Another assignment in preparation for the playwriting brouhaha in Atlanta next week. Bryan has asked us to tell him the following; "I would like your best ending from a movie or play...the ending that is most impactful to you, personally." Under five minutes.
I picked TENDER MERCIES. Scene with Mac and Rosie in the garden ("I don't trust happiness...") through to the credits. (To fit within five minutes, I suggested trimming out Sonny's conversation with his mother. It's a superb scene, but to get the essentials of the ending in five minutes, it has to go.)
Anybody else?
Full Version: Best Ending
The first thing that jumps to mind is The Empire Strikes Back (1980), but that's probably due in part to the fact that I listened to the soundtrack to that film today. Still, the final sequence IS pretty good. It's got the inner workings of a cybernetic hand, a fantastic galaxy shot, unresolved emotional longing, superb music, etc., etc. ... and I love the way it leaves our heroes standing by the window, looking out and wondering where they can go from here, and then the camera pulls back and we see them dwarfed by the massive Rebel ships and framed against the big black vacuum of space as the fleet takes them away ... In a nutshell, it's got epic scope as well as intimate feeling, human drama as well as effects big and small, and it leaves me begging for more.
Hmmm, looking at other films in my Top Eleven, I think the last sequence in The Family Way (1966) is a keeper, too; I almost always get choked up when John Mills tells Hywel Bennett, "Why not? You're my son, aren't you?" and the camera cuts to Marjorie Rhodes, the mother who may be the only person in that room who knows that Hywel is NOT John's biological son. And then the way the newlyweds -- ostensibly this film's main characters -- go outside to the car, and the camera stays with John Mills inside the house, watching through the window as everyone leaves, and then sitting down and mourning the friend who abandoned him decades ago.
Hmmm. I seem to have a thing for movies that end with people standing by windows and pining for absent friends.
One other film that jumps out at me from my Top Eleven is When Harry Met Sally... (1989), but not so much for the final sequence as a whole; I just like the almost-punchline to the film, where Billy Crystal finally proposes to Meg Ryan with the words, "I came here tonight because I realized when you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" A fantastic line, and a remarkable declaration of commitment on the part of this hitherto promiscuous character, and all delivered in a funny, mock-aggressive tone by Crystal.
Give me time and I might come up with other examples aside from my Top Eleven.
Hmmm, looking at other films in my Top Eleven, I think the last sequence in The Family Way (1966) is a keeper, too; I almost always get choked up when John Mills tells Hywel Bennett, "Why not? You're my son, aren't you?" and the camera cuts to Marjorie Rhodes, the mother who may be the only person in that room who knows that Hywel is NOT John's biological son. And then the way the newlyweds -- ostensibly this film's main characters -- go outside to the car, and the camera stays with John Mills inside the house, watching through the window as everyone leaves, and then sitting down and mourning the friend who abandoned him decades ago.
Hmmm. I seem to have a thing for movies that end with people standing by windows and pining for absent friends.
One other film that jumps out at me from my Top Eleven is When Harry Met Sally... (1989), but not so much for the final sequence as a whole; I just like the almost-punchline to the film, where Billy Crystal finally proposes to Meg Ryan with the words, "I came here tonight because I realized when you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" A fantastic line, and a remarkable declaration of commitment on the part of this hitherto promiscuous character, and all delivered in a funny, mock-aggressive tone by Crystal.
Give me time and I might come up with other examples aside from my Top Eleven.
For me, the final 5 minutes (well, technically 5min 48sec) of Gallipoli are among the most memorable and gut wrenching of any movie. From the moment Mel Gibson's character Frank suggests that his CO get an opinion from a higher ranking officer - concerning their situtation and the brutal slaughter they are facing - to the final freeze frame-image is Peter Weir and his cast working at the top of their craft.
Gotta be Magnolia.
The Sixth Sense ends pretty well too...
Matt
The Sixth Sense ends pretty well too...
Matt
Best ending personally is different to me than best ending, period. It means I have to delve into my scary psychology...
The most recent ending which really worked for me was Peter Pan. The juxtaposition between the smiling Darling family, reunited with their children and adopting the Lost Boys, contrasted with Peter outside the window with a false smile because he has no comprehension of what's going on inside was startling. Something about happy people gets to me. Elijah Wood and his big blue eyes finally drew tears in his extreme close up at the end of Return of the King. I think because there was genuine relief that his faliure with the ring could finally be left behind him, and all that. In both cases, though, I've only seen each twice so it might be that these lose their power for me in the future.
Random Harvest has a pretty stunning ending, I feel. Because although it was wonderful seeing Ronald Colman finally remember his earlier life with Greer Garson, there's no reason why it should be any more powerful than what's just preceeded it because they're already in a relationship. But the fact that it's their *first love* which they hae rediscovered, and we're suddenly pulled out of the dark and scary modern world back to the early scenes which were all brilliant sunshine works together very powerfully. Kenneth Williams wrote in his diaries that it moved him to tears and he couldn't understand how anyone else could not. It's one of the few movies where I would agree.
