ball at opera

It means soccer sucks.

The head of the just-murdered Nicole is my guess. Of course, that wouldn't have passed the prudish US censors, so we get the ball, which it turns out, is just as creepy.

I've never read the novel, but I believe that particular scene was included just to satisfy the people who read it. The novel probably explains the soccer ball a bit more. Films will often do this, so long as the included scene doesn't interfere with the central plot. A blatant example of this is the scene in 'The Exorcist' where the Iraqi man displays a hauntingly deformed eye to Marin. The novel explains that severe glaucoma was rampant in the area at the time.


He who conquers himself is mightier than he who conquers a city.

Here's my theory, which I once advanced in this forum (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074860/board/thread/209547012) with a fake tone of certainty:

The symbolism is as follows. In 1974 West Germany won the World Cup, an event that would've been fresh in the mind of a worldly fellow like Doc. The soccer ball meant that the Germans were back in play.

To heighten the suspense and confusion.