I liked the story about scarecrows, it gave resonance to the title of the movie. Lion's (Al Pacino) insistence that they're actually intended to make crows laugh instead of being scared was something I thought about for a while. Between the two principal characters, I think we might have witnessed both versions. Lion found himself scared or bewildered much of the time while partnering up with hitchhiking comrade Max (Gene Hackman), who's reckless attitude toward life echoed the laughter of crows in response to his often violent outbursts and bouts of forced solitude.
The fountain scene near the end of the story turned out to be a harrowing harbinger of Lion's catatonic state, coming on the heels of his former gal Annie (Penelope Allen) telling him that their real live son was never born. It was that harsh and mean spirited lie that pushed Lion over the edge, but did you notice? - it was a statue of a lion that Francis clung to when he cracked. It made me wonder if that was just an inadvertent coincidence or whether the scene was specifically planned that way.
The conflicted resolution of the story is reminiscent of 1969's "Midnight Cowboy", reminding the viewer that life often doesn't present happy endings. Max's round trip ticket conveyed the idea that he would be back to look in on his road buddy, but one is left with the impression that Lion's condition was more despairing than hopeful. I'd like to think the car wash idea eventually came about, but somehow I have my doubts.
The fountain scene near the end of the story turned out to be a harrowing harbinger of Lion's catatonic state, coming on the heels of his former gal Annie (Penelope Allen) telling him that their real live son was never born. It was that harsh and mean spirited lie that pushed Lion over the edge, but did you notice? - it was a statue of a lion that Francis clung to when he cracked. It made me wonder if that was just an inadvertent coincidence or whether the scene was specifically planned that way.
The conflicted resolution of the story is reminiscent of 1969's "Midnight Cowboy", reminding the viewer that life often doesn't present happy endings. Max's round trip ticket conveyed the idea that he would be back to look in on his road buddy, but one is left with the impression that Lion's condition was more despairing than hopeful. I'd like to think the car wash idea eventually came about, but somehow I have my doubts.