Why Top Hat reference was so necessary in The Green Mile?
For the film The Green Mile, according to IMDb:
Originally set in 1932, the timeframe was bumped to 1935 so that the movie Top Hat (1935) could be featured.
Why was the altered time frame of the movie deemed necessary to include the movie Top Hat? What significance does this movie have in the story of Green Mile? Could it just be a director's tribute to an older film?
Best Answer
Watching this movie while he is at the nursing home, is what triggers Edgecomb to tell his story to Elaine.
In some ways it is a Chekhov's Gun: you don't learn why this movie caused him to reveal his secret until very late in the movie, when John Coffey asks to see movie as his last request on the day of his execution.
It is an invention of the movie (it isn't in King's story), and most likely they changed the year to allow them to pick an iconic movie. Let's also not forget what Coffey said while watching it:
"They's angels... Angels, just like up in heaven!"
Pictures about "Why Top Hat reference was so necessary in The Green Mile?"
Why was the mouse so important in The Green Mile?
Jingles is believed to represent the small glimmer of light and goodness that still manages to find its way into the Mile, despite the location and circumstances.What does Mr Jingles symbolize in The Green Mile?
Mr. Jingles symbolizes the loneliness that the men feel on the Mile. They are even willing to take in a mouse. Only Percy still holds a grudge against the mouse, and one day he steps on it.What was the movie Top Hat about?
In the movie "The Green Mile", John Coffey heals the prison guard Paul using his special power. He then opens his mouth and hundreds of "flies" appear buzzing away.Tom Hanks At Michael Clarke Duncan's Funeral
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Max Vakhtbovych, Sinitta Leunen, alleksana, furkanfdemir