This Is the END

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rohanaka
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This Is the END

Post by rohanaka »

Ha.. no.. this thread is NOT about James Bond or Skyfall. (but I do love the song.. and the movie :D ) So what IS THE topic of my thread, you ask??? Well.. for lack of a better word.. DEATH! Or more specifically your favorite death SCENES in your favorite movies. (and what makes them your favorite, if I may be so bold as to ask.) Now.. before I go ANY further.. please make note of the fact that this ENTIRE post is going to have spoilers.. nothing but spoilers. ha. I cannot possibly talk about the ultimate ending for some of the characters I am going to bring up here without giving away what happens to them.. so read on at your own risk. (if you dare, ha) :D

Now I confess.. this is NOT a topic I sit around and gab and blab about all that much. Most of the time, it is a subject folks tend to shy away from, I admit. So by now you may be asking yourself GOOD Gravy.. what in the world would make her pick THIS topic to post about HERE.. but, ha, you can blame it on Gone with the Wind. (who knew?) Because I was watching it the other night and of course I utterly fell apart as usual... (sigh.. sniff.. sob) right at the part where Melanie dies.
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And as I sat there bawling my eyes out.. ha, I muttered under my breath (in between tearful sobs) "Aw, Mellie.. you are just too good for this world" which then led me to think on yet ANOTHER beloved movie character whom I have always felt the same way about.. sweet little Beth March. I don't care WHAT version of that movie I watch.. she is just such a dear little soul, and she breaks my heart each and every time... alas.

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I mean come on now.. WHAT was Louisa May Alcott THINKING???? What a precious, beautiful, utterly PERFECT child.. and then, she was gone. (AGH! don't get me started) But of course.. then Jo writes her book, and the rest of the story all falls into place, so OK.. now I know. (but STILL!! ha)

Which THEN led my brain to have a little "chain reaction" on the topic of movie characters and the ways (and reasons) they die.It might be a murder, could be an accident, or unexpected illness. They might even just have lived to a ripe ole age and passed peacefully in their sleep. But whatever the reason.. just as in real life, when a movie character dies, It can (and usually does) totally change the direction of a story by leading one or more of the characters to act (or react) in some specific way they may not have otherwise. It might only be a passing moment in the plot that leads into some other portion of the story.. OR it can even (and often does) wrap up the end of the movie in one fell swoop. But whatever the cause, whenever the moment, can there be anything more "attention getting" in a plot, than when one of the characters dies? OH the tragedy.. or IS it a tragedy? (sometimes it can be a cause for celebration!) And as I sat and pondered it all, I came up with 5 basic categories for death of a movie character in a story:

1) Too Good For This World. (such as the aforementioned Beth and Miss Mellie) These are the characters who just literally break your heart. Someone so sweet, so innocent.. so good at heart and filled with human kindness. Be they young or old.. they will leave you aksing, "Oh WHY did that good hearted soul have to die??"

2) Too ROTTEN For This World (does the name LIBERTY VALENCE ring a bell??) Another good name for this category would be "Just Desserts".. because these are the guys who get what they deserve. (OH boy do they) and by the time they go down.. everyone is cheering. (or in the case of poor Liberty.. the peasants start dancing in the streets!! Literally!)

Here is another Ha..and again.. it is NEVER a good sign when folks start singing and dancing or celebrating after you die.. but HEY.. Everybody sing because, Ding dong the witch is DEAD!! :P
[youtube][/youtube]

3) Ultimate Sacrifice These are the guys (or gals) who give the last measure of devotion.. pay the highest price for the greater good. You see this theme a lot in movie westerns.. or military movies, especially. And these are the stories where you know the heroes are making a conscious choice.. they are giving their all, because after all (to quote Mr. Spock.. OR Captain Kirk.. depending on which Star Trek movie you are watching) "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.. or the one".

