Paul Marshall: Chocolate Creep
Benedict Cumberbatch, chocolate and pedophilia are definitely something that DO NOT belong in the same sentence and instead sounds like something ‘The Daily Mail’ would string together to become some topsy turvy media sensation. As much as I would like to say that the above words are just a string of fancy words that I put together for shock value—they are not.
In Joe Wright’s 2007 film adaptation of “Atonement”, Benedict Cumberbatch portrays chocolate pioneer (and resident creeper), Paul Marshall.
Now, I know what you are saying, dear reader, “But Destiny, he isn’t in that movie long enough! And I sat through the entire thing.” I couldn’t be more in agreement with you, but we at According to Benedict ask you to watch the movie again with a new set of eyes.
Yes, Paul Marshall is an odd fellow.
Yes, Paul Marshall is a bore.
Yes, Paul Marshall knows a little too much about chocolate.
But before you cast down your judgmental eyes on this character, lest not forget that if it wasn’t for this small character the events of the movie and Benedict being cast as Sherlock might not have taken place.
Spoilers***
There’s something about Paul Marshall
Paul Marshall is an excellent cumberstudy. Marshall is a successful businessman who uses his wit, charm, good looks to con the British army/Government into buying his ‘Amo’ brand chocolate bars that promise to bring soldiers energy on the battlefield.
The Villain
There is a lot of sigma here that keeps people away from possibly watching Cumberbatch play such a role, and that is the movie’s unfortunate rape-scene. Brilliantly acted by Cumberbatch, we see a charming man turn into an unsuspecting predator seamlessly. As an established villain now, Cumberbatch, unleashes the raging lust that Marshall had spent in an earlier scene slow leaking. Marshall assaults a 15 year old girl named Lola, and when she manages to escape him, he finds her again and manages to take advantage of her in dark area outside of the house while everyone in the area is out looking for her two runaway brothers. After the search has ended and Lola’s brothers are found it is unknown if Lola ever truly knows who attacked her in the darkness, but she blames the assault on Robbie (James McAvoy). Paul Marshall, knowing that he did it, says nothing. It is this silent action that sets the whole movie into motion.
When Paul Marshall asks you to bite–you bite.
The (not so) Happy Ever After
Instead of Paul fading away into the distance and perhaps becoming a serial pedophile. He commits himself to his first (known) victim and marries Lola. Again it is unclear to the audience if Lola knows that Paul was her attacker, but it is clear that Paul never tells her. Or perhaps he does and she doesn’t care because he is rich. This is the 1920s after all. If anyone wins in this movie and it’s novel counterpart it is most certainly Paul Marshall as he gets away with rape, tricks the government into giving him money, and marries his dream girl. Life is great for the two of them, and it leaves a sick feeling in the pit of the audience’s stomach. What a bastard.
What do Paul Marshall and Sherlock have in common?
BBC’s Sherlock is certainty no romantic war drama, and Atonement is no sleuth, action packed detective show—if it was a lot of the events that take place in the movie and novel wouldn’t of happened.
Can you just imagine Sherlock going into that house and saying “She’s lying, Briony is lying about everything.”
That would have saved the audience a lot of time and money. Not that Atonement is a bad film to watch or a terrible thing to read. It’s not, quite the opposite really. The acting by Saoirse Ronan, Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch is superb and there was more than one tear that fell from my eye.
Just remember that even though Cumberbatch’s role in this movie is minor, the impact that he had in it was major. And it was this role that Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue first saw him in that made him a top-rate choice with the help of Mark Gatiss.
After all where would we all be without Paul Marshall?
Watch the clip below: 18 years or younger need not apply.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhSO8VFGxo0
Write a comment
You need to be logged in to leave a comment.