Some times I’m better than others at getting it. I watched Cool Hand Luke this weekend for the first time all the way through in (more or less) one sitting.
First things first. Lucille! Oh, my sweet Luuuuuuu-cille!
Okay, that being said, what is up with all the Christ imagery? Are we working on a retelling of the story? Something simpler than that? Something more profound?
Off the top of my head, I remember the following that I can’t help but think were on purpose:
[li] Dragline suggests that Luke shouldn’t have said he could eat 50 eggs. He suggests “30 … or 39,” which is a very strange number … the same as the number of lashes Christ was dealt by Pilate, IIRC.[/li]
[li] Luke has a mother but no apparent father.[/li]
[li] Luke has a habit of referring to God as “old man,” common 1960s slang for “father.”[/li]
[li] This one is a stretch, but I can’t help but see the scene where the other convicts eat Luke’s food as some kind of Last Supper scene.[/li]
Am I nuts?
Actually, I read about this in a high school English manual. It’s what prompted me to see the movie. The author of the essay went into “The Box”, in which Luke spends three days and three nights (as far as I remember). I don’t remember what that correlates to. Also, wasn’t Luke layed out like Christ on the table after eating the eggs?
There’s probably all sorts of other similarities that I didn’t notice because I’m not familiar with the minutia of Christ.
But yes, you’re right. It’s undoubtedly in there. What it’s supposed to mean I have no idea. Maybe they just like allusion.
I’m not too knowledgeable on Biblical details, but how long is the times between Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection? For some reason I’m tempted to think it was 3 days.
And yes, after eating the eggs Luke was laid out on the table feet crossed and arms out as if he were on the cross.
And don’t forget other similarites Caution: SPOILERS:
Luke, after escaping for the last time, speaks to God (referring to him as “Old Man”) in a church, asking what God wants of him, much as Christ did at Gethsemene. (sp?)
Also, it was their that Judas points Jesus out to be arrested, just as George Kennedy shows up to talk Luke into coming back.
I don’t get th epoint in putting Christ parallels in what would be a good story without them.
I also don’t get the one boss who wears sunglasses all the time. In light of all the other references there, what’s up with that?
Personally, I think the Christ imagery examples you provide are too much of a stretch. The movie strikes me as being profoundly grounded in the conflict between free will and social constraints. While it has become a cliche, I think that “What we have here is a failure to communicate” succinctly presents one of the major themes of the movie.
As soon as Dragline called him “the man with no eyes” I knew that he would be the one who killed Luke. Death is commonly represented as being without eyes.
As to the other citations offered, yep, I noticed them, too (especially the laid-out-like-on-a-cross one). I just failed to call them up off the top of my head. I will check out the IMDb commentaries, and will blush in embarrassment that that didn’t occur to me sooner. I will further blush that I didn’t realize it had been a book. :rolleyes:
I went to a Jesuit high school and we watched “Cool Hand Luke” in an English Lit class as an example of the Christ-figure as a plot device (some of the reading in the class included John Knowle’s “A Separate Peace” and Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22”, which contain similar themes).
The allusions to Luke being a Christ-like figure are numerous, deliberate and central to the theme of the movie - and I don’t think you have to be a believer (which I’m not) to identify with them. Luke ends up being the catalyst for hope in the chain gang and becomes a mythic figure to them after his death.
I went to a Jesuit high school and we watched “Cool Hand Luke” in an English Lit class as an example of the Christ-figure as a plot device (some of the reading in the class included John Knowle’s “A Separate Peace” and Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22”, which contain similar themes).
The allusions to Luke being a Christ-like figure are numerous, deliberate and central to the theme of the movie - and I don’t think you have to be a believer (which I’m not) to identify with them. Luke ends up being the catalyst for hope in the chain gang and becomes a mythic figure to them after his death.
BTW, “Plastic Jesus” has become my favorite tune to play on guitar recently.
One not mentioned yet: During the closing credits, or maybe just before them, there is an aerial shot of a crossroads. As the camera pulls back, the crossroads form a perfect cross that fills the screen.
If you’re still looking for more imagery, don’t forget the instances when Luke repeated tells the inmates to “stop feeding offa me!”. Obviously a reference to the Last Supper.
Um, Crunchy Frog? Jesus NEVER yelled at crowds of sick people to heal themselves… unless you think Andrew Lloyd Webber was a gospel writer. That scene was from “Jesus Christ SUperstar,” not from the Bible.
Well, others beat me to it, so I’d just like to say, “Hooray for Capt. Spaulding!” Sorry, couldn’t resist.
The good Cap’n hit most of the points I wanted to, but won’t now.
Keep in mind that the images you see in films are deliberately done. It’s not accidental that the camera rises straight up to reveal Luke lying in that position. Did the director just think that kind of shot was neat-o? Or he had the camera crane, and heck, might as well use it? That’s what they wanted you to see.
Christ-figures abound in literature and especially films. Anyone who sacrifices him/herself for the good of others qualifies as a Christ-figure. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a Christ story, complete with death and resurrection. I’ve been told that Edward Scissorhands has Christ-imagery, but I’m not all that familiar with the film. It’s not uncommon, though, and Luke is definitely used as such, providing redemption for and changing the lives of the men he must associate with.
Next week: The Brave Little Toaster: The Small Appliance As Christ-Figure In The Modern Cinema
There is a St. Andrew, who was an apostle, brother of St. Peter.
No, it’s right here in Acts 12:14, right before Mary Magdalene goes on about not knowing how to love Him, she doesn’t know why he moves her…
Oh hang on, how did this lyric booklet get stuck in the New Testament? Well that explains why they were suddenly speaking in rhyme. For a while I thought I just had the Dr Seuss Version of the Bible.
Sorry about that. My memory’s not so good and sometimes things get jumbled. In this case I think the play and the phrase “Physician heal thyself” got jumbled and out of context.
And referencing an earlier comment of mine about Luke’s time spent in the box:
Christ was apparently killed on Friday and resurrected on Sunday. So, you could say Friday, Saturday and Sunday is three days (although not three full days). But still, that’s a stretch and doesn’t seem to be 3 days and 3 nights symbolized by Luke being in the box.
