# Movies with incomprehensible plots **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626 "2006-06-29T13:29:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/41 "2006-06-29T21:02:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey made no sense to me until I read Arthur C. Clarke’s novelization. [QUOTE=Pushkin] Which in this case was more or less point surely? [/QUOTE] Intentional? No, I think it was a rare brainfart on Kubrick’s part. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/42 "2006-06-29T21:11:46Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] The ending of **2001: A Space Odyssey** [/QUOTE] I, too, did not understand the ending of the movie made from Clarke’s novel till I read it. Whooshed? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/43 "2006-06-29T21:13:05Z")
[QUOTE=bienville] I’ve never read Chandler’s original novel, but the 1946 film version of [The Big Sleep](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038355/) pretty much makes no sense at all. Wonderful movie, but just enjoy the ride- and do yourself a favor: anytime they refer to events of the past, or characters that don’t appear onscreen, just _ignore it_. All you have do know is that Bogart is bad-ass and cool and that Bacall is a total hottie. I’ve no cite for this story and it may well be untrue, but I had heard that while shooting this film Howard Hawks just got so confused trying to make sense of it that he called Faulkner to ask him to clarify certain parts of the screenplay. Faulkner basically said, I have no idea, I was just paid to write the damn thing, you’re the director, it’s your job to make sense out of it! [/QUOTE] I saw a show with Bogart’s son,Sam.He presented a clip with Bogart explaining all to the cops (it was a little long winded).The scene was cut to give more time to the Bogart-Bacall chemistry. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/44 "2006-06-29T21:13:56Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] I had a friend tell me that she didn’t understand _The Brown Bunny_ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330099/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330099/). So, I watched it. And I _did_ understand it. Though I’m not happy about admiting it. [/QUOTE] Ugh, what a waste of 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes, I fast forwarded throught the other hour of him driving and generally doing nothing. Did you know the origianl opening scene was nothing but 20 minutes of him driving. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/45 "2006-06-29T21:16:52Z")
[QUOTE=ianzin] BTW, re **The Big Sleep** , even Chandler himself admitted he didn’t understand the plot of his own book. [/QUOTE] I thought he just wasn’t sure who whacked whom. Questions like, “Did Carmen kill the porno guy, or did the chauffer?” ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/46 "2006-06-29T21:17:54Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] Did you know the origianl opening scene was nothing but 20 minutes of him driving. [/QUOTE] Yes, I read that. I kinda liked the movie. Me and maybe three other people.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/47 "2006-06-29T21:19:30Z")
I think it was “E.T.” by Duran Duran. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/48 "2006-06-29T22:12:54Z")
**Mulholland Dr.** By the time those tiny people started scrambling around, it occurred to me that I was being had. Then I had a fleeting memory of the last time I was that confused… **Dune**. I wonder what the common thread there is… ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626/49 "2006-06-30T00:15:45Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] Did you know the origianl opening scene was nothing but 20 minutes of him driving. [/QUOTE] It’s not often that one sees the cinematic influence of _Manos: The Hands Of Fate_… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-with-incomprehensible-plots/362626.md?page=2)