well ive never seen all of Cool Hand Luke before. just about 20 minutes here and there, and ofcourse the snipet used in GnR's Civil War. so watching the movie was cool. knowing only that the movie was pretty well recieved in the late 60s during its release, and also knowing that this is one of the movies that made Paul Newmann, it was worth watching; aside from the fact that it was up for Academy Awards in 67. i probably watched it on one of the original reels. very grainey, very out of balance colors. so it was very true to what i guess id expect to have seen then. turns out its not so much a drama as it has comedic parts, and it has too many weighty sections to be laughable. havent quite figured it out. it is going to go on my xmas list. maybe some commentary or something on the DVD may help jog my thoughts... but ive pieced together that the movie its self is much more complex than the simple prison life story it containts. death figures in, but not really how youd expect... not like in Shawshank, Green Mile, or Last Castle even... instead death presents its self in a quite way. much like the Man With No Eyes. who, actually does have eyes... and we see them, vaguely at two points... but call him The Man With No Voice, as it seems more fitting. anway; its a struggle about redemption. ill put money there. not alot. but ill bet the spread on it. it has much more to do with that then happiness. religion is a central role, but not as clearly major as some people will think it is. the overtones are obvious, but its what its suggesting thats more important as a story. it also has something to do with fitting in. not the ultra obvious that Luke doesnt fit it; but that HE DOES. more importantly its about Luke's ability to cross over from fitting in, to becoming a misfit; to fitting in again. his ability to walk this line is something that seemed important to me. why? well in a movie about redemption; which is anything but an exact science; we find constant metaphors and visuals of straight lines. train tracks, walls, ledges, boards, roads, fences. even the bricks in the HotBox are positioned in very straight rows [compared to the falling apart structure] as is the hole that Luke digs for himself. interesting. besides whenever we have Luke fleeing, he crosses these things. he meanders across roads, fences, bridges, lines, traintracks. again, showing that the road to redemption is not a logical one. so it is about redemption. and its not about religion. why? no. thats too easy. come on. look past that. its about Luke and his father... the same relationship exploited by Speilberg and Lucas years later... but its Luke and his father. the father he never knows, the son he can never guide. this is why God is The Old Man, this is why Luke only begins his wanderings after his mother's death; because he is in search of his father. his father though, never having been named or met, stalks Luke. through the war, through his law problems, until the end. is The Man With No Eyes metaphorically Lukes father? could be. im torn between that and the signiffigance of the Captain. his role means something more. The Man... never corrects Luke; that IS IMPORTANT to understanding the relation with the father; but so is the Captain. the Captain is the one that brings Luke back, the Captain is the one that corrects Luke, the Captain is the one trying to tie Luke home.--- just like Luke's mother. Lukes mother wants Luke to behaive, to have grandchildren.. Luke is the child she put her hope in to. but she dies in vain. i dont get that one. but i like her line about people... people should be more like dogs... that someday even a bitch wouldnt know'd her own pups anymore, and it would save her the pain of watching them. lots of things i need to watch for again. besides... think of the little stuff. why The Man kills only animals... what about the ironic scene of the white man in chains before two black boys. how about the metaphors about war, and why The Man removes the bolt from his rifle, and forces prisoners to bring it to him. but im settling on this for tonight... it has much more to do with redemption than a simple story. religion isnt so important to it. Luke could be gay. and we should all do a little more to find out about our fathers. watch it sometime. i know im missing it. the main line of this story is something i can see pieces of, but i cant quite get my hands around. its frustrating. it makes it another movie to buy and watch again....