Names

The subject of names came up in the current screenwriting class I’m teaching [Core V: Dialogue]. Here is a comment I posted:

Better are names that have some thematic connections. For example, The Sixth Sense. Malcolm Crowe [Bruce Willis]: In many cultures, a crow is a symbol for death [the bird is all black, a bird like an angel of death]. Of course, Crowe is dead, so one could argue Shyamalan is giving us a big clue in with the character’s name. Cole Sear [Haley Joel Osment]: “Cole” compared to “coal” which is black like death. “Sear” compared to “seer,” someone who has keen insight. Of course, Cole has the insight that Malcolm is a ghost [“I see dead people”].

What movie names can you think of that have thematic significance?

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