One of the BEST examples I can think of in a movie for this would be Gunga Din:

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What a wonderful moment.. when he makes it to the top and blows that horn for all he's worth. (even for a moment) Now THAT was a great way to go. (at least in the movies, anyway)

4)Tragic Hero/Heroine You know.. someone who is so full of life.. and then, whammo. (Such as my sweet Ednam May Oliver in Drums Along the Mohawk) Or perhaps.. THIS guy.)

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Oh me.. when that sweet little Pvt Winkie starts singing.. utter heartbreak ensues) I guess what I am saying.. these are the tragic, unexpected deaths that just take you by surprise.

Or maybe, in a completely different (yet equally tragic) note, the 'hero/ herione" is someone who has sadly contracted some horrid illness and is not long for this world, and must face the end with stoical resignation and dignity (ala Bette Davis in Dark Victory) When she realizes the end was near.. what a moment of decision for her character. No panic.. no crumbling. The way she just finishes everything up, as she says goodbye (without saying goodbye) and then goes upstairs, kneels to pray for a moment before she lays down on the bed.. a then that's it. Just a calm, prepared, and "ready to meet her maker" kinda "Victory" indeed.

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5)The Repentant Bad Guy OH how I love this one. Repentance is perhaps one of my most favorite movie "themes' ever.. and I LOVE a good "repentant" bad guy moment.. even if it only comes just at the very end of his story. Again, there are a lot of really good examples to be found In a variety of westerns, and other genres too but ha.. (who knew?) one of the BEST for me has to be from Science Fiction.. (no kidding) in the character of Darth Vader.

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I mean.. THINK about it. Here he is.. the DARK villain all throughout the entire series (at least the three original movies) going about causing mayhem and death and destruction with every raspy, mechanical breath he takes. And then.. it gets personal. In the end of it all.. he cannot deny his love for his own son. And he realizes that he is NOT so much a servant (or prisoner) to the Dark Side. "Luke... you were right about me. Tell your sister you were right. " OH me... what a moment.

So there you have it.. these were the five examples I came up with to fit the "types" of deaths I see so often in the stories I enjoy. And as I sat thinking about all five of my "categories", feeling quite self satisfied and rather pleased with myself, I realized I had only scratched the surface. Because, as sometimes happens with "mental chain reactions", I began to see even MORE scenarios.. MORE "types" and reasons for dying (in a movie) than just these few I have mentioned here. And I confess that NOW my categories may be just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, after further pondering.. I am convinced there are a lot MORE examples of different 'types" of movie deaths to be found out there. Some may even be a mixture of two or more of the five reasons I have already listed.. but I bet if we sat and thought harder.. we could come up with a lot of variations, leading me to feel the need to redefine my list again, and again (as chain reactions go, ha.)

I mean.. take a look at THIS clip.. there are folks dying all over the place.. each one perhaps for a different reason.

[youtube][/youtube]

Madness indeed!!! And yet.. each one of the characters meets a very fitting end, and perhaps in part for one of the five reasons I have listed already.. but I don't think they are so cut and dried as some of the ones I have already mentioned.. perhaps. So there is likely MUCH more to it than all that.

So OK.. enough of this gloom and doom and tragedy. Ha. This is the END (at least for now. ha) But I will just finish by asking YOU.. what IS the "meaning of Death" in a movie?? ha. What is it that gets YOUR attention when a beloved(or detested) movie character... you know.. dies (or goes off into the sunset.. buys the farm.. kicks the bucket.. bites the big one. WHATEVER you want to call it. ha.)

I hope you'll feel free to chime in and share your favorite movie "demise" moments and what it is that makes them your favorite. (and PLEASE feel free to add to my categories too, if you have a new spin on it) Inquiring minds wanna know.

In the meantime, please excuse me as I observe a moment of silence for all my many "long lost" movie character friends.. as I sit here and try and figure all this out, ha. :D
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JackFavell
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Re: This Is the END

Post by JackFavell »

Hey, Ro! What a GREAT topic! Not to be too gleeful at death in the movies.... but I could really get into this subject. :D Two films immediately came to mind for me:

SPOILERS ABOUND

1. Cat People - In this film we get not one, but two deaths. First, the rather arrogant psychiatrist who makes a pass at Irina gets what I consider his just desserts:

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and then poor Irina:

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I'm not quite sure what category she fits into...doomed love? Yes, and perhaps it's a bit of self-sacrifice for others. Irina has no place in the world. Which for no particular reason just reminded me of another great death in the movies...or two, as the case may be:

Wallace Ford in Blues in the Night. He self- sacrificingly ends up taking the girl who is going to ruin the leading man's life (Betty Field, and man, is she a piece of work!) out for a long drive off a short cliff.

