hobbs001 at 2014-02-12 15:14:52:

Couldn't agree more, Scott. This is easily in my top ten favourite films, maybe top five. I absolutely love it. I think it will be more appreciated as time goes on. There is so much sheer brilliance on display here - writing, photography, acting, use of music. I've always found it baffling that it hasn't been appreciated the way it deserves to be. Interesting that they chose to have Larry's final appearance be him in the middle of a doom-laden phone call (much as we then see his son in the middle of a doom-laden situation) rather than in the car during the storm. One of the themes is "Actions have consequences" and much of the story presents Larry as an inactive character ("I didn't do anything!" he continually protests), and you could infer that this is why bad things befall him (there are a ton of interpretations, that's half the fun of this magnificent movie). I think seeing him in his car, actively going to the Doc's office immediately, portrays him in a less passive light and might even have suggested that by being active he was going to get treatment and survive. Perhaps. By having it the way it is in the movie, the obvious interpretation of the viewer is "Oh, man. He is so screwed.". This is presented as a possible direct result of his changing the student's grade. To me, the final version just works better - both Larry and his son appear to be facing death from different sources (unless you count God as the source of both). Are they going to die? "We can't ever really know what's going on" says Larry, summarising the Uncertainty Principle, and possibly the movie. It'd be interesting to hear what experienced screenwriters think of this change from the script. If ever there was a movie to illustrate the potential richness of themes in a cinematic work, this is it. I've watched this at least 10 times now and will watch it many more times. What's it about? There are easily half a dozen good answers to that. Personally I've always thought Schrodinger's Cat and Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle are major elements of what's going on. Anyone who loves movies : see this. P.S. "What's in the box?" "The hat!"