So, yes, for me it's people smiling which does it for me. Especially after they've been through a lot of pain to get there. A smile which is "earned", as Joss Whedon would say.
Although I should also mention Seven. Which works because it too earns something. In this case: the right to be brutal, shocking and completley inevitable. It's the kind of ending which works well on its own, but has even *more* power when you're looking through the thriller genre with its constant stream of easy get out clauses and heroes who are heroic because the film demands they be, not their character. Seven is the film which I watch to remind myself that sometimes everyone does lose and that the film can still feel as emotionally complete as it does if they win.
And I did want to mention Moulin Rouge! because it's not the closing scenes that I love but the credits. I do love the film but the last five minutes or so is dross. However, thanks to some beautiful design and an awesome piece of music the credits are emotive, dramatic and actually have the effect of making the end of the film seem an awful lot better than it actually was. (The opening credits of Spider Man 2 do a similar thing. Alex Ross' illistrations make me remember the first film as more epic and interesting than it actually was)
Phil.
The most recent ending which really worked for me was Peter Pan. The juxtaposition between the smiling Darling family, reunited with their children and adopting the Lost Boys, contrasted with Peter outside the window with a false smile because he has no comprehension of what's going on inside was startling. Something about happy people gets to me. Elijah Wood and his big blue eyes finally drew tears in his extreme close up at the end of Return of the King. I think because there was genuine relief that his faliure with the ring could finally be left behind him, and all that. In both cases, though, I've only seen each twice so it might be that these lose their power for me in the future.
Random Harvest has a pretty stunning ending, I feel. Because although it was wonderful seeing Ronald Colman finally remember his earlier life with Greer Garson, there's no reason why it should be any more powerful than what's just preceeded it because they're already in a relationship. But the fact that it's their *first love* which they hae rediscovered, and we're suddenly pulled out of the dark and scary modern world back to the early scenes which were all brilliant sunshine works together very powerfully. Kenneth Williams wrote in his diaries that it moved him to tears and he couldn't understand how anyone else could not. It's one of the few movies where I would agree.
So, yes, for me it's people smiling which does it for me. Especially after they've been through a lot of pain to get there. A smile which is "earned", as Joss Whedon would say.
Although I should also mention Seven. Which works because it too earns something. In this case: the right to be brutal, shocking and completley inevitable. It's the kind of ending which works well on its own, but has even *more* power when you're looking through the thriller genre with its constant stream of easy get out clauses and heroes who are heroic because the film demands they be, not their character. Seven is the film which I watch to remind myself that sometimes everyone does lose and that the film can still feel as emotionally complete as it does if they win.
And I did want to mention Moulin Rouge! because it's not the closing scenes that I love but the credits. I do love the film but the last five minutes or so is dross. However, thanks to some beautiful design and an awesome piece of music the credits are emotive, dramatic and actually have the effect of making the end of the film seem an awful lot better than it actually was. (The opening credits of Spider Man 2 do a similar thing. Alex Ross' illistrations make me remember the first film as more epic and interesting than it actually was)
Phil.
Some Like It Hot - Nobodys Perfect scene in the speedboat.
Les Quatre Cent Coups - Antoine Doinel looking out the camera after walking along the beach.
Sunset Boulevard - Norma Desmond walks down the stairs. I'm ready for my close up Mister De Mille.
Stalker - the kid performs telekinesis and affirms faith in the miraculous.
Godfather Two - Michael dreaming of the family dinner back when he was just an ordinary harmless guy.
Oh, I think Ordet would have to take the prize there.
| QUOTE (Alan Thomas @ Oct 7 2004, 04:31 AM) |
| Oh, I think Ordet would have to take the prize there. |
I second that one!
Films
Yi-yi
The Man Without a Past
Plays
All My Sons - Arthur Miller
Throughout the play, Miller is masterful at playing one card at a time, revealing bits about the events of the past, and then letting us see the various characters reacting to the new information. The final card is played with a bang.
Cyrano de Bergerac - Rostand
His delusional swordplay with Avarice, Jealousy, Ignorance and "the Lie" right before he dies - so moving!
And have I mentioned how horribly jealous I am. Perhaps next year my play will get a reading.
Yi-yi
The Man Without a Past
Plays
All My Sons - Arthur Miller
Throughout the play, Miller is masterful at playing one card at a time, revealing bits about the events of the past, and then letting us see the various characters reacting to the new information. The final card is played with a bang.
Cyrano de Bergerac - Rostand
His delusional swordplay with Avarice, Jealousy, Ignorance and "the Lie" right before he dies - so moving!
And have I mentioned how horribly jealous I am. Perhaps next year my play will get a reading.
Film and play, The Shape of Things
Truly, Madly, Deeply was one of my favorite endings for a long time. Took me utterly by surprise when I first saw it--and the resolution occurs within the last 10 seconds of the piece.
Beyond Ordet, working *mostly* off the Top100 list:
- Sense and Sensibility
- Babette's Feast
- Dogville
- Fight Club
- The Son (Le Fils)
- Secrets & Lies
- The Sixth Sense
- THE STRAIGHT STORY (!)
