportunityMyra Urges Sidney to Call Anderson
第 5 章all the makingsSidney Calls Clifford About His Play
第 6 章got hooked onClifford Anderson Visits the Bruhls
第 7 章feet on the groundMyra Pushes Sidney to Collaborate
第 8 章go out of your wayClifford Asks for a Second Opinion
第 9 章hit a snagSidney Handcuffs Clifford
第 10 章untypical of meClifford Is Handcuffed
第 11 章the envy ofSidney Kills Clifford
第 12 章night and dayMyra Finally Tells Sidney to Leave
第 13 章guilt-riddenHelga Ten Dorp Arrives
第 14 章keep uncloudedHelga Foresees the Knife
第 15 章skeptical aboutHelga Predicts the Deathtrap
第 16 章once and for allMyra Hears Something Downstairs
第 17 章be my doingSidney Promises Nothing Will Go Wrong
第 18 章for future referenceThe Fake Murder Kills Myra
第 19 章lay an eggPorter Milgrim Meets the Secretary
第 20 章on the agendaPorter Reviews Sidney's Will
第 21 章a death wishSidney Pitches Deathtrap
第 22 章knock offClifford Wants a Shortcut
第 23 章be in on itClifford Talks Sidney Into Deathtrap
第 24 章kid a kidderBruhl and Anderson Team Up
第 25 章psychicHelga Meets the Man in Boots
第 26 章fed up withHelga Warns Sidney Again
第 27 章spill the beansThe Rehearsal Turns Deadly
第 28 章send someone packingClifford Turns the Gun on Sidney
第 29 章a snapClifford Turns the Tables on Sidney
再生中 · 第 30 章a can of wormsClifford Spares Sidneyこの作品の 30 章はここまでです