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One film that kind of skirts all the categories you mentioned is Mayerling. I think in some ways it's more like Cat People, in which the people who die are doomed and just have no more place in the world, no happiness. I seem to be drawn to these movies in my more melodramatic moments. :oops: :oops: :D :D

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And I thought of another sort of category - the one where two people know they will never see one another again, usually because of war, or some campaign or rescue mission of some sort. The best movie I can use as an example is:

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rohanaka
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Re: This Is the END

Post by rohanaka »

Hello Jackie!! Thanks for stopping by!!
JackFavell wrote:Cat People - In this film we get not one, but two deaths. First, the rather arrogant psychiatrist who makes a pass at Irina gets what I consider his just desserts
That is a great example of "Just Desserts" isn't it?? Ha. He really was an arrogant chump. :lol:
JackFavell wrote:and then poor Irina


Agh!! Talk about your "tragic heroine!" Poor girl. Put you are right.. we almost need a "sub-category" of "doomed" or even "Star-crossed" people. Those who never stood a chance.. so hopeless and well.. ha.. for lack of a better word, TRAGIC!
JackFavell wrote:Wallace Ford in Blues in the Night
WOWSA.. I have never heard of this movie... but now I need to check it out, I can tell, just for seeing what in the WORLD could make her so hideous (and him such a faithful friend) to go to such extremes!
JackFavell wrote:One film that kind of skirts all the categories you mentioned is Mayerling


Again, I have not heard of this one either. But I looked it up after reading your post and YES.. I think we DO need a "doomed by fate or circumstance" kinda category. ha. (we can make that # 6)

I also thought of #7 Ripe Old Age these are the ones who live a LONG, life and then just go peacefully into the great beyond after living their life to the fullest.

And then I also thought of #8 Crazed Loonies (ha.. after seeing Miss Finnie post a picture of poor Boris Karloff's character in the Lost Patrol on FB earlier today) These are the folks who will take themselves out (and probably others with them) because they are messed up in the head.. cookoo... utterly NUTSO and totally insane. (Oh that Ellen.. Leave her to heaven indeed!!)

And then.. after reading Masha's post.. I totally agree.. we need #9 ha.. "Death as the ultimate Comic Relief" (even if it is "black comedy.. like Kind Hearts and Coronets, perhaps, though I have to say, I did not find that one quite as funny as some, ha)

OH me.. so many categories.. so little time.

Hello Masha,
Masha wrote:Dial M for Murder (1954
You are so right.. the reason that scene works SO well is that it is the polar opposite of the well, planned out, neat and tidy murder it was supposed to be. It almost reminds me of the situation in Fargo (only in THAT movie.. ha.. the wife was only supposed to be kidnapped.. not murdered. And about a gazillion other people die too, not just the would-be murderer. But it all started with the selfish, greedy, no-good husband. ha. OH those men! :lol:
Masha wrote:The Ghost and Mrs. Muir... I feel this is a touching death scene as it is not at all tragic. It is freedom and a reuniting.
Yes.. she gets to go in my new category (#7) After living on to a "ripe old age" I love how that scene plays out... It is not the the end when she dies.. instead, it is the first day of the rest of her "after"life' ha.
Masha wrote:Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)The Trouble with Harry (1955)What a Way to Go! (1964)Heaven Can Wait (1943
I loved your suggestion.. and those are GREAT examples of "comedic" use of death in a movie. The first two especially are hilarious, and rate way up there for me. I am not a really huge "black comedy" kinda gal.. but those two movies in particular are just so doggone funny, I can't help myself. ha.
Masha wrote:Warning - Talk of foreign movies follows
Thanks for providing those links.. I have never heard of either of those two.. will have to check them out.
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CineMaven
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Re: This Is the END

Post by CineMaven »

“Because I could not stop for Death—
     He kindly stopped for me—
     The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
     And Immortality...”

