Fig Leaves
The film is set in two different ages; just after the fall and in "modern" times. The film jumps back and forth in time, thereby underlining that nothing has changed since the beginning of time.
The title of the film refers to women's clothes; or as it says is one of the inter-titles:
In the beginning woman had three problems; "I haven't a thing to wear." "I haven't a thing to wear." "I haven't a thing to wear."
Problem in Paradise arises because Eve wants something new to wear. But it is not the only problem. There are two snake figures in the modern tale, a man who desires Eve (Josef) and a woman who desires Adam (Alice). Both play on Eve's desire for clothes to get what they want, and both are quite clearly associated with the snake (the woman turns in to a snake while the man is called a worm).
The beginning of time is like a scene from The Flintstones (which makes one wonder if their origin can be traced to this film). The bus is a wagon pulled by a dinosaur and the newspaper is a stone tablet. One of the main news is about "Bad Blood between Kain and Abel" and here are at least two ads in the "paper". The first one goes like this: "Try Forbidden fruit: An apple a day keeps the doctor away." And the other one is an ad on a big fig-leave sale:
Eve: "Here is a wonderful bargain sale in fig-leaves!" Adam: "I can't seem to get hysterical about that." Eve: "But Adam I have nothing to wear." Adam: "Why Darling! You have plenty of clothes and you look better in them than any woman I have seen." Eve pretends she is crying and Adam answers determent back: "Ever since you ate that apple you've had the gimmies. First twin-beds and now it's clothes."
Adam is a plumber in the modern scenes and Eve a bored housewife. Alice is Eve's neighbor a woman with a worm tong and the hots for Adam. Eve meats Andre on the streets, a dress designer, who falls for almost any woman who crosses his path. He tells Eve that she is an inspiration to him and wants her to work for him as a model. Adam protests but Eve decides to go ahead anyway, after consulting with Alice:
Eve: "Look at this dress Alice it's hopeless what would you do?" (There is a close-up of an apple Eve picks up. Eve eats it passionately while listening to Alice). Alice: "Men are so stupid! They never seem to realize that we must have pretty things! My advice to you is to get all the pretty clothes you want, regardless of Adam."
The goals of Alice and Josef prove fruitless in the end and Eve confesses (here in the past): "I've learned my lesson I know now that clothes don't mean everything." Adam is pleased and says: "By the way, Cain and Abel are having a slaying party tonight. Let's go." To this Eve replies: "But Adam I haven't a thing to wear."
The main problem with the film is not only how dated the gender roles are but also the implication that gender roles are a law of nature. It's also interesting that Eve is responsible for the fall. Her desire for pretty things make her an easy target and one could even go so far as to say that her condition (desires) is the fall it self. True, Adam is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he is tempted by Alice but his love for Eve is always pure and genuine. It is Eve's obsession with cloths that complicates things and invites danger.
The film is set in two different ages; just after the fall and in "modern" times. The film jumps back and forth in time, thereby underlining that nothing has changed since the beginning of time.
The title of the film refers to women's clothes; or as it says is one of the inter-titles:
In the beginning woman had three problems; "I haven't a thing to wear." "I haven't a thing to wear." "I haven't a thing to wear."
Problem in Paradise arises because Eve wants something new to wear. But it is not the only problem. There are two snake figures in the modern tale, a man who desires Eve (Josef) and a woman who desires Adam (Alice). Both play on Eve's desire for clothes to get what they want, and both are quite clearly associated with the snake (the woman turns in to a snake while the man is called a worm).
The beginning of time is like a scene from The Flintstones (which makes one wonder if their origin can be traced to this film). The bus is a wagon pulled by a dinosaur and the newspaper is a stone tablet. One of the main news is about "Bad Blood between Kain and Abel" and here are at least two ads in the "paper". The first one goes like this: "Try Forbidden fruit: An apple a day keeps the doctor away." And the other one is an ad on a big fig-leave sale:
Eve: "Here is a wonderful bargain sale in fig-leaves!" Adam: "I can't seem to get hysterical about that." Eve: "But Adam I have nothing to wear." Adam: "Why Darling! You have plenty of clothes and you look better in them than any woman I have seen." Eve pretends she is crying and Adam answers determent back: "Ever since you ate that apple you've had the gimmies. First twin-beds and now it's clothes."
Adam is a plumber in the modern scenes and Eve a bored housewife. Alice is Eve's neighbor a woman with a worm tong and the hots for Adam. Eve meats Andre on the streets, a dress designer, who falls for almost any woman who crosses his path. He tells Eve that she is an inspiration to him and wants her to work for him as a model. Adam protests but Eve decides to go ahead anyway, after consulting with Alice:
Eve: "Look at this dress Alice it's hopeless what would you do?" (There is a close-up of an apple Eve picks up. Eve eats it passionately while listening to Alice). Alice: "Men are so stupid! They never seem to realize that we must have pretty things! My advice to you is to get all the pretty clothes you want, regardless of Adam."
The goals of Alice and Josef prove fruitless in the end and Eve confesses (here in the past): "I've learned my lesson I know now that clothes don't mean everything." Adam is pleased and says: "By the way, Cain and Abel are having a slaying party tonight. Let's go." To this Eve replies: "But Adam I haven't a thing to wear."
The main problem with the film is not only how dated the gender roles are but also the implication that gender roles are a law of nature. It's also interesting that Eve is responsible for the fall. Her desire for pretty things make her an easy target and one could even go so far as to say that her condition (desires) is the fall it self. True, Adam is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he is tempted by Alice but his love for Eve is always pure and genuine. It is Eve's obsession with cloths that complicates things and invites danger.