Character Relationship Map: What?

Characters

• Alex (played by Marcello Mastroianni) — protagonist

  Alex is a good-looking man associated with dark glasses whom Nancy actively searches for after reaching the strange house. The story leaves it uncertain whether he is actually present, making him an u...

• Nancy (played by Sydne Rome) — protagonist

  Nancy is the central outsider who arrives at the country house after reporting that three men attacked her, attempted to rape her, and stole her suitcases. She repeatedly seeks help, searches for Alex...

• Joseph Noblart (played by Hugh Griffith) — supporting

  Joseph Noblart is the eccentric social center of the household, whose conversations and behavior dominate the dinner gathering. After receiving walkie-talkies from Edward, he becomes ill, demands his...

• Tony (played by Gianfranco Piacentini) — supporting

  Tony is one of the disorderly household residents encountered by Nancy. His notable action is speaking in his sleep while accusations and confusion spread through the house. Although the plot gives hi...

• Mosquito (played by Roman Polanski) — minor

  Mosquito is a household resident whose disappearance becomes a source of alarm. His missing harpoon gun leads others to fear that a violent incident occurred near the tower, while a witness later desc...

• Edward (played by John Karlsen) — minor

  Edward directly gives Joseph Noblart a pair of walkie-talkies, intending to provide a means of communication within the house. The devices instead intensify the confusion, as residents call one anothe...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Joseph Noblart → Mosquito (Unknown Missing-Resident Connection) — The two are linked by the unresolved household mystery, although no direct interaction is established.

  The house's crisis includes Mosquito's disappearance and Joseph Noblart's central presence during the surrounding accusations and alleged violence.

• Mosquito → Tony (Social Household Associate) — Both are residents implicated in the house's unexplained disorder.

  Mosquito's disappearance and Tony's sleep-speaking occur within the same sequence of household accusations and confusion.

• Tony → Joseph Noblart (Social Household Associate) — Tony belongs to the group affected by Joseph's central position in the house.

  Tony is present within the household whose social disorder gathers around Joseph Noblart during dinner and Joseph's later illness.

• Edward → Joseph Noblart (Social Gift Giver) — Edward gives Joseph a communication device that intensifies the house's confusion.

  Edward presents Joseph Noblart with walkie-talkies during the household's dinner-related disorder.

• Nancy → Edward (Social Household Acquaintance) — Edward is connected to Nancy through the same disordered household environment.

  Edward is identified as a resident who presents Joseph Noblart with walkie-talkies, which become part of the household's confused communications.

• Nancy → Mosquito (Conflict Unresolved Allegation) — Nancy's story becomes entangled with the unexplained disappearance and alleged violence surrounding Mosquito.

  Mosquito disappears, and a witness later describes a painful, violent scene involving Mosquito and another resident; the same sequence contains allega...

• Nancy → Tony (Conflict Accusatory Encounter) — Tony is part of the hostile and confused household that cannot respond normally to Nancy.

  Nancy repeatedly tries to explain what happened, while Tony speaks in his sleep and the household trades accusations without evidence.

• Nancy → Joseph Noblart (Conflict Household Confrontation) — Their interaction centers on missing clothing and Joseph's demand for answers.

  Nancy loses her clothes and later appears in Joseph Noblart's pajamas, while Joseph demands an explanation for the theft of his clothes.

• Nancy → Alex (Narrative Mysterious Search) — Alex is an unresolved mystery connected to Nancy's search inside the house.

  Nancy searches for Alex, a good-looking man who wears dark glasses, but the account leaves his presence uncertain.

Story Analysis

Nancy enters an irrational country house where disappearing objects, alleged violence, and confused authority remain unresolved.

Plot Progression

1. Arrival into Disorder — Nancy reaches the country house after reporting an attack, attempted rape, and stolen luggage. The residents respond with confusion and hostility rather than comfort.
2. The House Erases Evidence — Nancy searches for Alex while her luggage, room, trousers, and T-shirt disappear. The household responds with unsupported accusations and bizarre behavior.
3. Mosquito and the Tower — Mosquito cannot be found, and the disappearance of his harpoon gun raises fears of violence near the tower. A witness and later conversation add disturbing allegations involving Nancy.
4. Dinner and Broken Signals — The household gathers around Joseph Noblart at dinner, where Edward introduces walkie-talkies. The devices increase confusion as residents call and misidentify one another.
5. Joseph's Uneasy Invitation — Joseph becomes ill, lashes out, and demands his pajamas while claiming he will live for centuries. He later notices Nancy wearing them and orders her to explain the theft.