-Emily Dickinson


This is a great idea for a thread Ro-Ro. I loved your detailed write-up ( with pictures and video too. ) I sadly and gleefully submit my choices:

TOO ROTTEN FOR THIS WORLD

BRIAN DONLEVY in “BEAU GESTE”


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Come on. You know he should have been burned at the stake. What a villain. And boy didn’t you love to hate him.

* * * * * * * * * * *

THE REPENTANT BAD GUY

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER in “THE TERMINATOR”


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“I’ll be back!” What a turnaround. In the first outing, this cyborg was a destructive force of nature; it felt nothing...cared for nothing. But he had a change of heart in the sequel. He’s become the only father figure the young boy has. Those were not crocodile tears I shed when he willingly sacrificed himself and sank down into the molten oil to be sure his kind would not rise to harm humans again.

* * * * * * * * * * *

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

VERONICA LAKE in “SO PROUDLY WE HAIL”


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What’s a blonde doing in this man’s army? Why serving her country, that’s what. Besides, she’s got a personal score to settle with the enemy. She walks into a nest of ‘em...with a live grenade. To think, she’ll be the last thing they see.

* * * * * * * * * * *

TRAGIC HERO/HEROINE


GRETA GARBO in “CAMILLE”

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Poor Marguerite. The first time she falls in love, she’s asked to give him up. And on top of that she’s very very very sick. The girl can’t get a break.

* * * * * * * * * * *

TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD

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JOAN FONTAINE in “THE CONSTANT NYMPH”

In this movie as Tessa, she is pure love. She IS music. Sweet, loving, she speaks the language that Boyer needs as an artist. Such a lost opportunity. When she dies, I literally sobbed in the movie theatre.

JENNIFER JONES in “PORTRAIT OF JENNIE”

Jones always has me at ‘hello.’ Her Jenny is poignant. The personification of a muse. I always thought the movie was a metaphor for Creative Inspiration and what it looks like. She’s ethereal and ephemeral. You can't quite capture her. And then she’s gone. She breaks my heart.

* * * * * * * * * * *

JUST DESSERTS or DIE DIE MY DARLING

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HELEN WALKER in “IMPACT”

Whew! If playing Lilith in “Nightmare Alley” wasn’t enough, here she is as Irene who sets up her husband to die. When her plan goes awry, Coburn’s long arm of the law reaches out. Up the river she’ll go.

AGNES MOOREHEAD in “IMPACT”

Oh Aggie Aggie. I love her. But her Madge was definitely infuriating. Hateful. Let’s face it, she was a venomous wasp who need a good swat. Luckily there was a window nearby and...

* * * * * * * * * * *

I took a slight liberty and created three other categories:

THE DEATH OF INNOCENT(S)

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RODDY McDOWALL in “HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY”

A lovely story of the life of a coal-mining family, seen through Huw Morgan, the youngest’s eyes. He goes through a lot in this film, but coming up from the mines with his dead father in his arms is enough to break me down. He’s seen so much. Roddy McDowall’s work in this was magnificent.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR in “JANE EYRE”

She had a small part as Helen in this big movie. She was left out in the rain and catches pneumonia. Can a child be this beautiful. It was sad when this wee girl dies.

* * * * * * * * * * *

AN UGLY WAY TO DIE: I AM BECOME DEATH, DESTROYER OF WORLDS

Through no fault of their own..

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WALLACE FORD in “T-MEN”

He's the Schemer. He’s a blowhard. And a loser. And playing way above his means. If you meet Charles McGraw in a movie, you must know you are about to die. And The Schemer meets him...in a steam bath. Like a lobster.

