MovieChat Forums > Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) Discussion > Spot The Lightning Bolt

Spot The Lightning Bolt

posted 19 years ago by ipdailie
7 replies | jump to latest

Surprised this topic isn't on here yet, but every time I watch JVV I see another instance of the lightning-bolt shape "hidden" in a scene. Just wondering if there are any I have missed. The first I see is the sidewalk from the parking lot to Joe's office. Later, the actual lightning bolt that sinks the boat. Then, the path up the volcano. I think there are others, just can't remember them right now (brain cloud). It's a wonderful visual metaphor for the crooked path of life.

[–] rsclark-1 19 years ago

It is the symbol for company - making the walkway to the building a little less out of place - and also appears as a crack in the wall of his house. It is present with each major change in direction that he takes, essentially plotting out his path for the film.

[–] jack-scratch 19 years ago

It is also, I'm not makeing this up, the shape of the Rectal Probe that the company makes.You see it in a bilboard that say's "home of the rectal probe." with a picture of it.

[–] themanfromthepru 19 years ago

Also the ACTUAL LIGHTNING that sinks the sail boat is that shape!

[–] AndyCT 19 years ago

Um, no, it's not...

The little sign on the fence outside the factory has just the words "American Panascope - Home of the Rectal Probe"

Inside the factory the billboard/counter (“Home of the Rectal Probe – 7127656 Satisfied Customers”) has something that looks horrifyingly like a shovel handle with a huge drill bit. Though the company logo is in the corner of the billboard, the probe itself looks nothing like a lightning bolt.

[–] I_have_a_brain_cloud 18 years ago

The lightning bolt also appears on the wall of Joe's apartment when Graynamore is visiting. It symbolizes the crooked and twisting path of his life (he refers to it late in the movie) and appears when a change is about to take place (going postal at the office, hired by Granamore, the lightning bolt that sinks the ship, and the path up to the volcano--or is is a smoke column above the volcano? can't remember). I didn't make these up, these were astute perceptions written by others on this board.

The way I interpreted them, once I saw the last one, was that each of the prior appearances of the bolt prefigured the big, last, one--the bolt over or leading up to the volcano, which would be Joe's epiphany. That Joe essentially had a series of visions that would culminate in the final vision of his transformation (taking the big risk of jumping).

What a great movie. I hope it starts to get some better ratings.

Jedi-R-Us

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MorganRand 9 years ago

Gonna watch this again tonight. A fav of mine and it's been a long time. I'll dedicate this viewing to instense lightning bolt shape hunting.

Like a lot of you, I find it a vastly underrated gem that speaks to/from the heart. It stuck with me the first time I saw it, right in its own special little niche.

I use lines from this movie all the time in life. It's always great when someone recognizes one, which is rare.

"I'm not arguing that with you."
"I know he can get the job, but can he do the job?"
"I have no response to that."
"You're asking me to tell you who you are." (that whole speech is great)
"I'm a flibbertigibbet."
"Live like a king, die like a man!"
"I can feel these lights... sucking the juice out of my eyeballs!"
"May you live to be a thousand years old." (I really love the luggage guy.)
"It's always gonna be something with you, isn't it?"

Probably others I can't think of at the moment.