MovieChat Forums > Le dernier combat (1984) Discussion > A few questions please

A few questions please

posted 11 years ago by StakkaDakka
1 reply | jump to latest

SPOILERS...

Le Dernier Combat aka The Last Battle (1983)
Dir: Luc Besson

1. What was the apocalypse? How long ago was it? We see destroyed buildings which suggests there was a war of some kind, is this supported by the raining fish and rubble? Like some sort of environmental impact of a catastrophic magnitude? What was the creature, apparently amphibious, lurking in the basement when the Man reaches the town? Why is there an office block in the middle of the desert? How did the man end up in the desert? Do any of the characters have any notion of the world the way it used to be? Is it implied that the photo of a woman and kid that he has are the Man's dead family? Why are there essentially zero females around?

2. Why doesn't anyone speak? I originally assumed that all the people in the movie were born AFTER the apocalypse, and hence they never learned to speak, read or write - but this cannot be the case - if it was, how would they even know gestures like applauding, shaking hands etc.. and how would they know things like how to repair a plane, using spectacles to see and how to treat wounds? How could these people have even survived infancy, who raised them, especially since there are apparently almost no females surviving? Why would they be wearing ties and suits etc , without any frame of reference for what those garments even are? Also, they clearly know one word: 'Bonjour'.. they could not have created this themselves? They must have been survivors from from the 'old' world, or what we would call the present day... what is the link between inhaling oxygen and 'remembering' (for lack of a better word) how to speak? Why do the man and the doctor not continue to pursue this 'oxygen therapy' if they are so aware and appreciative of its benefits? Also, why have they apparently also 'forgotten' how to read? Otherwise they could communicate by writing? Is the inference that the nuclear holocaust somehow altered the atmosphere, having some effect on the brain that interferes with our ability to use language.. and therefore the oxygen somehow relieves this?

3. Who is the woman that the Doctor has in the 'cell'? He doesn't seem to have any sinister motive, but why would he choose to live alone in the hospital instead of having her there with him? Why doesn't the man protest about her captivity? Is the Doctor thinking that he is protecting her? Is she related to him? Has he been waiting to find a young man such as our protagonist to procreate with her? How did the Brute find her? Why would the Brute kill her? Wouldn't he also want to keep her locked up for his own sinister reasons?

4.Why was the Brute so intent on getting in to the hospital? What exactly was he trying to achieve by delivering packages to the doctor? What was he hoping to gain with this 'trade'? Was he just a psychopath intent on killing any other people in his vicinity, or does he think that the hospital is some sort of castle stocked with supplies etc?

5.When the man crash lands his plane, who are the guys with flashlights and gas looking for him? Are they part of some sort of militant organisation that is connected to the apocalypse? Why do they not appear again, even though our three main characters continue to roam around the town that is apparently near the crash site? What is that place where he crashes, with the barbed wire and the skull-and-crossbones sign?

6. After they send the little guy down to get water, what substance does the leader have that his mixes with it? When the man returns at the end, does he assume leadership of the group simply by killing the man in white and cutting off his finger? Why don't the other members of that 'tribe' challenge him? Who is the man in the wheelchair and what is he doing with those vials? Who is the woman at the very end.. is she a slave? If so why does she seem happy to see the Man?

I very much appreciate the thoughts of anyone who enjoyed this great film... clearly there are a number of issues raised that I would love to hear opinions on. Thanks.

[–] adamwarlock 9 years ago

1. Unknown and not important really. War, disease, whatever you want. Might not take the things in the film literally. I thought that was a creature in the water but it might have been the Brute in his "armor." I think the characters do remember what the world was like.

2. The Man reads books and knows how to say bon jour so language is not forgotten. Whatever happened to cause the apocalypse has rendered everyone mute. Using that oxygen mask was all they could do to get one word out.

3. Good questions. Didn't seem like the Doctor was being cruel so I think he was protecting her. Women seem to be a rare commodity in this world. Perhaps the Doctor was grooming the Man for her. The Brute wants to kill everyone apparently. He may have raped her before killing her.

4. Not sure but seems like the Brute wants to kill everyone he finds. Perhaps he thinks humans aren't worth saving. Guess he was trying to gain the Doctor's trust with those trades but proved himself untrustworthy with that second attempt being a trick.

5. Very good question. Was it the Brute? Thought there was more than one. Never saw them again. Also, someone covered up the plane after he left it, maybe the Man did it and we didn't see that. The Man being chased forced him away from the plane & into the city so it moved the plot forward.

6. I think it was alcohol. Why not challenge the Boss? How does a bully rule the school yard? Everyone's against him but they don't join forces. Individually, they are too scared to face him. The Man has merely become a less jerky boss, not a savior.

Expansion to your ego.