Many of the issues people have been raising about *12 Monkeys* were
discussed at the time the film came out on this very list.  People
interested in this subject could refer back to that earlier discussion for a
variety of additional views and questions.
        (Back "issues" of this list are available on ScreenSite at
http://www.sa.ua.edu/TCF/  and this site contains instructions for how to
search the archives.)
        I disagree with those who find the question of how to interpret, for
instance, the end of the film, to be uninteresting (because, for example,
the more interpretations the better).  I think it is quite instructive that
there are so many different readings.
        One of the interesting aspects that such disagreements underline is
the extent to which inference (or hypothesis-formation and -testing, as some
have called it) is a part and parcel of the way we read even the most
seemingly "straightforward" narratives.  Tallying up what those diverging
interpretations are can be a good starting point for looking at the process
of interpretation.
        The fact that there are so many interpretations suggests that the
film might not be as "linear" and closed as some on this list have
suggested.  Indeed, if Gilliam (or the writers) are as "heavy-handed" as has
been suggested, they certainly failed to be heavy-handed enough to make the
ending clear in the same way to all viewers.
 
Sincerely,
Edward R. O'Neill
 
----
To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L
in the message.  Problems?  Contact [log in to unmask]