The last scenes of the movie really impressed me: Sonny speeding out of town in his truck (the movie began with his creeping into town in the truck, trying to get it to run, and there was a night scene somewhere in the middle when he stops his truck in the road and gets out and looks back at the town). But right after he passes the city limit sign, he turns back and goes to see Ruth. What do you think made him turn back?
And what, exactly, do you think she meant — after her marvelous tirade — when she said, "Never you mind, honey, never you mind"? And why did the movie end with that sentiment? A message of compassion? Forgiveness? Something else?
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Yeah, that was an interesting line. I do think it was a message of forgiveness, her way of saying, "Well, don't worry about it. You're young, you've been hurt, you've learned." I feel like I need to watch that scene several more times to pick up on all the meanings. The facial expressions and gestures and such all seem very meaningful.
Yeah, that scene is PACKED. And I don't think he says a word — does he? — after he asks whether he can come in for a cup of coffee. He makes no attempt to defend himself or make excuses; he just lets her have her say — he lets her anger and sadness and bitterness wash over him— but you can see so much in his face. It's like he grows up before our very eyes in that one scene. And when they touch hands — the camera focuses in and lingers on their interwined fingers — there's a moment of two people connecting that's unlike anything else in the movie, like the whole chain of aborted attempts at intimacy in the film was leading up to that single climax of meaningful connection — the understanding, the empathy, the pity, the feeling of finally belonging to someone emotionally.
I agree. Both of them were just stunning in that scene.
A tidbit I found on that scene:
Cloris Leachman's last scene in the movie was printed on the first take without any previous rehearsals. She wanted to rehearse the scene but director Peter Bogdanovich thought it would ruin the scene if it was rehearsed. Ultimately his sense of direction paid off, as Leachman won the Academy Award for her performance.
I think the scene has to do with forgiveness, because that seems to be a common theme in the film: Sam forgiving Sonny for what happened with Billy and Sonny forgiving Duane for blind him in one eye.
And Duane forgiving Sonny for trying to get with Jacy.
And Lois forgiving Jacy for sleeping with Abilene. Forgive? Hell, she didn't even mind that much in the first place (based on her reaction and her comment that he was better at drilling oil wells than women). I love Lois.
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