MovieChat Forums > The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009) Discussion > The gator and the iguana

The gator and the iguana

posted 14 years ago by HindumunInc
4 replies | jump to latest

Ok, so I've been reading a couple of the topics here and it seems some people are saying the director doesn't believe in using symbolism, others saying he does. I get why there was a shot of the iguana (apparently a deleted scene explains it as a practical joke by Kilmer's character). But why on earth does he hold the shot on it and the gator for soooooooooo looooooooong? It was just absurd. I kept thinking back to an episode of MST3K where they hold an establishing shot on a hospital for like 20 seconds and one of them says "They established the HELL out of that building." Well, Herzog established the HELL out of those reptiles! Lol.

I am a heterosexual male who has seen all the Twilight movies-DAMN YOU RIFFTRAX!

[–] dyahrmarkt 14 years ago

Werner Herzog likes to find "the film within the script" - if he feels a need to to off on some kind of tangent, he will - try seeing his documentary "The White Diamond" - it's a perfect example of what happens when unexpected elements pull the film you're making in different directions. Actually, I'm surprised he didn't go further with the iguana shtik, given his tendencies!

Please nest your IMDB page, so you respond to the correct person.

[–] bmacneel 14 years ago

First of all, I can't sign onto the idea that Herzog doesn't use "symbolism". Every film uses symbolism, especially Herzog's. Take Agguire for instance. You mean to tell me there's not the slightest idea that Agguire's vision doesn't represent imperialism and western ideology in the 1970s? That's absurd.

[–] oiltanker 13 years ago

Probably Cages imput.

In the extras of Rumble fish he rambles on about encountering a lizard in a river while swimming and reckons he felt an affinity with it and that was the reason why he had a lizard on the back of this jacket in the movie.

There are reptile references in his other movies with Snake Eyes, Wild at Heart and Giuliano Montaldo springing to mind. He used to keep snakes and on his back has a tattoo of monitor lizard.

"I am not a demon. I am a lizard, a shark, a heat-seeking panther. I want to be Bob Denver on acid playing the accordion."

He is also insane.

[–] 13 years ago

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