The Battle of the Sexes

Mr Martin plans to kill Angela Barrows because her modernization proposals threaten the traditional tweed company he has worked for his entire life. She intends to replace the 700 crofter-weavers with a single factory and switch to synthetic fibres, which would destroy the centuries-old craft. Inspired by a Sherlock Holmes film he watches at the cinema, Martin believes a dramatic act could restore balance and protect the traditional way of life.

Earlier, the chauffeur crash into the brewer's dray symbolizes the collision between old and new worlds, foreshadowing Martin's extreme response.

Martin plans to stage the murder as a random killing by a drinking, smoking attacker. Since he is actually a non-smoker and non-drinker, he buys whisky and cigarettes to leave at the crime scene, creating a false impression that a stranger committed the crime. This approach is directly inspired by the Sherlock Holmes film he watches, where a similar staging misleads investigators.

Martin fails because his conscience prevents him from actually killing Angela Barrows. In her flat, he makes a first attempt but his conscience intervene and he stops before harming her. He then makes several more botched attempts, each time unable to go through with the violent act. The moral crisis proves stronger than his determination to protect the traditional business.

Young MacPherson finds Martin's denial more plausible than Angela's claims because Martin has been a loyal, long-standing employee of the company, while Angela is an outsider pushing disruptive changes. Additionally, the situation has become increasingly chaotic, and Martin's calm denial fits more comfortably with the business interests at stake. MacPherson's questioning reveals his preference for maintaining stability over accepting the shocking truth.

Angela Barrows leaves because she cannot withstand the pressure and hostility any longer. After the confrontation in the office where Martin is interrogated and young MacPherson seems to believe his denial, Angela realizes she has lost the battle for the company's future. Frustrated and feeling that everyone around her is mad, she departs, abandoning her modernization plans for the Scottish tweed company.

Martin buys Angela a flower at the railway station because he is moved by a fleeting sense of compassion when he sees her crying. This final gesture represents a recognition of their shared humanity despite their opposing views on the company's future. It softens the conflict and provides a bittersweet, humane conclusion to their confrontation.

The moment echoes Martin's earlier refusal of whisky at old MacPherson's deathbed, another instance where he chooses restraint over indulgence.

After Angela Barrows leaves, her modernization proposals die with her. The company continues operating under the traditional methods, with the 700 crofter-weavers remaining in their homes across the Hebrides. Martin's seemingly successful resistance preserves the old way of life, though the victory is described as peculiar, he chose not to commit murder but still won the conflict through Angela's departure.

Martin refuses the whisky out of principle and restraint, establishing his character as a non-drinker. Old MacPherson then drinks for both of them before dying, a moment that sets the film's strange tone. This early scene establishes Martin's moral rigidity and his relationship with tradition, qualities that will later drive his extreme reaction to modernization.

This moment foreshadows Martin's later purchase of whisky he doesn't intend to drink, using it as a prop for his murder staging.

The chauffeur crashes into the brewer's dray while driving Angela Barrows through Edinburgh during her push for rapid modernization. The crash is a symbolic moment representing the collision between the new world Angela represents and the old world of traditional Scottish business. It underscores the disruptive atmosphere her reforms create and serves as foreshadowing of the larger conflicts to come.

Angela Barrows wants to switch to synthetic fibres as part of her broader modernization strategy for the tweed company. She believes synthetic materials represent the future of the textile industry and would make the company more competitive in the 20th century. This proposal, combined with her plan to centralize weavers into a single factory, represents a complete transformation of the traditional craft-based business.

The 'battle of the sexes' refers to the conflict between Angela Barrows' progressive, American business methods and the traditional, male-dominated Scottish business world she enters. It is a satirical take on gender dynamics in business, where a confident woman comes to overhaul a company run by traditional men. However, the title is somewhat ironic, as the real battle is between old and new business philosophies rather than purely gender-based conflict.