Yeah mate, agree, that bloody syringe shits me every time I see it, bothers me more than any other issue people have with the film. Weird, It just doesn't fit. Nearly takes me out of the film all together. Interesting how one small fleeting moment showing such an unimportant prop in the grand scheme of the story can do so much damage and almost derail an otherwise complete masterpiece and all that hard work that went into it. I guess cinema is all about precision and every element at every tick of the clock is critical to get right for a movie to really do it's magic.
Great essay, but please understand that in 1977 these characters were not set in stone and characters in the 70s died all the time unlike today, so the compactor scene did have suspense for us.
Thanks for watching and for the thoughtful comment! It's interesting how the context of when a film is released can really shape the audience's experience. Whether I wrote it intentionally or not, my analysis is more from a modern perspective, where we view these characters as iconic and almost invincible, but I totally see how the stakes felt much higher for audiences at the time. Appreciate your input!
