At the end of the film, right before Favreau lets go of the bowling ball, his eyes suddenly turn blue, and Adams' eyes are blue as well. Director Anderson says he likes to leave things open-ended so that viewers can come up with their own ideas of what it means, so I'd like to hear what folks think the blue eyes mean. It could really bring up many ideas I'm sure!
sharei think it's an indicator of the people that have made the decision to go to the "paradise". it's hard to tell though because neely had bright bright blues, but well you all saw what he went through...i don't know that you can really place the fbi agent under that category too, he had the bandaid on his neck, but still brown eyes. still a little up in the air for me at this point. looking forward to hearing some others' thoughts.
(p.s. anyone else notice the reoccurrance of the 3 dots? one on neely's track suit, on the 18wheeler that rolled by the window when john was talking to dan at the diner, and the epilogue when the fbi agent was talking to john and how his story was thrown out...the 3 dots were on the wall. i'd like to know if anyone else saw them somewhere else throughout the film)
-i need a nap-
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Well, i just saw the movie and is great...i read most of the opinions and is amazing all little things and all the meaning
I Don't Know is someone already mentioned it ....but after read the comments
i saw again the last part of the movie...and i note a couple of things:
First in the end John is playing in the 11° row at the bowling.
Second, in the bowling place there is a poster in the back that say
"PRACTICE SPECIAL" it is a bit of blur but still you can read it.
Well, in the poster to the right side say
...... 3 game $5
...... 3 game $6
5+6=11 !! jajaja i don't know if i seen it too much...but after
all the other details...
You can se the pictures in:
http://www.jotapeges.com/im.php?g=6/&n=The_Big_Empty_take1.jpg
http://www.jotapeges.com/im.php?g=6/&n=The_Big_Empty_take2.jpg
or
in http://www.sendpix.com/albums/04043004/0hzpjvxuou/
bye.
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He was about to start a new life. Grace told him it was the 10th frame, he would get one more chance (the 11th frame), then they would start a new game. This was him starting his new life.
The whole expereince in the Big Empty had redeemed him. He was out of debt, he had Grace (had gotten over his celebrity I-can-have-any-girl-I-want attitude), and he had a supporting role in a movie/tv show. So he was in his new life. Whether he had wanted to "go" or not, he did something.
I think the paradise Cowboy was talking about is your own personal paradise. His was to get an acting job. Grace's might have been to have him. Ruthie's was to just get out of Baker. Once that's satisfied, their lives have been changed.
Another reason for the band-aids and blue eyes is the whole sperm/egg taking thing. Their eyes turn blue after they are taken. Why it took his till then to change, I don't know. Maybe you have to also change your life too. I don't know. But I love how it makes you think!
This is what I love about this film! People are discovering so much more than just "a movie," there are so many things in it that have us fascinated! Thanks all of you for the input, it's had me going back and enjoying The Big Empty in a new way each time I view it! I'm sure those involved with the film are appreciating this :)
To share what trixter told me, "There are a number of color issues that arise in the movie. It is explicitly controlled as to who has blue eyes and who doesn't (some actors had to wear contacts to hide their naturally blue eyes, and some had blue contacts put in after certain scenes). Blue is a very significant color throughout: The inside of Ruthie's umbrella is blue with sky and clouds...metaphor? John's clothes are drab brown and yellow throughout; his eyes turn blue as he comes to tterms with his own destiny in a way.
....I think movies are only valuable if they speak to each viewer on their own terms, so whatever you come up with is probably important to you and probably also not a far cry from what the director intended."
Wow! :) I sure hope more folks discover this film, the discussions are great!
Trixter is correct about the control of color, especially the blues, in this film. I can tell you, however, that only one actor wore blue contacts. All of the rest of the blue eyes were done digitally.
they took the sperm, cloned him and changed the dna around (gave him blue eyes)
he did wear the shoes so naturally he went along with the plan willingly or otherwise
maybe he did leave 4 another planet and a clone is living his life on earth
then what about the other persons that vanished?
didn't think there was this much 2 it untill i came here
i think i will watch it again and pay more attension
1
The colors in this movie were very intriguing. Throughout the movie you see a lot of color matching between characters, background, and background items. The colors I noticed most were Yellows, Reds, and Blues. John's yellowish shirt, yellowish headboard, yellowish bus. Red neon signs, the red bandanas, red in the junkyard, red drinks, lots of various red lighting, Randy's red shirt. The skys and ground of Baker often seemed a dull blue/gray color. This movie was just so much more than I expected...quite awesome!
shareInoticed the band-aid on Joey's neck in the beginning of the movie... but thats about the only connection I came up with. The movie began really funny and then it just kind of changed...
share I´m with usckt22 on this one. Almost exactly my thought, specially when his eyes changed.
