speaking and in the overall rhythm of the scenes. This device is common throughout the film, where whatever altered state the character happens to be in (fear, shock, distress, stupor) can be defined as a "justifier." This strategy of justifiers is used in numerous scenes. In one, which follows the scenes of the party, Alice and Bill smoke marijuana and she initiates an interrogation that tests her husband's sense of jealousy. The scene evolves from her dispassionate questioning to her violent reproach, to a daring confession of figurative adultery. Throughout all three phases, however, Alice deals with the effects of the drug and of the mental tiptoeing around her husband's defensive rationale. This is represented by her slow speech.
             Part II presents the protagonist's prolonged reaction to his wife's confession, and leads up to his participation in the mansion. In the first sequence of this second part, Bill att
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