Geez I wish I could see the freaking thing. Of course, it will never live up to the hype now. 
Easy. Three Colors: Blue
That image-and-tone poem that closes the film, as we revisit all of the major characters we glimpse a departure, an unborn child preparing to enter the world, people lost in darkness and denial, people considering gifts of grace, and finally Julie herself, finally accepting the pain of the cross she must bear, looking through glass at the bittersweet world and the future. Breathtaking.
I'm also rather fond of that last shot in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I recently read, somewhere, that it's the most cynical ending of any action film, and that's probably true. Such a downbeat moment in an upbeat film, l but it really works.
I like the last scene in Secrets and Lies AND in Naked. Two very different endings: one is a reward at the end of a period of trial, and the other is a crushing collapse.
But the funniest final scene in my experience is the last piece of Barton Fink: Barton on the beach with a box, has stepped into an image that hung on the wall of his hotel room. He's staring at a beautiful woman who's staring out to sea. It's all very melancholy and moody, until, in the final frames, a pelican drops awkwardly out of the sky, spoiling the shot, and smashes into the ocean. I'll never forget what a shock that was.
I also love the last scene of the Twin Peaks series, when Cooper is brushing his teeth.
That image-and-tone poem that closes the film, as we revisit all of the major characters we glimpse a departure, an unborn child preparing to enter the world, people lost in darkness and denial, people considering gifts of grace, and finally Julie herself, finally accepting the pain of the cross she must bear, looking through glass at the bittersweet world and the future. Breathtaking.
I'm also rather fond of that last shot in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I recently read, somewhere, that it's the most cynical ending of any action film, and that's probably true. Such a downbeat moment in an upbeat film, l but it really works.
I like the last scene in Secrets and Lies AND in Naked. Two very different endings: one is a reward at the end of a period of trial, and the other is a crushing collapse.
But the funniest final scene in my experience is the last piece of Barton Fink: Barton on the beach with a box, has stepped into an image that hung on the wall of his hotel room. He's staring at a beautiful woman who's staring out to sea. It's all very melancholy and moody, until, in the final frames, a pelican drops awkwardly out of the sky, spoiling the shot, and smashes into the ocean. I'll never forget what a shock that was.
I also love the last scene of the Twin Peaks series, when Cooper is brushing his teeth.
FWIW, I thought about mentioning Secrets & Lies too, but for me the scenes with real "impact" come BEFORE the final five minutes.
Jeffrey Overstreet wrote:
: I'm also rather fond of that last shot in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I recently read,
: somewhere, that it's the most cynical ending of any action film, and that's
: probably true. Such a downbeat moment in an upbeat film, l but it really works.
Inspired by Citizen Kane, wasn't it? I like the fact that the film ends by turning its ultimate focus not on Indy but on the Ark itself -- unlike the other, sillier two films, which end on Indy (getting the girl in Temple of Doom, riding off into the sunset in Last Crusade). And FWIW, as a kid, I used to speculate that the film was saying America and not Hitler won the impending war because America and not Germany had the Ark in its possession; I don't know if that would be a cynical ending or not. (Of course, the Ark is no patsy; it does burn the swastika off the original box in which it is cased, and it devastated the Philistines after they claimed it, too, so it definitely has a say in who it supports and who it doesn't.)
Jeffrey Overstreet wrote:
: I'm also rather fond of that last shot in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I recently read,
: somewhere, that it's the most cynical ending of any action film, and that's
: probably true. Such a downbeat moment in an upbeat film, l but it really works.
Inspired by Citizen Kane, wasn't it? I like the fact that the film ends by turning its ultimate focus not on Indy but on the Ark itself -- unlike the other, sillier two films, which end on Indy (getting the girl in Temple of Doom, riding off into the sunset in Last Crusade). And FWIW, as a kid, I used to speculate that the film was saying America and not Hitler won the impending war because America and not Germany had the Ark in its possession; I don't know if that would be a cynical ending or not. (Of course, the Ark is no patsy; it does burn the swastika off the original box in which it is cased, and it devastated the Philistines after they claimed it, too, so it definitely has a say in who it supports and who it doesn't.)
| QUOTE (DanBuck @ Oct 7 2004, 11:35 AM) |
| Geez I wish I could see the freaking thing. Of course, it will never live up to the hype now. |
Try a free one-month trial membership in GreenCine; you can rent it there (or at a sufficiently artsy local videostore).
It's a movie some people seem to hate, but I was terribly moved by the ending of Plenty (1985), the film based on David Hare's play. As far as I can remember, it was the first film I saw with a now-fashionable convoluted chronology, and the ending harkens back twenty years, before the heroine's life has fallen apart, to the moment she finds out the war has ended. Outside on a hill, in a moment of transcendent joy (which the viewer witnesses with deep irony, considering he already knows where things are heading), she says: "There will be days and days like this." And you know there won't be. The end.
I saw it in college and had to special order a copy of the play, just to study it in depth. If I were to see it again now, I don't know if it would have the same effect.
Mark
I saw it in college and had to special order a copy of the play, just to study it in depth. If I were to see it again now, I don't know if it would have the same effect.
