The Green Mile/Headscratchers

• Just before Delacroix's execution, Paul notices that Percy has applied the sponge without dipping it in brine first; the movie is very deliberate in showing us the look of panic that crosses his face. Surely a man of Paul's experience would know that that's a very bad idea; hell, the guy who operates the switch flat-out tells us how catastrophic it would be. So why in the name of hell does Paul let the execution go on without stopping it if he knows what's about to happen? Surely he can't be so worried about maintaining protocol that he would stand by and watch a roomful of innocent people get traumatized as the prisoner burns alive in front of their very eyes?
  • I got the feeling that he subconciously knew something was wrong when he noticed the floor was dry but he couldn't quite put his finger on it until it was too late. If you meant why didn't he stop it when he DID notice, it was too late, Delacroix was already as good as dead and stopping the execution to apply the sponge would just draw things out and make his death even MORE gruesome.
    • I'm talking before the guy pulls the switch. And I still don't see someone as professional as Paul just letting it go if he even remotely suspects something might be wrong, especially knowing that a complete sadist like Percy is running things.
  • It really annoys me that the guy putting on the cap (Harry I think) didn't notice either. I mean, you can clearly see with Bitterbuck's execution that he just about touches the sponge, plus the amount of water that was there made the hood wet too. Seriously, how did he just not notice after the emphasis they put on having the sponge wet earlier? AND all the other guards are watching. When Brutal did it there was water everywhere. Did not one of them see that there was no water at all anywhere? No one noticed there was no watery noise when Percy was supposedly dipping the sponge in? So many things.
    • I can see this happening, if you work in a disciplined team of guys who are always professional and can unhesitatingly count on that discipline and professionalism then you just do your own part knowing that the other guy is doing his (you could do it blindfolded and still expect it done perfectly). In this case everyone is so used to that level of professionalism that there is a Percy shaped blindspot in their mindset. They expect (foolishly) the same level of professionalism and aren't looking for any screwups. Also they know exactly what will happen if the sponge isn't wet, and forget Percy doesn't, so discount his curiosity (and dehumanisation of offenders) because no one could be that sadistic.
    • In addition to the "disciplined, highly scripted routine" element of the situation, it's also a (the only) very public operation that the crew conducts, with a premium on everything going smoothly. You might think that would make people more likely to keep things from going horribly wrong, but it actually makes them more reluctant to speak out on some vague feeling of "not rightness" unless they could see exactly what was wrong, for fear of ruining the "show". So when Paul subconsciously noticed the floor was dry, he wasn't about to leap out in front of the entire audience and say "wait, everyone, something's not right!" Instead he took the extra couple seconds to figure out the problem, at which point the switch was flipped.
    • It's been a while since I read the book, but in the movie, Percy showed that he's not a completely stupid raconteur by telling Delacroix that there's not Mouseville, which draws looks of irritation, annoyance, and outright anger from the others who heard him. There's a better-than-even chance that they didn't notice (or connect the info about) the dry sponge due to their irritation, annoyance, and anger.
  • Not only that, but Delacroix himself should have noticed there was no water in the sponge. Hell, he's the one they use to demonstrate proper technique anyway!
    • No he wasn't, you're thinking of the janitor.
  • In the book at least, Paul was about to speak when the switch got pulled. And then it was too late.
  • Percy puts the sponge on and the other guard, standing behind Del, immediately places the headpiece over it. Del probably didn't know the sponge was supposed to be wet, and in any case was probably preoccupied. Paul didn't look at the bucket and floor untl a few seconds before Percy said, "Roll on Two", and looked like he was about to speak right before the switch was thrown. His thought process was something like:

There's the bucket. Something isn't right. There's always water on the floor from the sponge. The floor is dry. That means the sponge may be dry. Oh God, the sponge is dry! WAIT! and then it was too late.

• There seems to be only one shift of guards working the Green Mile even though it's obviously a 24/7 operation.
  • They specifically mention day-shift guards, it's just none of them show up because they aren't important.

• * Usually it's clear whether or not a movie passes The Bechdel Test. Not here. Paul's wife speaks to the warden's gravely ill wife, who moves her mouth in response but doesn't speak audibly. Does this count as a "conversation" for test purposes?
  • It pretty obviously violates it in spirit (since, y'know, the entire story is set in a male-only prison), making the Rules Lawyer aspects of it a fairly pointless exercise.
    • There is no spirit to the Bechdel Test, the test is, itself, built on technicalities. It's why it's such a ridiculous metric to try and judge movies on.