Maybe I'm just totally missing it, but what was the meaning of the final scene, where Slamon is running on the track and the stands fill up with people cheering him on? First I thought it was people who had died from breast cancer, since some of the patients in the clinical trial were there, but they also showed Barbara and Ellie. So was it just a metaphor for women cheering on his work, whether they were alive or not?
shareI thought exactly the same thing. But you are correct "it just a metaphor for women cheering on his work, whether they were alive or not."
That was a powerful scene!
That also confused me although I didn't give it much thought. It kinda seemed like they came to watch him run a marathon and everybody was cheering him on, including the patients he lost. Maybe there were more people running behind him, but it was more artistic to make it look like just him. Actually, I have no idea.
Tomorrow's just your future yesterday!
I think its definitely one of those scenes you kind of have to think about before you get what the meaning is supposed to be. At first I thought it was supposed to represent women looking down from heaven cheering him on but when they showed Ellie and Barbara right next to the patients who had died it made it a little confusing.
So I'm guessing its a metaphor for him being cheered on by anyone who'd been effected by breast cancer in some way or another.
Well, I directed it, and that's exactly what I was going for, so I guess you got it. Vivienne Radkoff wrote the words, and when I got to the end of her beautiful screenplay, I just knew I had to do it, and was lucky enough to be chosen. Glad you like the ending. And by the way, all the extras in the stands were breast cancer survivors (we used about 200 women and duplicated them), so when you see the 40,000 cheering, it represents what Dr Slamon told Lilly Tartikoff when she's about to face the Revlon board, "Just tell them (Revlon) that if my drug is successful, it will save 40,000 lives every year, that's enough women to fill the Rose Bowl ever other year". But, again, for me, the last scene is a metaphor for the losses, the triumphs and a hymn for hope. I hope it resonates that way with viewers. Best, Dan I
share
Hey Dan, and thank you for answering.
When I viewed the film - with my wife who is a a nurse at an oncology ward where they use Herceptin and other HER inhibitors extensively - the final scene struck us immediately as a reference to what was said earlier: 40 000 women per year... enough to fill an entire stadium.
It's one thing to hear the words being said, and another to see them like that. For us the endscene worked extremely well in showing what the work on Herceptin actually resulted in. So I think it was well written by Radkoff, and well directed by you. :)
Not only that but the entire film was a delight. Seeing the complex process of saving lives through science was facinating. It also gives hope in that it shows that there are people that are working hard on all levels - from the lab assistants, to the scientists to the benefactors and philantropes - to make our lives better and - most importantly - succeeding in that endeavour. This movie stands in contrast to the often very negatively stereotyped portayals of scientists, industrialists and rich people.
My profound appreciation for your - and your crew's - work in making this movie happen and eventually finding its way to my screen. Good job Dan! :)
/Michael