“... After he pays Angel’s debt to the brothel madam...the marriage takes place off-screen in a ceremony performed, apparently, while Angel is semi-conscious after taking a hard beating. It’s a good thing wedding photography hadn’t been invented yet. It’s a decision typical of the romance novel that the story is taken out of ancient Israel and plopped down not in the present day, but in the mythologized West of the Gold Rush, with its buttery lighting, romantic sunsets, and incongruously contemporary pop songs. The plot touches depths of depravity—including pedophilia and incest—yet everything somehow feels too pretty...” Review: Siskel and Eebert give it two penises down. I mean, aren’t we all semi-conscious at our marriage ceremonies? It’s only afterwards that we take a hard beating, usually. Joking, but leave it to Hollywood to make sure pedo/incest is included in a romantic movie. Question: What does “It’s” refer to in the above paragraph regarding “a decision typical of the romance novel that the story is taken out of ancient Israel...? Thanks.