# Best examples of movie 'title reveals'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491 "2006-08-12T22:03:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/41 "2006-08-13T23:20:44Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] I don’t know whether anyone but me remembers _The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds_. The title refers to a science fair experiment that is a metaphor for a young girl’s life in an abusive household. [/QUOTE] I loved that movie. I’m a guy, but I identifieds with being a smart kid in an f’d up household. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/42 "2006-08-13T23:57:57Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] I loved that movie. I’m a guy, but I identifieds with being a smart kid in an f’d up household. [/QUOTE] They made a movie? I acted in that play in high school! 🙂 Who’s in it? Is it any good? ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/43 "2006-08-14T00:33:11Z")
[QUOTE=Tracy Lord] I acted in that play in high school! 🙂 [/QUOTE] I did too? Who were you? ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/44 "2006-08-14T00:34:31Z")
Uh, exclamation point, not question mark, please. [Here’s](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068528/) the imdb on it. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/45 "2006-08-14T00:43:16Z")
(I don’t know, did you? ;)) I was Beatrice. It was one of the most difficult roles I’ve ever played (I was seventeen, ferchrissakes), but when I nailed it, it was extremely rewarding. Good playwrighting just feels better to work with, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/46 "2006-08-14T00:43:26Z")
**The Last of Sheila** My all-tome favorite mystery movie. The title doesn’t just mean what it appears to mean. It’s a clever play on words. Read properly, it’s also a clue. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/47 "2006-08-14T01:44:42Z")
[QUOTE=Tracy Lord] They made a movie? I acted in that play in high school! 🙂 Who’s in it? Is it any good? [/QUOTE] I think someone might have started a thread on the movie not too long ago. My memory might be wonky though. I hadn’t heard of it before, but I did buy a book with the script when I came across it after seeing the thread. It seems like the kind of play that would really benefit from being acted, and not just read, moreso than some other plays I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/48 "2006-08-14T02:38:50Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] “The Thin Man” [/QUOTE] The murder victim is referred to as “The Thin Man” many times in the film. The later “Thin Man” films, however, do not have a Thin Man (though **After the Thin Man** is as straightforward as **Snakes on a Plan** – it’s what happens the week after the Thin Man case). I just saw **State and Main** ; the title is used just once in dialog, about ten minutes before the end of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/49 "2006-08-14T03:05:55Z")
_A Scanner Darkly_ is another one that fits the bill. When Arctor is sitting on his couch paranoidly monologuing about how the scanners see him. In fact so does _Minority Report_, speaking of Philip K. Dick adaptations. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/50 "2006-08-14T05:29:25Z")
Serenity. Sure, it’s the name of the ship, and Serenity Valley’s critical. But I tell you, people saw the name, wrote it off as a chick-flick. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/51 "2006-08-14T05:42:45Z")
The meaning of **Catch-22** is not revealed until some way into the book, can’t recall when it’s revealed in the movie. As best I recall, [Silent Running](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067756/) never explains its title. And nowhere in the **The Bible** is the title explained. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/52 "2006-08-14T05:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=E-Sabbath] Serenity. Sure, it’s the name of the ship, and Serenity Valley’s critical. But I tell you, people saw the name, wrote it off as a chick-flick. [/QUOTE] Also, the name could possibly be interpreted as a nod towards what happened on Miranda (not to spoil anything here). Of course, it’s probably just named after the ship that sheds parts throughout the movie. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/53 "2006-08-14T06:29:07Z")
The clearest example of the OP I can think of was the recent Woody Allen POS _Match Point_. The fact the protagonist is a Tennis Pro is cursory to the plot and seemed a bit queer to name the film after, of course it all becomes clear at the payoff at the end where the drama comes to a head. Still thought the movie was a piece of shit, but it couldn’t suit the OP much better. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/54 "2006-08-14T08:51:01Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] The murder victim is referred to as “The Thin Man” many times in the film. [/QUOTE] Yeah but you don’t find out the signifigents of that till the end. I’m not sure if this completely qualifies because I don’t remember if it’s ever explained in the movie or you just have to know what it means to know why it makes sense but \*\*Prick Up Your Ears[/]. ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/55 "2006-08-14T12:32:50Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Mapp] Correcting a typo for clarity’s sake: 1980s **remake**. And I’ve found the quote (which was not on IMDB, and which is a spoiler for the end of the movie): “You know, there’s something about this that’s like, well, it’s like you’re expecting a letter that you’re just crazy to get. And you hang around the front door for fear you might not hear him ring. You never realize that he always rings twice. … He rang twice for Cora. And now he’s ringing twice for me, isn’t he? … The truth is, you always hear him ring the second time, even if you’re way out in the back yard.” i.e., they didn’t get away with murder after all. [/QUOTE] “i.e.”?? Really? Surely you’re leaving an awful lot out? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/56 "2006-08-14T12:37:30Z")
My first thought was “The Color Purple.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/57 "2006-08-14T12:40:15Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] The murder victim is referred to as “The Thin Man” many times in the film. [/QUOTE] Are you sure about that? I could have sworn it was mentioned only once. ---
**Author:** ![ambushed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@ambushed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ambushed)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/58 "2006-08-14T12:42:38Z")
I don’t think the movie ever explained the precise meaning/relevance of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, and neither did “Apocalypse Now” or (to tbe best of my recollection) “Midnight Cowboy”. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/59 "2006-08-14T13:07:52Z")
I think William Friedken’s “Sorceror,” a remake of “The Wages of Fear” was named after one of the trucks, which supposedly was named “Sorceror.” Haven’t seen it, co I can’t say for sure. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491/60 "2006-08-14T13:14:37Z")
> [@](#): > > I think William Friedken’s “Sorceror,” a remake of “The Wages of Fear” was named after one of the trucks, which supposedly was named “Sorceror.” Haven’t seen it, co I can’t say for sure. I came back to post this one, but you beat me to it. Although I’ve heard this is the case, and I’ve seen the film (great flick, by the way) a couple of times, I don’t recall ever seeing this or hearing anyone say it. It’s an “unrevealed” title. I think it confused people mightily when it came out – it gave you the impression the film was maybe about Carlos Castaneda or something. You’d never guess it was a remake of “Wages of Fear”, or about transporting dynamite. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-examples-of-movie-title-reveals/368491.md?page=4)