Did anyone else notice the recurring symbol in the movie?
I noticed it the first time I saw the movie, but I had no idea what it meant. It drove me CRAZY!!! So I kept watching it, over and over until I could figure out what Mr. Shanley was trying to say with the symbol. What was the hidden meaning.
It took me about 5 tries....but I think I got it.
Anyone have any ideas?
The zig-zag lightning shape?
shareYou know, I've sen this movie countless times, and have always been intrigued by the recurrence of that lightning symbol. I just finished watching it again, and counted it four times: the sidewalk into his workplace, in the broken wall in Joe's apartment, the lightning bolt, and the torches along the path up the mountain. The only thing that seems to refer to it in the film is where Joe is about to jump into the volcano and he says somesthing about "a long time on a crooked road" or something to that effect. So I'm thinking the symbol represents his (misguided?) path through life on a "crooked road".
Any thoughts on this?
--Ariston
"Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos"
I'm not sure it matters what the exact meaning of it is. Its important function is that it ties all the different chapters of the movie together. Some possible meanings are that there was always this lightning bolt inside Joe, accompanying him from Staten Island to Waponi Wu; it's a "crooked path" representing his journey; etc. Also, in a movie with so many disparate sequences, a recurring symbol can help tie them all together and make the movie appear more cohesive. I love this movie because it's corny but incredibly well thought out and erudite, and it's unexpectedly inspirational. It was never that popular, but the fact that it attracted five big-name actors is a tribute.
share[deleted]
It's not a lightning bolt in a mountain. It's magma flowing through a VOLCANO!!!
shareNo, the lightning bolt (zig-zag shape) ON the mountain... You see when the natives are climbing the mountain and the path is lit up by their torches.
There is no problem between us that can't be solved by your departure
I figure it symbolizes the crooked path of life.
It's also at the start, where everyone's walking to work.
I've always thought it symolized the "crooked road" he talks about near the end, that his life's been a crooked road until he met Ryan.
This is one of my favorite movies and in my opinion, the best that Hanks and Ryan made together.
dead on.
i used to think it was the symbol of everything bad in his life. the path to job he hates, the crack in the wall of his crappy apt., the lightning bolt that nearly kills him and the walk of death to the mouth of the volcano.
however, i've come to realize it obviously represents the crooked and sometimes unbearable path that we all need to take to achieve our dreams. those instances were really just road blocks that Joe had to get past. He did, and they made him stronger. At the end he even mentions the "crooked path" that brought him there.
best romantic comedy ever.
I absolutely agree with you all. This one theme is what makes this probably my most favorite film of all time. It's quirky, funny, odd, but most of all, it's so subtly brilliant. Mr. Shanley's writing of this particular story was so subtle. What appears on the outset as simply a light hearted, silly story, has deep meaning, and of course, very personal meaning to many of us it seems.
I don't know if he reads these, or ever looks, and I'm sure he doesn't need our approval to stroke his ego. But I for one am truly thankful for this particular peice of work. It's given me many many years of enjoyment, and inspired me in many ways.
i am SO glad to see so many others love this movie as i have for years...mostly people just laugh at me! ;)
Anyway...i would agree with the "crooked path" explanation. Watching this again recently i have noticed more and more symbolism...it's almost in every frame. The music, the "lightning bolt," the daisy at the beginning (finally noticing the little beauties in life and appreciating life...but only after a terminal diagnosis?), the little phrases on sides of buildings and all the nautical references and objects thrown in that just about go unnoticed.
But what struck me for the first time recently was the sharp lines, contrasts, and geometrical colors and patterns in just about every scene. It really is beautiful. There are very few patterns or pictures, and those that are there are bold, contrasting colors and mostly abstract. To me it kinda symbolizes our choices in life and the lines between happiness and sadness, and the simplicity in life.
But even without all the deep reading between the lines, one of my all-time faves...