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Some Things Missing from Prior Explantions

posted 17 years ago by cdog534
4 replies | jump to latest

A few key issues that have been glossed over:

MONTANA
- The town in Montana (Morrison?) is where Harry and his wife recently went on a trip.

- His coworker mentions the trip, as does the FBI guy.

- When he calls the Montana Tourism Bureau, and ultimately the restaurant, he is surprised when he recognizes the location.

- When he gets there, to the hotel he asks for the room he had with his wife, Room 305.

- Memories appear of him there with his wife.

So, he was definitely there before with his wife.

THE INTERVIEW
A couple other related items to note:

- He has forgotten all about that trip until the FBI guy reminds him "Have you taken any trips lately". That's obvious from his reaction.

- The FBI obviously thinks she had something to do with the killing of the cop... BUT I think this was coincidence (see below).

THE VIDEO
- He sees something on the video that makes him pause. I think what he see is a reaction of recognition from his wife. She RECOGNIZES the shooter, and in fact may have there to meet him.

PETER (The Montana Cop)
- It's obvious that Peter has had some infidelity issues, based on his wife's comments.

- We see memories of Harry's wife going into the house across the street. Based on the negatives, we can deduce that Harry actually lived there while he was in Wisconsin.

- Perhaps he was the father of Harry's wife's baby? Perhaps they actually met when Harry and wife were in Montana, and they he travelled to Wisconsin to see her again. When she confronted him on the pregancy, he saw killing her as his only way out.

THE HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET
- A perfect location for Peter to stay while he was having an affair with Harry's wife.

- Of course, he left once she was dead. Leaving the negatives on accident.

THE CONSPIRACY DUDES
- What a freaking Mulholland Drive ripoff...

- This is a fictional scene created in Harry's head... WHY? So he can come up with a reason for the guy across the street killing his wife. If the guy is part of an elaborate cop-killing ring, and killed her on accident, that keeps her pure status in Harry's mind. But it is far-fetched to the outside viewer (us) and this whole scene seems purposely contrived (which it is).

- The truth is that there is no conspiracy. Peter killed Harry's wife cause she was pregnant with his child. Shooting the cop was the accident... Harry's mind couldnt deal with this, and created the conspiracy.

THE PREGNANCY
- Perhaps Harry knew he was not able to have children, so the pregnancy signalled infidelity (possibly on their trip to Montana, possibly after, but with Peter)

- Having known her for seven years, and just know having her become pregnant, seems like a big gap for people their age, Again, this supports his infidelity.

-7 years, as he tells the FBI how long thats how long he has been dating his wife, is the typical time for infidelity to occur in a marriage (seven year itch).

THE ENDING
- Perhaps Harry being shot is simply a metaphor for Peter telling him the truth about him and Harry's wife. The truth is what wounds him.

-He then goes slightly insane for a few hours and end up in the hospital, convinced he killed Peter. Really, all he did was leave in the elevator and go crazy.

- At the end, its Peter in the hallway saying "get this guy the hell out of town please" and having his cop buddies show Harry out of town. Harry understands the situation at the end and comes to grips with it.

So, that's it. His wife's lover killed her. The cop killing was incidental. He remembers the guy from across the street, tracks the guy down, and the guy admits it. Harry leaves.

Your thoughts?

[–] beauhooligan 17 years ago

Hello,

I'd like to comment about the Conspiracy Dudes. imho they, and everything except what may be their subsequent actions, may be the only reality after the killings in the mall. The reason for this is that when he arrives in Montana, Harry's derangement becomes problematic; how much of what is happening to Harry is all Harry, and how much is caused by external forces?

Once in Montana, when Henry is identified as a real threat, and the Dudes are informed, Harry's separation from reality becomes even more dramatic. Given, Harry was not well screwed together from the start, and the murder of his family moved him into the seriously disturbed category. But I speculate that the Dudes subsequently had him dosed with one of several psychoactive agents. He could have been doned by the party girl (she was close enough to stick him, and whores don't just go trolling rooms occupied by single males), or it could have put introduced into his drink in the lounge. The dose could have been possibly re-enforced later by Peter. After that juncture, it's all Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for Harry. When the thorazine finally wears off, the cops take him to his car and send him off into the great American weirdness.

...and a five floor hotel in that part of Montana? Those people build out, not up.

I cannot say I disliked the film; I have seen a great many that were far worse. I think it is just a film that moves at a tangent to conventional film making. The film has a voice, but, as I commonly find when I see noirish films shot by European directors, I simply don't understand the language. I simply don't know what the director was trying to say.

Beauhooligan

>>THE CONSPIRACY DUDES
- What a freaking Mulholland Drive ripoff...

- This is a fictional scene created in Harry's head... WHY? So he can come up with a reason for the guy across the street killing his wife. If the guy is part of an elaborate cop-killing ring, and killed her on accident, that keeps her pure status in Harry's mind. But it is far-fetched to the outside viewer (us) and this whole scene seems purposely contrived (which it is).

- The truth is that there is no conspiracy. Peter killed Harry's wife cause she was pregnant with his child. Shooting the cop was the accident... Harry's mind couldnt deal with this, and created the conspiracy. <<

[–] brucedgo 16 years ago

So, that's it. His wife's lover killed her. The cop killing was incidental. He remembers the guy from across the street, tracks the guy down, and the guy admits it. Harry leaves.

I sure hope you're wrong, or at least that I continue to think you're wrong. Because if you're right, the movie sucks. And it was great up until the end, and I hope to find a meaning for even the ending...

I was totally into the film. I haven't experienced such tension in a film for a long time*. But it all relied on things being what they seemed. After all, we're shown a thoroughly detailed sub-story of a cop and his wife and child and a conspiracy he's involved in. And even his wife thinking he's had an affair. No way Caine is making all that up in his head. No way!

I'm going to watch the last part again and see what I can figure out. And if I can't find it, I'll invent it!

* The other super-tense movie I always remember was Sorcerer.

"The more you drive, the less intelligent you are"
-- Repo Man

[–] vincenzococotti-1 16 years ago

My explanation is very simple. So is the movie I think.

Caine just can't cope with his loss, and gets more and more delusional. After getting to Montana the majority (almost all) of the events only occur in his head. Yes, even the family scenes are made up by his troubled mind. He's looking for reasons, desperately. Maybe there was a lover, maybe it was his son, maybe there was a conspiracy. He never finds out anything.

I'm sorry but it was just so shallow, the director just throwing useless hints, there was no story, no mistery to find out. He misses his wife, that's it. He can't come to terms with it.

He harasses customers. He watches videotapes all night. He puts all those pictures on his wall hoping to find out about a conspiracy. To find a reason for her death, for his sadness. He went crazy about his loss, and in the end nothing happened. Maybe he just got bored of his own delusions and stopped doing it.

Bad movie. Sorry.

[–] 16 years ago

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