I remember seeing this movie when I was quite young (10-11) and my taste in movies mostly consisted of Disney movies and "Planet Of The Apes". I went to my local movie theater to see a Disney comedy (along the lines of "The Monkey's Uncle" or some such) and stuck around for a second feature, which turned out to be 'The Happening'. Normally a young kid wouldn't be allowed to see a film with such adult themes, but no one cleared the theater between shows, so no one saw me in there. (I now think this may have been just before the MPAA rating schemes were enforced).
It was quite the eye opener. "The Happening" started out like a typical comedy caper film, with lots of surprises and plot twists, but then, to my surprise, things seemed to go sour for the protagonist and the movie became much darker. I kept waiting for some further plot twist to make everything right again so that Anthony Quinn could Live Happily Ever After. But nothing did. The ending wasn't funny or happy at all, with Quinn's character basically walking away from everything and into an uncertain future.
When the movie ended on that note, I was astounded and somewhat upset. I spent a lot of time that night thinking about what I had seen, and trying to process it. It had cast one of the very first shadows of doubt in the myth that Everything Would Be Okay Because The Hero Always Wins In The End. But it also helped me process the disconnect between the Happy Stories I always saw on the screen and the way things seemed to go in 'Real Life'.
So "The Happening" was a radical landmark film to me, and something of a turning point in my emotional maturity. That gives the movie perhaps some value that it might not possess to a more mature viewer. I've been trying to locate a copy to see how the older version of Me has changed from the naive kid, but I don't know if it will be worth it.
It was quite the eye opener. "The Happening" started out like a typical comedy caper film, with lots of surprises and plot twists, but then, to my surprise, things seemed to go sour for the protagonist and the movie became much darker. I kept waiting for some further plot twist to make everything right again so that Anthony Quinn could Live Happily Ever After. But nothing did. The ending wasn't funny or happy at all, with Quinn's character basically walking away from everything and into an uncertain future.
When the movie ended on that note, I was astounded and somewhat upset. I spent a lot of time that night thinking about what I had seen, and trying to process it. It had cast one of the very first shadows of doubt in the myth that Everything Would Be Okay Because The Hero Always Wins In The End. But it also helped me process the disconnect between the Happy Stories I always saw on the screen and the way things seemed to go in 'Real Life'.
So "The Happening" was a radical landmark film to me, and something of a turning point in my emotional maturity. That gives the movie perhaps some value that it might not possess to a more mature viewer. I've been trying to locate a copy to see how the older version of Me has changed from the naive kid, but I don't know if it will be worth it.