What a situation they were in! If they were ever to make a success of their marriage one of them must inevitably climb down. Her pride would not allow it - now or at any other time. She could never have brought herself to ask him to stay, not under any circumstances. Yet in trying to visualize a scene in which she would ask Nigel to remain here at home she came up against an unfruitful vision. His choice to live for himself and to be unaffected by the manipulation of the film’s other characters is, in essence, a decision to be authentic.Pride alone had held her, and now she was sorry. Choosing to write an “honest and unmerciful” article, William embodies Lester Bangs as well. William ends up a little like Russell, for both of them still want to be with Penny in the end, though neither of them can. Since Penny Lane is actually named Lady Goodman, the air of mystery that William wants could be an echo of her. When William warns Penny about Russell’s intentions, he calls himself mysterious (01:21:51), something that she had called him first while pushing his brows into a furrow (00:24:27).
William does not entirely reject any of the potential futures that Cameron Crowe lined up for him. In a film that revolves so heavily around music, the sudden absence of sound draws attention to this turning point where William finally comes to terms with the fact that he has been used rather than accepted, and decides to stop trying to fit in (01:09:17). As the tears fall, only diagetic sounds can be heard: faint chatter from within Russell’s room and William’s sniffles. William collapses onto a chair in defeat and cries. His knock is met with immediate dismissal. Just after getting off of the phone with Rolling Stone magazine, newly deflowered, homesick, and burdened with laundry, William tries to interview Russell Hammond again after many unsuccessful attempts. Before voice-over ends, the meeting scene cuts to a shot of Penny Lane dancing in a deserted, litter-filled concert venue, suggesting that she would share William’s feelings about the band’s new direction and thereby strengthening the parallel between them (1:17:24). Layering Lester’s voice over William’s face suggests that William has adopted Lester’s thoughts as his own. This voice-over is paired with a shot of William with a furrowed brow. When the decision is made, a voice-over decries the current state of rock and roll in Lester Bangs’ voice. Their acceptance of this new manager implies their fall to money-grubbing wannabes, rather than the fan-loving musicians they claimed to be. The manager details a plan to make more money for the band, but what he sees as important doesn’t align with the values that the band preached at the movie’s outset. At first, the band members are very opposed to new management, but when the proposed manager begins his pitch, they begin to nod along. In the scene, Stillwater contemplates accepting new management. Lester Bangs deepens the parallel between them, saying “I’m always home, I’m un-cool” (01:44:26).ĭuring a band meeting, the sound-image relationship strengthens the parallel between William and Lester without Lester even being there. William cries to Lester about his struggle to fit in and thanks him for being available. In the final phone call, William is alone, just as Lester has been all along.
Every other time William spoke to Lester Bangs on the phone, he was in the presence of other people. William’s final conversation with Lester Bangs uses figure placement to create a parallel between two characters. Both will fall for Penny Lane, and it will not end well for either one. The dual nature of this dialogue sets William and Russell on the same plane. Although her words are supposed to apply to Penny and Russell, they seem to work on the level of Penny and William’s relationship as well, particularly her resounding last line: “She will eat him alive” (00:34:21). Before their ice-room tryst, William watches the two of them exchange glances as another band aid narrates. When William accompanies Penny to a gathering of musicians at a local hotel, he witnesses a steamy exchange between Penny and Russell.
This overlap suggests the overlap in William and Russell’s characters, and combined with later moments in the film suggests another potential future for William (00:21:09). He momentarily comes into focus and eclipses William. Russell, on the other hand, walks between William and the camera. As Stillwater passes the star-struck William by, nearly all of them pass on the far side, so William remains between them and the camera. William meets Russell Hammond minutes later as the Stillwater van screeches into the parking lot, and the band rushes for the venue-doors.