Mark
Man how did I forget Ordet? I suppose for me I knew how it ended before I watched it, but its still a great ending.
Another obscure one to add in The Vernon Johns Story for the ignorant like me when I watched it, you see this guy doing all this black rights stuff and getting knowwhere and then up at the end a young pastor rocks up to take over and you find out its Luther King.
In terms of endings to The Godfather films - I think part 3 (which is the worst film overall) has the best ending.
Matt
Another obscure one to add in The Vernon Johns Story for the ignorant like me when I watched it, you see this guy doing all this black rights stuff and getting knowwhere
and then up at the end a young pastor rocks up to take over and you find out its Luther King. In terms of endings to The Godfather films - I think part 3 (which is the worst film overall) has the best ending.
Matt
Fearless. Especially due to the score over the images.
The Seventh Seal...maybe not my personal favourite, but devastating nonetheless.
I got a big kick out of the Flickerings decor a few years ago.
I got a big kick out of the Flickerings decor a few years ago.
One of the most haunting endings in recent memory was The Vanishing (Swedish Version not the "action packed" americanized garbage). I hate to give away details to those who have not seen it. Suffice it to say this ending is one of the most haunting I have ever seen.
I'm surprised nobody mentioned "Brazil." Best. Ending. Ever.
Greetings. This is my first post. I love this site. I definitely feel like I've found kindred spirits!
While I agree with a lot of the other choices, I'll throw a few more into the mix:
Amadeus - Salieri reveals the utter depths to which he has sunk, canonizing himself as the patron saint of mediocrity. He simply cannot be satsified with the person whom God has made him to be. But, alas, God (through Mozart) gets the final laugh. Brilliant.
Monsters, Inc. - Call me sentimental, but the look on Sully's face when he sees Boo --- Priceless. The folks at Pixar are geniuses!
Signs - To see Mel walk out wearing the collar --- in one shot we know without being told his faith has been restored.
Two movies that I didn't particularly care for until the ending:
The Usual Suspects
Vanilla Sky
While I agree with a lot of the other choices, I'll throw a few more into the mix:
Amadeus - Salieri reveals the utter depths to which he has sunk, canonizing himself as the patron saint of mediocrity. He simply cannot be satsified with the person whom God has made him to be. But, alas, God (through Mozart) gets the final laugh. Brilliant.
Monsters, Inc. - Call me sentimental, but the look on Sully's face when he sees Boo --- Priceless. The folks at Pixar are geniuses!
Signs - To see Mel walk out wearing the collar --- in one shot we know without being told his faith has been restored.
Two movies that I didn't particularly care for until the ending:
The Usual Suspects
Vanilla Sky
Nearly forgot to add:
GREAT BIG FAT
Oooh! Ooooh! Monsters Inc! Yes! I cried like a baby when I saw that ending.
You know where they got the idea for that from? Manhattan. Well, at least it seems like it to me. When Mariel Hemmingway tells Woody Allen "you've just got to have a little more faith in people" and all the blah blah blah that has been going on round the many twisted relationships just goes *pop* and he gets a simple beatific smile of realisation... wonderful!
Another great Woody Allen ending - Crimes and Misdemeanours. It weighs heavy.
The Jazz singer has a wonderful ending. Both the reconciliation with his father, and the tribute to his mother have me weeping and feeling warm and glowy inside.
How about Don't Look Now as a *shudder* not-so-happy great ending?
I think the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is another great one that leaves things not quite resolved.
When Harry Met Sally, such a simple trick, having them talk to the camera like one of the lifelong couples that have been on throughout the film. We know that they too, will be together for the rest of their lives.
Oh I could go on...
GREAT BIG FAT
Oooh! Ooooh! Monsters Inc! Yes! I cried like a baby when I saw that ending.
You know where they got the idea for that from? Manhattan. Well, at least it seems like it to me. When Mariel Hemmingway tells Woody Allen "you've just got to have a little more faith in people" and all the blah blah blah that has been going on round the many twisted relationships just goes *pop* and he gets a simple beatific smile of realisation... wonderful!
Another great Woody Allen ending - Crimes and Misdemeanours. It weighs heavy.
The Jazz singer has a wonderful ending. Both the reconciliation with his father, and the tribute to his mother have me weeping and feeling warm and glowy inside.
How about Don't Look Now as a *shudder* not-so-happy great ending?
I think the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is another great one that leaves things not quite resolved.
When Harry Met Sally, such a simple trick, having them talk to the camera like one of the lifelong couples that have been on throughout the film. We know that they too, will be together for the rest of their lives.
Oh I could go on...
| QUOTE (anthony_dunn @ Oct 21 2004, 02:50 PM) |
| Two movies that I didn't particularly care for until the ending: The Usual Suspects |
*Yes*
Phil.
gigi wrote:
: Oooh! Ooooh! Monsters Inc! Yes! I cried like a baby when I saw that ending.
I got pretty verklempt too. It helped that I had spent the previous weekend on an island with some friends, helping a single dad get ready for the winter, and I had kinda-sorta bonded with his three-year-old kid. I remember thinking the film as a whole was a mixed bag of sorts, up until that roller-coaster ride with the doors, but that ending -- wow.
