My Garbage Truck Theory

While I wont discredit your theory, I don't think the numbers have any significance. I also think that Noodles has no reason to kill Max. If his future was an opium dream, the dream exists to rid himself of his guilt and killing him would be out of the question. If it was reality, he still would have no motive as he is equally feeling guilty over having "killed" him and certainly wouldn't want to go through with it again. Whatever happened in that scene, the important thing is that Max, in the words of James Woods, "won't be at dinner tomorrow night."

A very creative theory I must say but I really don't see the relevance of the number 35. There are a lot of things going on in the final scene so to put the emphasis on the number 35 is a bit trivial in my opinion. It's not a very clear way for Leone to make his point, unless if there's more to support that theory.

The main problem I have with the idea of Noodles actually shooting Max is that it contradicts what they are discussing in the scene. Max summoned him to "settle the score". He went on to be a criminal for the rest of his life and still believes in personal vendettas. Noodles on the other hand has led a lonely but peaceful life. He has rejected his past, to him Max died a long time ago and this big revelation that he's actually alive doesn't seem to mean as much to him as you would expect. He never even calls Max by his real name during that scene, indicating that this Secretary Baily is like a complete stranger to him. He bears no grudge and has no interest in taking revenge.

If it's really true that the scenes from the 60's are part of an opium dream or fantasy, I think Noodles would subconsciously make up that moment with Max in order to finally explain to him how he feels about their failed friendship. He wants Max to know that it was he who alienated himself from Noodles and that he never meant to betray him when he made the phone call. He tells him that he had a dear friend once who died and that there was nothing he could do to stop him: "He wanted it that way". My way of interpreting the garbage truck scene is that Max is a lost case. After insisting that Noodles should kill him Noodles ultimately refuses, so Max kills himself anyway. It's as if he finally accepted that Max is dead. The appearance of the prohibition era cars could mean that the death of Max in his dream shocks him back to reality. He's in the 1930's again and Max didn't fake his death, he died along with the other guys...

Still, I'm not sure whether I want to believe that the ending was all a dream. Maybe I should watch the extended cut and make up my mind. This is just one of the reasons why I think this movie is a great piece of art: you can interpret it the way you want to as long if it makes sense.

When the garbage truck drives past - look underneath the truck. You can see Max's feet running as he runs to catch up to the cab and jump up onto the footplate.

Voila! When the rear of the garbage truck comes into view - no Max. Simple.

That Max is dead already is an old theory. But more likely framed by "Noodles" and killed by the cops. And Max and Deborah living together is his subcobscience punishing him for rape and getting Max killed.

I don't see why 35 mattered at all. The big smile at the end is the key. I definitely took it as a dream. If Max walked into the back of the truck, blood and screaming would have happened. Furthermore, the 35 years between 1933 and 1968 were extremely vague, basically like they never happened. Everything at the end was symbolic of Max wanting to die (his bank idea in real life was suicidal, like Carol and Noodles said). The "dream" sequence Carol says he didnt want to die like his dad in the nuthouse, he begs Noodles to kill him, then finally he "walks" to his death in the garbage truck. Also, I doubt Deb would forgive him for the raping and she looked just like she did in 1933, he wanted to keep the picture of "perfection" in his mind.

I just watched (for the 4th or 5th time) the European version again. My best guess is that the 1960's events are real; otherwise Noodles is some kind of genius prognosticator; able to accurately predict what cars/taxis/trash trucks would look like 30 years later; the highways through the city; the ethnic makeup of the old neighborhood; possibly even popular music if he is meant to be hearing "Yesterday."

My assumption is that Max came to an understanding with his business partners. If he could find his own way out of this world, he could do so; otherwise they would do it for him. When Noodles (Max's chosen way) turned him down, Max came out and presented himself for disposal. Disappearing again (unless with the connivance of his business partners; and how would that be to their advantage?) could subject his son to reprisals of one type or another. I think he went into the truck and was drive elsewhere; most likely to be shot and then tossed in the back of the truck after death.

The vintage cars with the partying young people confused me too. At first it made me think maybe the 60's scenes were a hallucination and this scene was a sign of reality breaking in. But it might only be that Max's neighborhood was wealthy; the residents having money for elaborate parties including classic cars. There were two I think parked outside the house when Max was watching his son out the window. If so, there could be a kind of irony in how serious all this was to Noodles/Max etc. in their youth; while now it is just playing dress up for their children's generation.

[deleted]