DARRYL HICKMAN in “LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN”

Poor Danny. Just a happy-go-lucky teenager, who hero worships his brother. He just doesn’t fit into Ellen’s picture. No one should die like he does.

...GOT NO REASON TO LIVE:

HENRY DANIELL


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He just should be taken out in every cotton-picking single movie he ever makes. Death’s too good for many of his characters.

* * * * * * * * * * *
[u][color=#FF0000]Jack[/color][/u] [u][color=#FF0000]Favell[/color][/u] wrote: And I thought of another sort of category - the one where two people know they will never see one another again, usually because of war, or some campaign or rescue mission of some sort. The best movie I can use as an example is:
This would be my choice:

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"You build my gallows high, baby."

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JackFavell
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Re: This Is the END

Post by JackFavell »

#8 Crazed Loonies

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Masha - I love The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, by the time that milk glass falls, I am usually sobbing. Glad you brought that one up.

I really love your Comic Death category, I'm a big fan of black comedy. The one for me that immediately sprung to mind was:

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The Ladykillers

This one actually is very much like Dial M for Murder in it's construction, now that I think about it. We find out all about the plot to rob the bank, timed out to the nth degree, then watch as it all goes horribly wrong. Even more so for the plot to murder Mrs. Lopsided. I love these kind of perfectly timed unravelings.

Les Diaboliques is a marvelous choice. Wow, you can't get a movie that is more about death. Blood Simple is a modern film that is comparable. I can't say anything about it, except that it is deliciously unexpected.

I thank you for posting links to those two foreign films. The Forty First especially appealed to me from your description.

Ro- I tried to find Blues in the Night on youtube but it wasn't there.

Did someone already mention Ian Hunter in The Long Voyage Home? SPOILERS

I really love his storyline in the film, even though he bites the dust early on. I love how the buildup makes you think, along with the rest of the crew, that he is a Nazi spy, when in reality his secret is that he was an alcoholic and a coward who was drummed out of a high command. Before they realize this, the men tie him up, and search his belongings, only to find a letter from his wife which explains everything, and begs him to come home to her. At this point we are sure that the men will help him get home, but fate takes a hand, and in bravely trying to do his duty in the face of enemy fire, he dies. This is definitely in the redemptive bad man category for me and it always chokes me up.

CineMaven - I KNEW as soon as I saw this thread that Veronica Lake was going to be here. :D

You made me laugh hard when you wrote of Henry Daniell:
He just should be taken out in every cotton-picking single movie he ever makes. Death’s too good for many of his characters.
I'm a big fan of Daniell, and I couldn't agree more!

I've never seen T-Men, but you made me want to. I love Wallace Ford, so this HAS to go on my list. Your description reminded me of Hume Cronyn, who needed to be taken out for the rat he was in several films.
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Re: This Is the END

Post by CineMaven »

Perfectly timed unravellings. Nice.

"Dial M..." oh that Hitch. He tells us the plot, shows us the plot and how it sometimes goes awry.

You're so right JaxXxon. JUST DESSERTS:

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Men die more spectacularly in movies than women do.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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JackFavell
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Re: This Is the END

Post by JackFavell »

Except for Mrs. Danvers.... :D
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Re: This Is the END

Post by CineMaven »

Ha!!!!!! :lol:
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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rohanaka
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Re: This Is the END

Post by rohanaka »

Hello there ladies!!

Miss Maven.. thanks for chiming in!! I enjoyed your additions to my ongoing list. I think we for SURE need to at least add a subcategory for the "TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD" group to allow for the young and "Innocent" to be sure! That poor sweet Elizabeth Taylor in Jane Eyre.. agh.. my eyes are watering up just THINKING about her. (sniff, sigh.. sob)
CineMaven wrote:TOO ROTTEN FOR THIS WORLD... BRIAN DONLEVY in “BEAU GESTE
Ha.. movie watching minds think alike!! I actually had him on my mind when I was writing my original post, but I left him off because I had so much other stuff going on I didn't want to try and cover too much all in one fell swoop! ha. But I TOTALLY agree... he is a great example. I also thought of THIS guy:

