and Ramis’s commentary were all illuminating. I realise in hindsight that I was following my natural inclination as a scholar, to try to understand something more fully by diving more deeply into it.One of the more questionable elements of Groundhog Day … Andie Macdowell and Bill Murray fall in love.By the midway point, my viewing had shifted into a mode of cataloguing and memorisation.
Some days, the viewing felt like a curse. When Rita discovers Phil’s dilemma, she says: “Maybe it’s not a curse. Maybe it depends on how you look at it.”My own shift in perspective came into play in the final three months. I found myself returning to the exploratory mode of viewing, encouraged by sharing and discussing theories with others who liked the film but who weren’t nutty enough to watch it hundreds of times.
New theories emerged. I decided the bartender at the Pennsylvanian hotel is clearly aware of Phil’s predicament , and that one of the Punxsutawney townspeople is clearly having an affair, as he can be seen visiting the Groundhog festival with his wife and the banquet with his mistress.of the film, but I understood in my final stretch of viewing that a film can transform with us, revealing new layers from viewing to viewing.
My experience certainly affirms her claims. Watching Groundhog Day every day for a year provided me with a deeper appreciation for how a film may contain multitudes – particularly those we choose to willingly re-experience.