# Things you didn't catch until the second or third viewing of a movie. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381 "2018-11-12T00:32:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/41 "2018-11-15T18:43:39Z")
The problem with saying that Keith David must be a Thing because he’s not breathing is that there is no reason to think a Thing would not breathe. A Thing isn’t a robot, it’s a fully functioning creature with cells that need oxygen. It has all the same internal organs as a human when taking human form - we saw that on screen. Hell, Things in human form might even, at least at times, believe themselves to be human. It would make sense for it to breathe. The film works much better if you have no idea if he’s a Thing or not. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/42 "2018-11-16T01:11:21Z")
I’ve seen Blazing Saddles so many times I can understand every word of Gabby Johnson’s speech. That’s acting - saying something that sounds like utter gibberish, but is really a series of oddly accented words. [YouTube link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNC3OciAF3w) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/43 "2018-11-16T01:31:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I thought we were certainly meant to think Fred was stoned. Guy even asks him if he’s high when he comes up with the idea of teleporting the rock monster. The point of that was Fred was very obviously stoned in every scene he was in before that, and at that point, it seemed like he was not, which is when Guy finally makes mention of it. But the one thing you miss the first time you see the movie is pretty big: when Gwen and Jason are taking instruction from Brent, he says, “_just turn left and straight through the chompers_”, they round the corner and Gwen says, “_SCREW THIS!_”, but then you see it again and it is clear that Sigourney Weaver used a stronger word. I find it a beautiful allegory for how stultifyingly sanitary shows like what it parodying are made to be. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/44 "2018-11-16T13:53:43Z")
> [@mako88sb](#): > > There’s a few from the Omaha beach scene of Saving Private Ryan. For example, When Captain Miller is dragging the one soldier to safety, you get a brief glimpse of a Sherman tank equipped with the deep wading gear ventilation trunks in the background. Also, that scene were Wade and the other medics are trying to save the one soldier only to have that same soldier shot in the head after they stopped the bleeding wasn’t just any soldier. Somehow I missed the part when told by somebody else to move on Wade says “He’s battalion surgeon Sir!”. I also didn’t realize until I read Hal Baumgarten’s book that this scene is loosely based on the actual fact that the 116th Regiments battalion surgeon insisted he be part of the first wave. He thought he would have a better chance of saving more lives if he landed early but sadly was killed not long after making it ashore. All of the memorable vignettes on Omaha Beach were based on anecdotes told by veterans who were there. Gives you pause to think it wasn’t Hollywood hyper-violence. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/45 "2018-11-16T14:07:29Z")
The first time I watched Cabaret I was 13 IIRC. I knew there was a lot I was missing; I didn’t care, I liked the music. But yeah, I may have understood about 5 minutes of it. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/46 "2018-11-16T14:14:25Z")
> [@Typo\_Knig](#): > > I’ve seen Blazing Saddles so many times I can understand every word of Gabby Johnson’s speech. Let me just whip this out: I have to add this to my list of movies I’d loved but no longer do. I tried just the other night to watch this with my wife who’d never seen it, and I couldn’t get all the way to the end. I’m now afraid to watch any other of my beloved Mel Brooks’ movies for fear of being disappointed. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/47 "2018-11-16T14:17:25Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > When I saw the Disney version of _Pinocchio_ the sub-plot where the boys transform into donkeys did not make much impact. I just seemed like what D&D gamers call a “random monster encounter”. > > When I saw the 1996 version, with Martin Landau and Jonathan Taylor Thomas, it still seemed kind of weird and pointless. > > When I saw the 2002 version, with Roberto Benigni, there was a scene where one of the villains sighs, and says, “Look at these boys. They wouldn’t go to school. They wouldn’t learn a trade. Now they’re only fit for donkey-work.” I suddenly realized that it was not simply random bad guys doing random evil deeds. It was an allegory of ignorance and education. I now think that it is the coolest scene in the story. That’s directly from Collodi. In Spanish we also refer to purposefully-stupid people as “donkeys” so for me the meaning of the scene was obvious, but I’ve explained it to foreign friends whose own language doesn’t have a similar widely-used expression. Note that Benigni (who directed as well as playing Pinocchio) will have known the source material, not just the translations. I’d bet he added that little speech precisely as a sort of expository touch. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/48 "2018-11-16T14:17:42Z")
“The Producers” still holds up. For a widely beloved movie, “Fargo” has a central plot point - how Jerry took all the money from the car dealership, and why he needs to steal money from somewhere else - that is largely not understood. There’a logical explanation but it’s not well explained. I’m not sure that qualified as a clever item easily missed, though. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/49 "2018-11-16T14:34:36Z")