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POOR, poor Sebastian.. you never really get to SEE him get what is coming to him.. but you KNOW it is NOT going to be pretty (for him or his mommy) when he goes back into that house. ha. :lol:
THE REPENTANT BAD GUY... ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER in “THE TERMINATOR
Great call! Score one more for Science Fiction and the Repentant Bad Guy. ha. (who knew that Sci Fi was such a rich field for that sort of movie theme??) And you are so right.. but the end of it all, he is a completely opposite type from the way he was first presented. Meanwhile.. that OTHER Terminator.. OH my golly. He STILL gives me the heebie jeebies just THINKING about him walking around in the police uniform and those glasses.. just regenerating over and over every time he is shot up or blown up or cut to pieces. :shock: ha.. He is like the evil twin of the Energizer Bunny and the Timex Wristwatch. (ha) Or maybe he would be the evil "triplet" since that would be three of them :lol:
THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE... VERONICA LAKE in “SO PROUDLY WE HAIL
Oh wow.. yes, I agree. She is a GREAT example. Oh me... that image of her walking along that road is so haunting.. as she lets down her hair and just strolls toward them with her hands up.. and all the while we know what is going to happen.. but those guys on the other end of that road don't have a CLUE! Oh me, oh my. What a moment. Haunting indeed!
Oh Aggie Aggie. I love her. But her Madge was definitely infuriating. Hateful. Let’s face it, she was a venomous wasp who need a good swat. Luckily there was a window nearby and...
HA!! Absolutely!! And the best part is.. you never see it coming.. (until OFF she goes.. oh me, oh my!) :lol: Oh I should be so ashamed of myself to feel so much glee about someone doing a nosedive out of the window like that.. ha. But alas.. I just can't find it in my NOT to laugh. :D
GOT NO REASON TO LIVE: HENRY DANIELL
HA!! True, so true. He is just awful (but I mean that in a GOOD way) :D He should NOT be so good at playing people who are so hideous! ha.
Poor Danny. Just a happy-go-lucky teenager, who hero worships his brother. He just doesn’t fit into Ellen’s picture. No one should die like he does.
Oh me, that poor kid. He is definitely on the list of 'too good for this world" under that new 'Death of the innocent' subheading. AGH!!! That Ellen. I am glad to have created my new Category #8 just to have a place to put HER. ha.

And speaking of Crazed Loonies.. ha. Jackie.. LOVE your addition.. ha. Let's just watch the instant replay on that one, shall we?? :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjzKiEs_pHI

Wowsa..

I also thought of another good example.. with Bud in A Kiss Before Dying. ha. Ok.. so maybe he's not quite as "over the top" as Cagney.. but then again.. he DOES end up that way (I mean.. over the top.. ha)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKleqAHv-Zw

And meanwhile.. I need to add a new category for "Too STUPID to LIVE" ha... because his girlfriend ALSO ends up "over the top" too. ha. (but not by choice) alas! The lesson to be learned here.. NEVER go up on a roof with your boyfriend after he has already given you pills that you SUSPECT are not prenatal vitamins!! :lol: Silly girl. she never saw it coming did she. Meanwhile.. I am practically standing on my chair yelling at her.. DON'T GO UP THERE!! ha. They never listen.

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The one for me that immediately sprung to mind was The Ladykillers
I loved that movie.. ha. (maybe I like dark comedies better than I THINK because that was one I actually avoided for a long time and only saw it after you and Frank Grimes (over in TCM) gave it such a good recommendation. It is hilarious.. and I love how each one of them goes down a different (and yet totally fitting) way. Good call.

So.. what are we up to.. let's see 10 categories; 1) Too Good for this World (with the subheading for young innocents) 2) Too Rotten to live /Just Desserts 3)Ultmiate Sacrifec 4) Tragic Hero/Heroine 5) Repentant Bad Guy 6) Doomed by Fate or Circumstance 7) Ripe Old Age, 8 ) Crazed Loonies 9) Death as Comedic Relief.. And now we have 10) Too STUPID to live.