: Oooh! Ooooh! Monsters Inc! Yes! I cried like a baby when I saw that ending.
I got pretty verklempt too. It helped that I had spent the previous weekend on an island with some friends, helping a single dad get ready for the winter, and I had kinda-sorta bonded with his three-year-old kid. I remember thinking the film as a whole was a mixed bag of sorts, up until that roller-coaster ride with the doors, but that ending -- wow.
I forgot about Chinatown when I first saw this movie I knew it woudn't end well but man I was floored. When John Huston grabs her and hugs her. Ooooh. Heart wrenching stuff.
| QUOTE (Alan Thomas @ Oct 7 2004, 10:32 AM) |
| But Ordet is head-and-shoulders my first choice. No other film's ending had me jumping out of my chair going "Holy COW!" as I nearly could not believe what my eyes were seeing on the screen in front of me. |
I second Alan's choice, and add, as another post-er has already, Stalker.
| QUOTE (SZPT @ Oct 8 2004, 12:38 PM) |
| Fearless. Especially due to the score over the images. |
Oh yeah. I second this one, too!
Wow. These are excellent choices.
| QUOTE (Peter T Chattaway @ Oct 21 2004, 10:25 AM) |
| gigi wrote: : Oooh! Ooooh! Monsters Inc! Yes! I cried like a baby when I saw that ending. I got pretty verklempt too. It helped that I had spent the previous weekend on an island with some friends, helping a single dad get ready for the winter, and I had kinda-sorta bonded with his three-year-old kid. I remember thinking the film as a whole was a mixed bag of sorts, up until that roller-coaster ride with the doors, but that ending -- wow. |
Oh yeah. That look on Sully's face and Boo's little voice cooing at him .... aw man, I gotta go ...
Gigi,
I completely agree with Crimes and Misdimeanors.
At the end I so wanted the Martin Landau character to feel guilty, and felt so betrayed when he didn't. I'm not entirely sure what reaction Woody Allen was going for, but I just felt very hollow inside and thought "that's just not right".
ant
I completely agree with Crimes and Misdimeanors.
At the end I so wanted the Martin Landau character to feel guilty, and felt so betrayed when he didn't. I'm not entirely sure what reaction Woody Allen was going for, but I just felt very hollow inside and thought "that's just not right".
ant
Following your train of thought, anthony, Amadeus was a film I didn't care for at all (and, in fact, only finished because I had to for school) until the ending. I wanted to turn the movie off every time Hulce showed his face as Mozart in that one -- but then that ending. Wow.
Crimes and Misdemeanors SPOILERS
anthony_dunn wrote:
: At the end I so wanted the Martin Landau character to feel guilty, and felt so
: betrayed when he didn't.
Didn't he? From Mary P. Nicols' Reconstructing Woody (pages 158-159):
If Cliff were writing Judah's story, he continues, he would have the murderer turn himself in, "because in the absence of a God or something he is forced to assume that responsibility himself." This, Cliff supposes, would give the story "tragic proportions." Judah, however, claims that Cliff's solution is "fiction" and that he has "seen too many movies." For a happy ending, he advises Cliff, "you should go see a Hollywood movie." He sees a happy ending -- presumably because a crime is in one way or another punished, and because responsibility implies a moral strucutre to the universe. In seeing a happy ending in the murderer's turning himself in, however, he inadvertently confirms Cliff's notion that with his crime unpunished and forgotten, the murderer's worst beliefs are realized. His is a deeper unhappiness than suffering from the just punishment of the law. It was Judah, after all, who called his own story "chilling," and when he insists that "people carry awful deeds around with them," he inadvertently admits the deeds at issue are awful.
Although Judah tells the story of a murderer who escapes his feelings of guilt, it is therefore arguable whether Judah himself has. While others are celebrating, Judah is, as he admits, "off by [him]self, like [Cliff]." As Lee asks, if Judah has escaped from his deep sense of guilt, "why would he have indiscreetly told Cliff, a virtual stranger, so accurate a version of his story?" Like Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, he finds a stranger -- also a wedding guest -- to whom he tells his tale, even if he does not admit that the tale is about himself. And like the Ancient Mariner, presumably, he will continue to repeat the tale to others. And when someone sees Judah at the party "celebrating enough for two," we must wonder if Judah is trying just a little too hard. Regardless of Judah's state of mind, however, he does not have what he once wanted when he desired to free himself from "a double life" by breaking off his affair with Dolores, for now, with her murder, he has much more to hide from his wife and family.
anthony_dunn wrote:
: At the end I so wanted the Martin Landau character to feel guilty, and felt so
: betrayed when he didn't.
