Board Thread:Movie discussion/@comment-13359-20150709024100

One thing I never got about the first film; why does Gennaro come to the amber mine in the middle of the jungle, all the way down the river on an unsteady raft that needs to be pulled by rope, to talk to Juanito Rostagno?

Their conversation makes no sense. Well, I mean, it does, but it makes no sense for the setting or for the people having it.

First, Gennaro complains Hammond won't see him:

1. Did Gennaro expect to find Hammond at the mine? Not entirely unreasonable. Movie!Hammond personally flies out to Grant's dig site to see him, rather then delegating this task, so he's clearly a man with a very hands-on approach to managing his companies, so I can see him personally visiting one of his mines, mingling with the workers, etc. However the movie is unclear if Gennaro actually intended to find him there.

2. If Gennaro didn't think Hammond would be there, why did he come? Just to talk to Rostagno? If so, why Rostagno of all people?

3. And here's where we get to the "what they talk about doesn't make sense" part. They cover three topics: the lawsuit by Jophery's family, Hammond's apparent refusal to speak to Gennaro (or otherwise Gennaro's inability to get ahold of him), and the issue of Gennaro's clients, the investors, wanting experts to inspect Jurassic Park. All of these are perfectly fine topics for Gennaro himself to discuss with someone... just not this particular person. Rostagno is a mine foreman; he describes himself (by way of comparison to Grant) as "a digger," i.e. a very blue collar kinda guy, and about the only meaningful things he contributes to the dialogue are A) why Hammond can't or won't see Gennaro (why would he know?), B) the fact Hammond doesn't like inspections and C) to tell Gennaro he'd never get Grant in a million years.

4. I'm also a little confused about why it suddenly goes from the investors, through Gennaro, wanting Grant, to inspection-hating Hammond being the one to go and try to convince him and Ellie to come. Do Hammond and his investors both just coincidentally want the same paleontologist, or did Hammond finally cave but insisted he go instead of Gennaro? The movie is unclear, to the point where it even seems to forget entirely that it was originally the investors who wanted Grant, since Hammond even boasts to Gennaro, "I bring scientists, you bring a rock star." This seems unfair to Gennaro, since it was his own clients who wanted the very same scientists he's boasting about having gotten. He even starts to protest, as if he's the only character who even remembers this, the poor guy, before he's interrupted by the Glorious Island Approach Sequence. Or did Hammond remember, but simply thought Gennaro couldn't have persuaded Grant and Ellie and was proud he'd gotten them himself while Gennaro had only been able to persuade Malcolm, a person Hammond clearly thinks little of?

Anyway here's my basic theory of the sequence of events. Pure fanon but I wanna see what everyone thinks of it:

1. Jophery is killed. His family files a huge lawsuit against InGen. Hammond's investors in the park start getting antsy about its safety, and want experts to sign off on it. Gennaro gets Malcolm. Hammond, a difficult man to get ahold of and someone who ordinarily hates inspections agrees to this choice almost flippantly, because he doesn't like Malcolm and thinks that if Malcolm doesn't like what he sees, his word won't carry very much weight because of his reputation (which actually doesn't seem to be too good, at least outside of academic circles). But his clients feel the same way. In fact, Malcolm's reputation means even a positive vote on the park won't carry much weight. So they want Alan Grant.

2. Because Hammond is difficult to get ahold of and often personally visits his various assets outside of the country, Gennaro cannot get him on the phone and must see him in person. He must therefore go to see him at the amber mine. However, he misses him, because Hammond has just left to go and see his daughter, who is getting a divorce (it is while on this trip Hammond probably makes the suggestion she send Tim and Lex to stay with him on Isla Nublar). A disappointed Gennaro vents to Rostagno about his problems, basically just using him as a convenient person to complain to, and Rostagno couldn't care less. He simply tells the lawyer why Hammond isn't there and reminds him that he hates inspections. Pressing the issue, Gennaro probably figures he may as well get Rostagno's opinion about the feasability of getting Grant as long as he's there, so he hasn't wasted a trip. Rostagno's opinion is no: like him, Grant is too committed to his work.

3. Here's where the timeline gets a little tricky. And where it becomes more fanon-y. Gennaro returns to America and meets with Hammond who after some resistance agrees to the choice of Grant. Gennaro may or may not try and fail to get Grant himself. Either way, Hammond feels he is better at convincing people to do things than Gennaro is, and goes to get Grant himself. Him going personally may also be intended to show his investors that he is taking their concerns seriously enough to attend to the matter personally. It might help allay their fears and give them a better opinion of him. Hammond is, after all, a people person, and investors are people, too. And so having gotten them to call off their attack dog (if Gennaro can be called such) he flies by helicopter to Montana and is so certain of his success he not only has a private jet waiting but he also opens the champagne bottle before he's even made his pitch. In addition to being a people person, Hammond is a man of supreme personal confidence.

4. His line to Gennaro on the helicopter later can therefore be interpreted as him essentially reminding Gennaro that he thinks about as much of him as he does Malcolm, which is nothing, and is essentially saying HE would make a better representative for his investors than their own lawyer. 