OH wait.. I just thought of #11 Wrong Place/Wrong Time

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HA!! OH me.. The list keeps growing!! But to quote the lady at the morgue.. umm... I mean on the airplane.. in the Twilight Zone (ha) "There's room for one more, honey." :D
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rohanaka
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Re: This Is the END

Post by rohanaka »

JackFavell wrote:Did someone already mention Ian Hunter in The Long Voyage Home? SPOILERS I really love his storyline in the film, even though he bites the dust early on. I love how the buildup makes you think, along with the rest of the crew, that he is a Nazi spy, when in reality his secret is that he was an alcoholic and a coward who was drummed out of a high command. Before they realize this, the men tie him up, and search his belongings, only to find a letter from his wife which explains everything, and begs him to come home to her. At this point we are sure that the men will help him get home, but fate takes a hand, and in bravely trying to do his duty in the face of enemy fire, he dies. This is definitely in the redemptive bad man category for me and it always chokes me up.
OH for pizza sake, Jackie.. I completely forgot to tell you how MUCH I loved your comment here. He WAS a redemptive "bad guy". That is an absolutely heartbreaking portion of that story. What a tragic guy he was. And the way his death impacted everyone too.. it was a shame they had to wait til he was gone to learn what a good man (even if a failed one) he was... or at least that he could have been. aggh. Those emotional moments where you just can't hardly stop the tears are what truly make a good "tragic" death scene for sure.
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Re: This Is the END

Post by Lucky Vassall »

“Heathcliff, can you see the gray over there where our castle is? I’ll wait for you until you come.”

That’s the one that always gets me.

There seems to be a general effort these days to avoid mentioning “Titanic” (in any context), but when Leo slips under the water, you don’t know who to feel worse for, the youth or his abandoned love.

In the comic death column, I’d like to add “The Gazabo” (1959), a Glenn Ford/Debbie Reynolds farce with a brilliant turn by John McGiver. Also, the two versions of the Damon Runyon story, “A Slight Case of Murder” (1938), starring Edward G. Robinson, and the 1952 remake starring Broderick Crawford entitled, “Stop You’re Killing Me.”

I’m afraid I find most serious death scenes almost as hard to sit through as—being a male—childbirth scenes!

Therefore, although the following is a bit off your subject, I hope some will find it an interesting area for contemplation. It is “The Horror of War,” film, not exactly a recent discovery. I guess “All’s Quiet on the Wester Front” got it best.

But, when it comes to actually showing you the horror, two scenes stand out in my memory.

The first will come as a surprise to no one, and, as they say, needs no introduction:

Scarlet, dressed in the color befitting her name, steps out of City Hall, temporarily serving as a hospital. There are a few wounded soldiers in view on the porch. She starts to cross the City Square; the camera begins to rise, and we see more wounded soldiers lying on the ground, through which she must step. The camera rises. And rises. And rises. Until we would have trouble spotting her without the red dress, for she is now surrounded by hundreds of wounded, dying, and dead soldiers, completely filling the screen.

I always though that scene could never be topped. Then came Kenneth Branagh’s “Henry V”:

The scene is simple enough, after Henry has been told that the French have attacked and murdered all in the undefended “baggage,” we see him carrying the body of the young page he himself ordered back to save him from the battle. It’s simple and straightforward: in the foreground, Henry walking with the corpse in his arms, a couple of knights following, behind them are a couple of soldiers collecting the dead. Henry continues on. More soldiers. More dead. And on. More soldiers. More dead. And on. More soldiers. More dead. And on....

I think it must be one of the longest takes ever. It goes on until you can’t stand any more, and still it goes on. Broke me up the first time I saw it, and every time since. You’d have to be missing a heart to get through it dry-eyed.