This was an increddible movie.
Well, if you really think about it, eyes mean "I" the windows to the Soul. Because they became blue can only mean happiness. Like the umbrella Ruthie carried (black on top and blue skies and fluffy clouds underneath) Our boy did his job and even went to the FBI to settle and make things right, so besides the money he got to paradise (hence his 11 11 bowling shoes) and bowling the next game which would have been number eleven and Gracies eye's too, were that bright blue. Blue eyes were very signifigant in the "Dune" series meaning a change or turnover from something in your past. I agree a very symbolic movie which could stand even more scrutiny. I enjoyed this one!
sharenotice when he first wakes up he has the band aid, but when he rubs his neck for a second right afterward, the band aid is not there. Then suddenly it comes back in the next scene. Could this have any meaning??????????
shareWhen certain animals are born, they all have blue eyes (and they eventually change or stay blue). I can't rememeber if that's the same for humans, but I think the blue eyes just signify the "re-birth."
shareI just finished watching the movie for the first time and I thought that I would come here to see what everyone was saying about it....I liked the movie, it started off hilarious, but then it took a turn I wasn't expecting...maybe I'll have to watch it again to really have an opinion.
...I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned this or not....but the number 11 recours throughout the movie over and over again....his motel room number was 111....and if you notice the time on the clock in the FBI office was 11:11....and obviously, the bowling shoes....that's all I noticed in the film, but I'm sure there are more if you pay close attention.
okay i want to put my opinion of what i saw and see if anyone else agrees or sees anything of what i saw...i probably read way to into the movie put anyway
okay everything in this movie is significant in the ways of good and evil and no matter what you need love.everything bad has good and vice versa...good and evil are one and the same...basically if you have one you need the other... also you could interpet as he has to chose rather to go with the higher beings or stay at earth which the head represents the higher being the neck is the descion process and the feet are earth. changing your shoes could mean youve decide to start again but still stay on earth. and getting you head cut off like neely and getting shot in the head is to be killed completely because he didnt make it count and you only have so many chances just some thoughts...okay notice the main colors...black and white, red,yellow,blue and brown. if you notice john has 5 headshots(head,neck and feet seem to be impotant) grace picks the one in the middle be cause that was more the real him(lots of people wearing disguises pretending to being something they arent) in that picture of him he has a black shirt over a white one...he is bad but he has good within...well anyway john person isnt his REAL name just a STAGE name(the world as a stage) you could take that to meaning as he was chosen because he is already a alien he just has to chose if he wants to go home or stay on earth or try again(in a spirtual way you could say all of us are just playing a part and deciding if we are ready to leave this life(do we feel like we acclomplished everything we need to do)Anyway he writes john person in the center of the cirlce and puts it in the middle of the four head shots replacing the middle headshot(the real him) so on both sides of it are good and evil( his different *beep* black=evil and white=good) and he has to choose from earth good or evil. and he gets tempted into doing evil things. okay i could talk about this movie forever but then who would actually read this....
the number 1 is impotant but is mostly used as 11 and 111 and 1111 why doesnt it used in refrence to john so lets say you count 1 and 11 and 111 and 1111 that ends up to be 10 right and grace said that this was his last chance because it was going to be his 11th frame.two ones and four ones are even but the three ones shows uo at the motel and the only time i saw it maybe saying that without grace he couldnt be good like he wanted to be. so living without her at the motel he did bad things (like he fell from grace). okay 5 and 6 make 11 and if you have noticed american flag(the red and white stripes i believe 11 all together 5 white and 6 red connecting the blue which has stars on it(you have 11 chances before you can join heaven or ufo dudes or become a supreme being) is important and FBI IRS(F-five B-blues and the II looks like a 11 and S-six R-eds)11 is in between blue and red-the 11 - earth 111 -evil(red 3 letters) 1111-good(blue 4 letters)and the FBI and IRS investigate you john owed taxes to the IRS and he was suspected by the FBI for killing someone- agent banks-banks money- the agent always says something about gambling john wants to get back to Zero(circle with him in it) okayokayokay im again rambling ...look back at these things in the movie though
things around peoples neck
beer and booze
whip cream
fire
trucks
motel called ROYAL HAWAII(imitation paradise)
most people who have to make a THE CHOICE are wearing black
you know what choice they make with the clothes colors afterwards
umbrella(both had heaven and hell ABOVE humans and on top each other)
their eyes turn bright blue right before they go back and make a choice
the photo of candy says CANDY 4 U ? (shape of a heart) which translates to CAN HE FOR YOU QUESTION LOVE(candy is a whore-sin-also imitaion of love)
triangles
oh i just thought of something good...this is his test i guess before the 11th and final the one that he has to make count-everything at earth is an imitation like a movie set getting him ready for his final scene the one that decides everything
bowling pins are red and blue and there are 11--you have to choose 5 blue(leave) and 6 red(stay)betwwen your 11 frames.. after your llth it automatically has to even itself out thats were you are going to stay forever which means your a blue bowling ball breaking through the obstacles to finally leave to the beyond
i guess we are all just blue bowling balls ready to break through ha!...
