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Underly-Descriptive Titles

Started by Johnny Townmouse, December 10, 2010, 05:34:31 PM

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Johnny Townmouse

A thread for those films where the title either seems like it was made for another film, or has been chosen to enigmatically force you to consider 'what it all means.' Ahhh, do you see? Do you? If not, then think a little bit harder....

The Deer Hunter

Bufallo '66

There Will Be Blood

Eyes Wide Shut

Happiness

Magnolia

Ordinary People

Brazil

Straw Dogs

Elephant

Famous Mortimer


Johnny Townmouse

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on December 10, 2010, 05:47:36 PM
Blade Runner

Yeah, probably one of the only adaptations where the adapter took the name of a completely different book by a completely different author and just applied it to their film without using any of the material.

Laurel and Hardy films tend to do this. Hog Wild, Bacon Grabbers, Double Whoopee, none of which have anything to do with the plots.


Serge

'Reservoir Dogs'

Also, only the opening scene of 'Fargo' actually takes place there - a more correct title would be 'Brainerd'.

I remember Empire magazine claiming that 'Falling Down' was a title that had no bearing on the film whatsoever, obviously having missed the use of 'London Bridge Is Falling Down' (and references to the original London Bridge being in America), not to mention D-Fens actually saying, "I'll fall down," at some point in the film.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: Serge on December 10, 2010, 11:56:49 PM
only the opening scene of 'Fargo' actually takes place there - a more correct title would be 'Brainerd'.
But then people would think it was about geeks.

Dead kate moss

As my tag spolisports it, this is most movies that aren't called 'The Bus that Couldn't Slow Down,'  isn't it? Jaws? Should be called 'Shark That Eats People'. Dirty Harry? Should be called Dirty (As In Doesn't Play By The Rules) Harry -  Who Is A Cop.'

So maybe add the title that would be used if clarifying what the movie was about was paramount. Like It's A Risky Business When You're A Rich Kid Who Gets Mixed Up With Prossers.

Johnny Townmouse

Well, DKM, I think I was more interested in titles that are deliberately obtuse, and bear little or no relation to the main concept of the film. Obviously titles cannot totally relate the story, otherwise the title would simply re-produce the text of the screenplay.

I would up your 99% by 1%, to 100%, under your definition. Even snakes on a plane only implies what the story is. It could be a romantic love story about two people with the surname snake who meet on a plane and fall for each other. Or an investigation into the carriage of livestock by air.

Reservoir Dogs is a great example, whilst at the same time I always assumed that it referred to the type of rats that you can get near to canals and the like, which in that sense is totally appropriate to the film.

samadriel


Pedro_Bear

Magnolia, a film about coincidences, emphemeral experiences with the extraordinary, out-of-place people, and the understanding that we dig our own hole... Magnolia... 

Mister Six

Christ, Magnolia was shit.

Is this title underly descriptive or exactly descriptive enough?


Ignatius_S

Bananas

Duck Soup

Monkey Business

Horse Feathers

samadriel

Many of these titles are very descriptive, just not of anything within the film.

"Reservoir Dogs" was just Tarantino mishearing someone say the title "Au Revoir, les Enfants, wasn't it?"

Quote from: Ignatius_S on December 11, 2010, 11:38:07 AM
Bananas

A story about a banana republic, told with lots of slapstick humour. What could be better? Apparently also a reference to the Marx brothers film The Cocoanuts. So neerrrrrr.

Serge

Quote from: Maybe Im Doing It Wrong on December 11, 2010, 03:01:31 PM"Reservoir Dogs" was just Tarantino mishearing someone say the title "Au Revoir, les Enfants, wasn't it?"

Allegedly so, but the title still has very little to do with the film, although it just seems right, somehow.

Johnny Townmouse

Quote from: Maybe Im Doing It Wrong on December 11, 2010, 03:01:31 PM
"Reservoir Dogs" was just Tarantino mishearing someone say the title "Au Revoir, les Enfants, wasn't it?"

Yeah, for a while he was claiming that the reason for the title was a closely guarded secret, I guess to add a sense of mystery. At that point I suspected that the plural of 'dog' to indicate rats rather than rat, made me think that one of the other guys was either a cop or doing a deal with the cops (as well as Roth, I mean). My money was on Mr Brown or Nice Guy Eddie. Then it turned out that it was the mishearing.

SavageHedgehog

Knight and Day
Made even worse by being preceded by about 100 other different titles during production, many of them similarly useless, inappropriate ,and illogical titles like Witchita

Clint Hollow

I've heard that the title 'Reservoir Dogs' was a play on words

"Reservoir" - dam - damn

"Dogs" - sons of bitches

Damn sons of bitches.

Cerys

I always assumed it was a reference to dogs being exercised near reservoirs, and shitting all over everything.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I think I should probably blame John Irving.

El Unicornio, mang

I've heard him say in interviews that it's basically supposed to mean 'rats'. Great title, regardless.

Little Hoover


Johnny Townmouse

Quote from: Little Hoover on December 11, 2010, 07:54:07 PM
Eyes Wide Shut

I nearly included that one, then I thought about the fact that it is based on Schnitzler's book Dream Story, and I started to wonder if it is in fact Kubrick's way of reducing ambiguity, for a change.

I always thought that Full Metal Jacket was one of the most wonderful titles for a film in every conceivable way. I love it. Economical and brilliant, and leaves most people just assuming it is about body armour or something...

It's funny how it's Tarantino's only good title. All the others are either boringly formulaic/semi parodic  - 'Pulp Fiction, True Romance' or just shit - 'Inglourious Basterds.'

Serge

I quite like the title 'Kill Bill', even if I did only like one half of the film.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: Cerys on December 11, 2010, 07:41:34 PM
I always assumed it was a reference to dogs being exercised near reservoirs, and shitting all over everything.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I think I should probably blame John Irving.
I saw an interview with him, from the burned out wreck of the building where they filmed it, saying he'd seen some dogs having a fight on the shore of a reservoir. I may be remembering badly through this hangover though, and can't find anything related to it on Youtube.

small_world


AsparagusTrevor

'Trainspotting' makes more sense in the book, but the movie doesn't have the scene which gives the book its title.

Jumble Cashback

'Stand By Me' seems to only be called 'Stand By Me' because the song 'Stand By Me' is in it.  The story was called 'The Body' which, being the book's Macguffin, makes a lot more sense than 'Stand By Me'.  I imagine a situation where Ben E. King said to them "Okay, you can use the song, but only on one condition", "What's that, Ben E.?"  "Well, it's nothing big, but...".  Christ, the song just came on in the internet cafe, as I'm typing this.  Scared the shit out of me.