Talk:Marathon Man (film)

"Ironic"
This word has been grossly mis-used within this article and has presumably been put in place by someone who has no clue as to how irony actually works. I have therefore, removed this word where it has been incorrectly used. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.107.54.253 (talk) 18:56, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Marathon Man2.jpg
Image:Marathon Man2.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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Mengele
Over on the article for the book, there was some concern that comparisons between Christian Szell and Josef Mengele were somehow speculation. Should such concerns emerge at this page, I've started the discussion on Talk:Marathon Man. superlusertc 2007 August 17, 07:28 (UTC)

Elsa claims she is from Switzerland, not Austria
Doc, at dinner asks her if she knows a ski instructor in Verbier, then reveals that there is no Verbier in Switzerland, demanding to know where she *is* from. To which she replies "can't you guess--Germany" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.158.35.22 (talk) 11:42, 26 October 2007 (UTC)
 * and she speaks french when upset, so what?--Mark v1.0 (talk) 03:18, 13 November 2018 (UTC)
 * I think it was just a correction of something there. Indeed Elsa does claim to be from Switzerland. WhisperToMe (talk) 07:48, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

Plot
I changed parts of the plot since they were simply false or grossly inaccurate and misleading. It is, for instance, a clear falsehood to state that Janeway killed Szell's bodyguards. He did not and in fact in a later szene Szell explains to Babe that he did not do so. Also the description of Szell's escape from the Jewish neigbourhood was grossly out of touch with the actual sequence of events in the film. For it was not the shop owner, but the shop assisstant who originally identified him and it was only after this had happened that the elderly woman also recognised him. Leaving out that woman's death also seemed strange. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.52.231.70 (talk) 23:37, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Differences
"In the film, Doc is depicted as a government agent from the beginning, while in the novel his dual identity is suggested but not explicitly obvious until the gravely wounded Doc arrives at his brother's apartment. " Hmm...I thought that conversely in the book, while an agent was indeed described from the beginning, it was not until the gravely wounded agent arrives at his brother's aparment that the reader is aware that the agent is in fact one and the same as Babe's brother. This level of deception was however not possible in the film because the viewer can see the face of the agent, and see that it is the same person as Babe's brother. --Timtak (talk) 05:27, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

"Goldman was not sure who wrote it, but told an interviewer he thought the new, more famous ending was "shit" because it left out two important plot clarifications." Can someone please state what the missing "plot clarifications" are that are present in the original ending? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.68.37.190 (talk • contribs) 11:18, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

"that the home is owned by Szell's deceased brother"
How can a house be owned by a deceased person? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.27.33.254 (talk) 12:29, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
 * In the film, the brother just died in a car accident. Are you going to say "Zels dead brother owns/ed it"?, no it is simpler to say Zels brother.--Mark v1.0 (talk) 03:13, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

External links modified
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Abebe Bikila
@User:Loginnigol, please stop adding notation of the clip shown for 20 seconds at the start of the film featuring Abebe Bikila. Bikila is not a plot element within the film, and he is not referenced elsewhere within the article. This type of detail is not part of WP:FILMPLOT. This is akin to starting "The film opens with a shot of the sunrise" or "A man stands in front of a blue house." Additionally, this is not a "film credit". Also, your revision includes the notation as a parenthetical statement following reference to the main character. Bikila is only tangentially related to the fictional character of Babe by also being a marathon runner. AldezD (talk) 10:59, 18 July 2017 (UTC)

Part of the plot seems off
"Babe agrees, but as he leaves, Janeway fatally shoots Elsa in revenge for her spoiling the plan to trap Babe and kill him in the house." This does not jibe with how I interpret that scene. Babe leaves and Janeway quickly picks up the gun to pursue Babe; Elsa sees this and alerts Babe by screaming "Babe!", for which Janeway shoots her (to shut her up or out of anger). So it is true on some level that she spoiled the plan, but she spoiled the plan of Janeway pursuing Babe OUT of the house. He doesn't seem to shoot her for spoiling the plan of trapping him in the house. Am I misreading this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ess198 (talk • contribs) 02:48, 3 July 2020 (UTC)

"Have you ever tried acting?"
I don't think there's any evidence to suggest Olivier and Hoffman didn't get along during filming, as claimed in the article — Preceding unsigned comment added by Awahl1138 (talk • contribs) 22:10, 28 September 2020 (UTC)


 * I've removed that claim, restored some earlier text about the famous exchange, and added Hoffman's explanation of it. - Palpable (talk) 04:31, 24 July 2022 (UTC)