> [@snoe](#): > > It took at least two viewings of _Miller’s Crossing_ for me to figure out that three of the characters are in a gay love triangle – in part because there’s no stigma attached to their homosexuality by any of the characters who discuss this, even though the film’s set among macho (mostly Catholic) gangsters of the 1920s. (The closest to homophobic judgement I remember any character getting is when Tom Reagan/Gabriel Byrne puts a bit of a sneer into the word “friends” in a discussion with Bernie Bernbaum/John Turturro. But he’s got plenty of reasons to sneer at Bernie.) As I recall, Johnny Caspar didn’t like it but he looked the other way because Eddie Dane was a useful enforcer. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/50 "2018-11-16T15:07:22Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The problem with saying that Keith David must be a Thing because he’s not breathing is that there is no reason to think a Thing would not breathe. A Thing isn’t a robot, it’s a fully functioning creature with cells that need oxygen. It has all the same internal organs as a human when taking human form - we saw that on screen. Hell, Things in human form might even, at least at times, believe themselves to be human. It would make sense for it to breathe. > > The film works much better if you have no idea if he’s a Thing or not. Yeah. One other ‘thing’ 🙂 . McReady shares a bottle of whiskey with Childs. Whiskey kills cells. If Childs was a ‘Thing’ it should drive it nuts. After Mac sees Childs drink, he seems to become calmer and lay his head down. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/51 "2018-11-16T23:32:36Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Yeah. One other ‘thing’ 🙂 . McReady shares a bottle of whiskey with Childs. Whiskey kills cells. If Childs was a ‘Thing’ it should drive it nuts. After Mac sees Childs drink, he seems to become calmer and lay his head down. I like that approach better than the breath thing. But, when did they establish alcohol would irritate the Thing? I know about the hot poker, but I don’t recall alcohol being an issue. I am not challenging you here, but I don’t remember that from the movie. In the clip linked above, you can see Childs’ breath at about 1:27 and 1:31. He’s breathing. Otherwise, how would be be able to talk to Mac? Childs is human. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/52 "2018-11-17T01:42:55Z")
I didn’t truly get _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_ until the third time I watched it. The first time, I was reading the subtitles and following the story. The second time, I was looking at the character who was talking. The third time, I was looking at the face of the person who was not talking. That third time was the one that just slayed me, especially the scenes with Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh. They obviously loved each other, but as her husband was killed saving his life, honor prohibited either from acting on their desires. Ang Lee directed every character in a scene equally carefully, and the subtle emotions displayed on the face of each as they listened, denying their own longing… ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/53 "2018-11-17T02:43:36Z")
I actually caught this the first time through. In the 1940 _ **Pride and Prejudice** _, actress Marsha Hunt plays the gawky daughter Mary Bennett. I noticed that in all the family scenes, there she is, in the back, just hamming up a storm, having the time of her life. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2018, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/54 "2018-11-17T04:00:05Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I like that approach better than the breath thing. But, when did they establish alcohol would irritate the Thing? I know about the hot poker, but I don’t recall alcohol being an issue. I am not challenging you here, but I don’t remember that from the movie. > > In the clip linked above, you can see Childs’ breath at about 1:27 and 1:31. He’s breathing. Otherwise, how would be be able to talk to Mac? Childs is human. They didn’t really establish that alcohol kills it. But the hot poker killed cells outside the ‘body’ of the Thing. Alcohol would most likely kill blood cells quite handily in a peitry dish. Ingested, in the Thing? Who knows, but it would give me a slight comfort that Childs felt no ill effects. I got an alternate ending. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/55 "2018-11-18T02:32:24Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Let me just whip this out: I have to add this to my list of movies I’d loved but no longer do. I tried just the other night to watch this with my wife who’d never seen it, and I couldn’t get all the way to the end. I’m now afraid to watch any other of my beloved Mel Brooks’ movies for fear of being disappointed. ☹ Never was a fan of Blazing Saddles, but still enjoying a recent look at “Young Frankenstein”. Give it a try with your wife, especially if she’s never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2018, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381/56 "2018-11-18T06:56:12Z")
I watched Tombstone several times before I noticed Frank Stallone. Although it was the first time I watched it, did not notice the character of Les Grossman was Tom Cruise until the final dance scene. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-didnt-catch-until-the-second-or-third-viewing-of-a-movie/824381.md?page=2)