okay i cant write anymore...sorry this is so confusing its just the intereptation for me is almost endless and thats why i loved it so much i couldnt stop thinking of it...
oh and johns job is called star cruiser
I just wanted to let you know that after reading that, I'm completely exhausted!
And impressed...most people struggle to get any symbolism or meaning out of a film....you're running on nine, ten, 11, well, I lost count of how many different things you picked up on. Extremely perceptive.
This was a great film, it's spurns on conversation much like the movie Donnie Darko, no?
I completely agree, I saw this movie my first time a while back and I LOVED it, I own the DVD, and all my friends think I'm crazy.
I think lots of people don't like movies that leave things up to you in the end, leave things up to interpretation. There are obviously plenty of people who didn't like this movie (only rated 5.8 here? Come on!) but I figure that's because it's left up to us, the viewers.
Most people probably aren't into putting forth the effort of figuring it out for themselves.
I love movies like this, ones that make us think, rather than spelling things out in black and white, step by step. I actually know people who hated Mulholland Dr.! I love that movie, and I love this one.
I'm still working on exactly what I see things as in this movie, because I think it's got many, MANY possible explanations. Just like Memento, just like Mulholland Dr., just like plenty of others. But I love reading other theories on what it all means. Just awesome stuff.
And who's to say if there's one TRUE meaning behind it? Anderson said that he likes leaving it open for interpretation, couldn't that mean he wants us to figure it out for ourselves, no one true meaning and all that?
Interesting trivia: On the DVD, you can look at costume designs on the special features, and the characters (some, not all) are named not only by the character name, but by a certain card in a tarot deck, i.e. Cowboy = "Death," Bob The Indian = "The Heirophant," Ruthie = "The Tower," etc. Anybody getting the significance of this, or is it just the filmmakers screwing with us?
the tarot card thing is dead on. Have been reading tarot for 10 years and i completly agree with each of those characters matching up with the cards.
Death= not mortal death but a complete break from the known and entering the unknown, being completly break from the way things used to be done.
The Heirophant= a person who is all knowing but will only reveal what you need to know at the time you are ready to know it. Which is also a Native American (at least Navajo, per my experience) elder trait. When I asked a question, I was told, if i was to know the answer at that point, I would have been told already.
The tower= Complete distruction. To have all that is known destroyed. ripped apart. also when one gets this card you can expect to be shaken up, to be blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.
yes i also loved donnie darko...i just recently watched the directors cut which i thought was great too.
i really get into movies that really make you think and figure things out by yourself...and i am going to buy both..
sorry my inerpetations are so rambling and hard to understand but i watched the movie twice in a row and was so excited and alittle bit scatter brained when writing it...
which is quite obvious and when i went on here to see if anyone thought the movie was as great as i did and had to see if anyone saw all the neato things i did
(or if i was insane and just making things have meanings)..
since then i have watched it a couple more time(sorry i cant help it!)and seen many more ineresting things that i didnt catch before...
though i really hope this movie gets as popular as donnie darko has become...
becasue i didnt even know about the movie until my brother rented it bc he loves jon favearou(however you spell his name)and i believe that this movie definitely should be seen.
yeah, you read waaaaaaay too much into this, leighlo... plus.... it's 13 stripes on an american flag commie.
shareBud Cort (3rd billed) had his horrific 1979 car accident after leaving a Frank Sinatra concert, aka 'Ole Blue Eyes'.
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I just watched this and while JLA's eyes were very blue when they were bowling Favreu's eyes stayed Brown as they transitioned into the bowling ball going into the desert.
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