Didn't he? From Mary P. Nicols' Reconstructing Woody (pages 158-159):
If Cliff were writing Judah's story, he continues, he would have the murderer turn himself in, "because in the absence of a God or something he is forced to assume that responsibility himself." This, Cliff supposes, would give the story "tragic proportions." Judah, however, claims that Cliff's solution is "fiction" and that he has "seen too many movies." For a happy ending, he advises Cliff, "you should go see a Hollywood movie." He sees a happy ending -- presumably because a crime is in one way or another punished, and because responsibility implies a moral strucutre to the universe. In seeing a happy ending in the murderer's turning himself in, however, he inadvertently confirms Cliff's notion that with his crime unpunished and forgotten, the murderer's worst beliefs are realized. His is a deeper unhappiness than suffering from the just punishment of the law. It was Judah, after all, who called his own story "chilling," and when he insists that "people carry awful deeds around with them," he inadvertently admits the deeds at issue are awful.
Although Judah tells the story of a murderer who escapes his feelings of guilt, it is therefore arguable whether Judah himself has. While others are celebrating, Judah is, as he admits, "off by [him]self, like [Cliff]." As Lee asks, if Judah has escaped from his deep sense of guilt, "why would he have indiscreetly told Cliff, a virtual stranger, so accurate a version of his story?" Like Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, he finds a stranger -- also a wedding guest -- to whom he tells his tale, even if he does not admit that the tale is about himself. And like the Ancient Mariner, presumably, he will continue to repeat the tale to others. And when someone sees Judah at the party "celebrating enough for two," we must wonder if Judah is trying just a little too hard. Regardless of Judah's state of mind, however, he does not have what he once wanted when he desired to free himself from "a double life" by breaking off his affair with Dolores, for now, with her murder, he has much more to hide from his wife and family.
| QUOTE |
| His is a deeper unhappiness than suffering from the just punishment of the law. |
I would completely agree with this assessment. This is exactly what makes the ending so heavy, it doesn't provide an easy resolution and returns the issue of moral responsibility to the viewer. Furthermore, I would add that the dialogue throughout the film about degrees of morality (as captured in the title) is further emphasised by this ambiguous ending. It forces us to ask where the line lies between crimes and misdemeanours.
It is a deeply provoking work.
Peter,
Thanks for the Nicols' quote. I'm going to need to read it several times to have it all sink in. Very insightful, especially in terms of the Coleridge connection.
If I remember correctly, though, (and it's been years since I've seen it) after making his "confession" Judah leaves with a smile on his face. He is rejoining society. Cliff, on the other hand, is still obviously punishing himself, unwilling to join society.
The end of Crimes and Misdimeanors reminds me of the end another of Allen's movies: The Purple Rose of Cairo. There, you're left thinking "Hey, wait a minute! That's not how a movie's supposed to end." In this case, rather than blurring the line between crimes and misdimeanors, he is blurring the line between film and reality.
ant
Thanks for the Nicols' quote. I'm going to need to read it several times to have it all sink in. Very insightful, especially in terms of the Coleridge connection.
If I remember correctly, though, (and it's been years since I've seen it) after making his "confession" Judah leaves with a smile on his face. He is rejoining society. Cliff, on the other hand, is still obviously punishing himself, unwilling to join society.
The end of Crimes and Misdimeanors reminds me of the end another of Allen's movies: The Purple Rose of Cairo. There, you're left thinking "Hey, wait a minute! That's not how a movie's supposed to end." In this case, rather than blurring the line between crimes and misdimeanors, he is blurring the line between film and reality.
ant
Best Last-Second Laugh of Elation: "Birdy"
Anybody know the moment I'm talking about?
I love the last moment of Monty Python and the Holy Grail AND the last moment of Life of Brian.
Anybody know the moment I'm talking about?
I love the last moment of Monty Python and the Holy Grail AND the last moment of Life of Brian.
I suppose I'll get obscurity points for this, but my favorite ending from any movie (so far) is Lost and Found. A quirky movie, and probably extremely hard to find, but very very highly recommended. I was also heavily impacted by the ending of Dogville, but I wouldn't say it was my persoal favorite.
However, I've determined that if I ever make a movie it will have direct ripoffs of the first scene of Millenium Mambo and the last scene of Attack the Gas Station.
Edit: A few more thoughts on the subject. I've come to admire films that end without endings. I think The 400 Blows did this best, but I've seen it in other films as well, most recently Bergman's Winter Light and Shame. Lack of finality is a very powerful tool for a film to use, I think, and it makes a lot of sense. The lives of the characters don't end just because the film ends. So while these types of films displease many viewers, I think they're really more honest than a lot of others.
However, I've determined that if I ever make a movie it will have direct ripoffs of the first scene of Millenium Mambo and the last scene of Attack the Gas Station.
Edit: A few more thoughts on the subject. I've come to admire films that end without endings. I think The 400 Blows did this best, but I've seen it in other films as well, most recently Bergman's Winter Light and Shame. Lack of finality is a very powerful tool for a film to use, I think, and it makes a lot of sense. The lives of the characters don't end just because the film ends. So while these types of films displease many viewers, I think they're really more honest than a lot of others.
anthony_dunn wrote:
: The end of Crimes and Misdimeanors reminds me of the end another of Allen's
: movies: The Purple Rose of Cairo.
