Peter staring at soldier in train station

M

majorbase2

New member
How come at the beginning of the movie...

When the children are about to board the train, why does Peter stop and look back at that soldier?
 
I can't actually remember him doing that, but isn't his father a soldier? Maybe he feels sad?

Sorry Im not much help
 
I knew his dad was a soldier, but still...I don't understand.


Peter just stops right before he gets on the train and the lady keeps telling him to give her the tickets.
 
Possibly thinking of his father or feeling guilty because he is not going to war. The soldier is a young man, probably about 18, he's going to war to serve his country and his family. If I was being moved to a safehouse away from war and I saw a kid my age in an army uniform I would feel a little guilty about not going to join the good fight.
 
The kid wasn't his age ;)

I believe he was thinking of his father, and the service he was doing, and if he would come back.
 
Those are all excellent premises behind the scene. I am not sure myself exactly, but it could have very well been either one that has already been mentioned
 
I think both possibilities are right. (I was actually going to post a thread about this if there wasn't one already). I think part of that look could be explained by Peter missing his father. However, I tend to agree more with the other interpretation. Part of my opinion is influenced by Will's age, and therefore my vew on Peter's age (I feel Peter was about 16 in the movie). At least in America during WWII (and probably the case was the same or very similar in Britain) you were supposed to be 18 before you could join the military, of course, there are hundreds of cases where people lied about their age and joined at 15, 16, and 17. This boy is not much older than Peter--perhaps only a year or two, and he is going off to the front to protect his family and his country, while Peter is being wisked off to the country with the other "children." With their father gone Peter is the man of the house and as we see throughout the film and especially with his treatment of Edmund he is taking this role very seriously. I think being reminded that he is still a "child" really hurt him, and I suspect if things had been different he would have gladly been fighting along side that young soldier. Of course, it also makes for some great foreshadowing.
 
LadyAnneH said:
I think both possibilities are right. (I was actually going to post a thread about this if there wasn't one already). I think part of that look could be explained by Peter missing his father. However, I tend to agree more with the other interpretation. Part of my opinion is influenced by Will's age, and therefore my vew on Peter's age (I feel Peter was about 16 in the movie). At least in America during WWII (and probably the case was the same or very similar in Britain) you were supposed to be 18 before you could join the military, of course, there are hundreds of cases where people lied about their age and joined at 15, 16, and 17. This boy is not much older than Peter--perhaps only a year or two, and he is going off to the front to protect his family and his country, while Peter is being wisked off to the country with the other "children." With their father gone Peter is the man of the house and as we see throughout the film and especially with his treatment of Edmund he is taking this role very seriously. I think being reminded that he is still a "child" really hurt him, and I suspect if things had been different he would have gladly been fighting along side that young soldier. Of course, it also makes for some great foreshadowing.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's how I looked at it!
 
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