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- Alternate Character Interpretation
- The Twist Ending of the film begs the question of Chance's true nature: is he The Fool or The Messiah? The filmmakers intended the former, but knew the latter interpretation was possible.
- A rather twisty interpretation suggests that he started as the former, and became the latter as people grew to believe in him.
- Arguably, the film's existence was based on this. Kosinski wrote Chance as a representation of his fear of a style-over-substance world, having no idea someone could actually identify with such a character. Though they disagreed on the implications of his rise to power (Sellers saw it as the meek inheriting the earth), Kosinski admitted that Sellers understood Chance better than he did.
- The Twist Ending of the film begs the question of Chance's true nature: is he The Fool or The Messiah? The filmmakers intended the former, but knew the latter interpretation was possible.
- Adaptation Displacement: The novella is still in print, but with a picture of Sellers as Chance on the U.S. cover.
- Comedy Ghetto: The most likely reason Sellers didn't win the Oscar, especially when a mentally challenged character is usually Oscar Bait.
- Fridge Logic: A rare in-movie example. Louise, a black cook who knew Chance his entire life, complains about it.
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Louise:It's for sure a white man's world in America. Look here: I raised that boy since he was the size of a piss-ant. And I'll say right now, he never learned to read and write. No, sir. Had no brains at all. Was stuffed with rice pudding between th' ears. Shortchanged by the Lord, and dumb as a jackass. Look at him now! Yes, sir, all you've gotta be is white in America, to get whatever you want. Gobbledy-gook! |
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- Idiot Plot: A rare case where people not asking obvious questions is part of the story's point.
- Memetic Mutation / Signature Line: "I like to watch." This line is sometimes used to imply voyeurism, which amuses those who have seen the film as using it in that context is making a mistake some of the characters do.
- Misaimed Fandom: Kosinski was frustrated that film audiences (especially younger ones) weren't unnerved by the implications of Chance's rise to power — that style will always trump substance; that people can become so warped by TV, etc. that they will not develop their own personality — or even realized them. Of course, Chance is an atypical example of this trope in that he isn't a bad person, but more a victim of circumstance.
- Values Resonance