Interesting you should say that, since Cairo happens to be my second-favorite film of all time, and Nichols goes on to to make these observations (pp. 160-163):
It is Allen who includes not only Levy's suicide but his life-affirming words in his movie. Allen assumes the responsibility for the movie Cliff fails to make. But Allen's movie is not the documentary Cliff would have made. He puts some of Cliff's footage into a story of Cliff himself, as well as one of Lester and Judah. Levy's words -- but also his suicide -- take a place in a more diverse whole that includes comedy. Allen laughs, but his laughter is neither callous nor unreflective like Lester's, for it mocks those very characteristics. Nor is his laughter inconsistent with concern for the suffering of the innocent. But this concern, which plagues Cliff and almost causes Sandy in Stardust Memories to leave his movie unfinished, leads Allen to make Crimes and Misdemeanors. Allen can join a comedy to a serious drama precisely because human happiness is not clearly the design of creation. If it were, there would be less room for human responsibility and freedom. A necessary coincidence between goodness and success therefore leaves little room for moral action. If the unjust and wicked were always punished, and the just and good always rewarded, moral integrity would be indistinguishable from the basest of calculations.
Cliff's proposal of an ending for Judah's story -- that in the absence of a God who punishes, the murderer should accept that responsibility himself -- is therefore correct for the film. But Judah's sense that this is a happy ending is also correct, even if he is wrong to attribute it to Hollywood. Allen's 1972 play God confirms what Crimes and Misdemeanors suggests. In that play, characters discuss the pros and cons of staging a deus ex machina. While the slave implores Zeus to "come forward with your thunderbolt and save me," the writer claims to be "a free man" and not in "need of God glying in to save his play." Refusing to accept Hollywood endings -- or dei ex machina -- does not necessarily affirm the emptiness of the universe; it might constitute a more solid version of Levy's "yes to life." There is a middle ground between a God who punishes every crime or misdemeanor and nihilism, as there is between the "really and entirely loving" God that Levy sought and suicide. Indeed, a God with too much respect for human life to arrive in a machine is such a middle ground. The writer in God, who wants no such machine in his play, resembles the "real-life adventurer" Tom Baxter, who wants to leave his Hollywood movie to experience human life, while the slave resembles those in the audience eager to take Tom's place in the Hollywood Purple Rose. To omit the punishment, as Allen does in the title of his movie, is to leave out the deus ex machina. It is a tribute to Tom Baxter, who is more than a character in the Hollywood Purple Rose. He is also a character in Allen's. . . .
The one Hollywood video Cliff owns is Singin' in the Rain, a movie that he "watch[es] every few months to get [his] spirits up." Like Lester, he finds a need for comic relief. And when he watches less happy Hollywood movies with his niece -- stories, for example, of adultery and betrayal -- he nevertheless reacts as if he were Cecilia watching a romantic Purple Rose: it is great -- "tuxedos and evening gowns and everything" and "it would be wonderful to live like this." Allen's juxtaposition of the events on the screen with those of his own movie, however, indicates that he finds more "reality" in movies than Cliff sees. Conversely, if human life has a moral structure not in spite of our uncertainty of divine control but actually made possible by that uncertainty, life itself permits a kind of "singing in the rain." Just as Allen's substituting "misdemeanors" for "punishment" may signal human responsibility rather than the triumph of evil, Allen's addition of a comic plot to a serious one is appropriate. It is not that singing distracts us from the rain, but that rain does not fall in the way of singing.
BTW, have you heard the story about how the studio people asked Woody if he could give The Purple Rose of Cairo a happy ending? His reply was: "That IS the happy ending."
: The end of Crimes and Misdimeanors reminds me of the end another of Allen's
: movies: The Purple Rose of Cairo.
Interesting you should say that, since Cairo happens to be my second-favorite film of all time, and Nichols goes on to to make these observations (pp. 160-163):
It is Allen who includes not only Levy's suicide but his life-affirming words in his movie. Allen assumes the responsibility for the movie Cliff fails to make. But Allen's movie is not the documentary Cliff would have made. He puts some of Cliff's footage into a story of Cliff himself, as well as one of Lester and Judah. Levy's words -- but also his suicide -- take a place in a more diverse whole that includes comedy. Allen laughs, but his laughter is neither callous nor unreflective like Lester's, for it mocks those very characteristics. Nor is his laughter inconsistent with concern for the suffering of the innocent. But this concern, which plagues Cliff and almost causes Sandy in Stardust Memories to leave his movie unfinished, leads Allen to make Crimes and Misdemeanors. Allen can join a comedy to a serious drama precisely because human happiness is not clearly the design of creation. If it were, there would be less room for human responsibility and freedom. A necessary coincidence between goodness and success therefore leaves little room for moral action. If the unjust and wicked were always punished, and the just and good always rewarded, moral integrity would be indistinguishable from the basest of calculations.
Cliff's proposal of an ending for Judah's story -- that in the absence of a God who punishes, the murderer should accept that responsibility himself -- is therefore correct for the film. But Judah's sense that this is a happy ending is also correct, even if he is wrong to attribute it to Hollywood. Allen's 1972 play God confirms what Crimes and Misdemeanors suggests. In that play, characters discuss the pros and cons of staging a deus ex machina. While the slave implores Zeus to "come forward with your thunderbolt and save me," the writer claims to be "a free man" and not in "need of God glying in to save his play." Refusing to accept Hollywood endings -- or dei ex machina -- does not necessarily affirm the emptiness of the universe; it might constitute a more solid version of Levy's "yes to life." There is a middle ground between a God who punishes every crime or misdemeanor and nihilism, as there is between the "really and entirely loving" God that Levy sought and suicide. Indeed, a God with too much respect for human life to arrive in a machine is such a middle ground. The writer in God, who wants no such machine in his play, resembles the "real-life adventurer" Tom Baxter, who wants to leave his Hollywood movie to experience human life, while the slave resembles those in the audience eager to take Tom's place in the Hollywood Purple Rose. To omit the punishment, as Allen does in the title of his movie, is to leave out the deus ex machina. It is a tribute to Tom Baxter, who is more than a character in the Hollywood Purple Rose. He is also a character in Allen's. . . .
The one Hollywood video Cliff owns is Singin' in the Rain, a movie that he "watch[es] every few months to get [his] spirits up." Like Lester, he finds a need for comic relief. And when he watches less happy Hollywood movies with his niece -- stories, for example, of adultery and betrayal -- he nevertheless reacts as if he were Cecilia watching a romantic Purple Rose: it is great -- "tuxedos and evening gowns and everything" and "it would be wonderful to live like this." Allen's juxtaposition of the events on the screen with those of his own movie, however, indicates that he finds more "reality" in movies than Cliff sees. Conversely, if human life has a moral structure not in spite of our uncertainty of divine control but actually made possible by that uncertainty, life itself permits a kind of "singing in the rain." Just as Allen's substituting "misdemeanors" for "punishment" may signal human responsibility rather than the triumph of evil, Allen's addition of a comic plot to a serious one is appropriate. It is not that singing distracts us from the rain, but that rain does not fall in the way of singing.
BTW, have you heard the story about how the studio people asked Woody if he could give The Purple Rose of Cairo a happy ending? His reply was: "That IS the happy ending."
| QUOTE (Jeffrey Overstreet @ Oct 22 2004, 10:26 AM) |
| Best Last-Second Laugh of Elation: "Birdy" Anybody know the moment I'm talking about? |
Yes yes yes yes YES!!! Truly one of my all-time favourite endings. One of my all-time favourite films, for that matter - need to watch that one again, it's faded so much in my memory. But not that ending - no fading there! Nor in the bicycle - La Bamba - garbage dump sequence. Whew!
Several of you will be pleased to know that ORDET was represented at our symposium, the choice of screenwriter Aaron Wiederspahn, the next Wes Anderson. (And those who know me well will not be surprised to learn that I snuck out during its showing, and a few others - I couldn't bring myself to watch the endings of films I hadn't seen! With a couple exceptions, movies I assumed I wouldn't want to see. Until I saw the endings. Like WILLIE WONKA and SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS. Watching both this weekend...)
Anyhow, here's the list of endings that we viewed;
ABOUT SCHMIDT
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES
BLACK HAWK DOWN
ELEPHANT MAN
IRON GIANT
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
MAGNOLIA
ON THE WATERFRONT
ORDET
PIECES OF APRIL
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
SULLLIVAN'S TRAVELS
TENDER MERCIES
TOGETHER
USUAL SUSPECTS
WHALE RIDER
WILLI WONKA
WITNESS
Also, a handful of plays;
The Clearing
Metamorphosis
True West
Anyhow, here's the list of endings that we viewed;
ABOUT SCHMIDT
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES
BLACK HAWK DOWN
ELEPHANT MAN
IRON GIANT
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
MAGNOLIA
ON THE WATERFRONT
ORDET
PIECES OF APRIL
SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
SULLLIVAN'S TRAVELS
TENDER MERCIES
TOGETHER
USUAL SUSPECTS
WHALE RIDER
WILLI WONKA
WITNESS
Also, a handful of plays;
The Clearing
Metamorphosis
True West
I've met Aaron. Nice guy. From Trilemma, no?
Ron, I want the scoop. how was the conference? I'm dying to hear all about it.
Can't wait to go next year.
Ron, I want the scoop. how was the conference? I'm dying to hear all about it.
Can't wait to go next year.
| QUOTE (DanBuck @ Oct 22 2004, 05:12 PM) |
| I've met Aaron. Nice guy. From Trilemma, no? |
Yes indeed. I met him a few years ago when I was involved in a theatre conference in Orlando, one August. We connected because of our love of film, and we also both took part in a ten minute play festival that was part of it. Great fun. Anyhow, he hooked up with another friend of mine, Buzz McLaughlin (a playwright: both PT and Trilemma staged his piece SISTER CALLING MY NAME, I played Michael) and the two of them are starting an indie film production thingamabob. They've got three films in the queue, two of Aaron's and one from Buzz.
| QUOTE |
| Ron, I want the scoop. how was the conference? I'm dying to hear all about it. |
Sure, I'll start a new thread over in another more appropriate forum. See ya over there...
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