Two ways to show the same thing: slowly expand the frame until the horror overwhelms us or keep the horror low-key and in the background and make our minds slowly register how terrible it is. Which is best? For me, Scarlet was horrifying, but Henry was unbearable.
[size=85]AVATAR: Billy DeWolfe as Mrs. Murgatroid, “Blue Skies” (1946)

[b]“My ancestors came over on the Mayflower.”
“You’re lucky. Now they have immigration laws."[/b]
[i]Mae West, The Heat’s On” (1943[/i])

[b]:–)—[/b]
Pinoc-U-no(se)[/size]
Mr. Arkadin
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Joined: April 14th, 2007, 3:00 pm

Re: This Is the END

Post by Mr. Arkadin »

Here's a pair of older posts about Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture a Duckling (1972), where death might be savage, but life is never seen as cheap:

I've said before that Lucio Fulci's films are my favorites of the giallo genre. Where many directors utilize graphic violence to titillate their audiences, Fulci instead explores the human condition and seeks to have us understand what we are and might become--for good or ill. The incredible death scene of Maciara the witch from his masterpiece Don't Torture a Duckling (1972), is a case in point.

Maciara, accused of killing young children in the village, is released when it is discovered she could not have committed the murders (in fact, she made voodoo dolls in an attempt to protect them), but that does not stop a small group of men from pursuing their own form of justice. Note how Fulci uses music in this scene: Soft flutes as Maciara walks through the village in isolation, while the women spit at her presence (an early Christian ritual is to spit to the west at Satan, or evil). The sound of hillside singing, birds, and insects as she approaches the abandoned church and we see the highway splitting the countryside in two--modern life clashing with old world ritual. When the men surround her and begin to attack, we hear a hard driving song from a car radio. A director like Dario Argento would use this to excite the viewer, but Fulci turns the tables and has the DJ interrupt his own music and instead play a ballad, which underscores the tragedy of her death.

This scene reminds me a lot of The Oxbow Incident (1943) and I would not be surprised if Fulci was not referencing the movie in some way (although I haven't found a definite link). His use of music here (and throughout the film) is very much tied to the visuals and what he wants to tell us about them. He even uses the song to punctuate the blows, as Maciara is hit in the face twice right on the "one" beat. As she crawls away seeking help, her falls and actual death also coincide with the rise and fall of the music. This is a very violent scene, but it is also one that touches me deeply and reminds me of the value of human life.

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This final scene and music ties with the ending where the killer is revealed and falls from a great height, as if from grace. Children are seen in both shots, but their significance is different for each of the dying. They are the innocent and pure--loved and protected by one, loved and murdered by another. The toy duck, tying into the title and referencing children would also reappear in his last great giallo, The New York Ripper (1982), where it is not only connected with a child, but the killer actually uses a Donald/Daffy speech impersonation when taunting the police and his victims.

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rohanaka
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Re: This Is the END

Post by rohanaka »

Hello, Lucky.. thanks for raising the bar bringing up WAR and the way death (from war or battle) can be portrayed on film. I think we MUST make it an "even dozen" and add category #12: War Casualties (pick a war, any war)

And yes.. I agree with you about the scene from GWTW.. it is overwhelming. It nearly takes your breath away just to consider the scope of the utter devastation being reenacted onscreen that way, as Scarlett is all but swallowed up in the sea of human suffering and death is all around her. And I have never seen all of Henry V (only small portions) but I can just imagine, from the way you describe it) that it is all that you say and more. What a great way to depict such a horrid event.

Another war "death" scene that has always resonated with me is the final battle in the film Glory.. first Colonel Shaw goes down (Matthew Broderick's character) and then soon after him.. Denzel Washington goes down.. and then eventually everyone is rallied and is running headlong straight into the fire.. and the whole thing pauses just at the moment that a cannon is fired and the cast more or less "freezes" in place, much like a painting..

(In fact the clip I found looks so much LIKE it was painted.. it may actually BE a painting... ha, I can't quite tell for sure.)

Image

And then to put a cap on all of it.. they show the mass burial that follows the next day.. with all the soldiers just tossed into a huge pit.. one at a time, all piled one on top of the other, officers and enlisted men, white and black.. all together in one big heap. It is absolutely devastating.

And thanks for stopping by as well, Mr. Arkadin.. I must confess.. you have me creeped out just READING about the death scenes in the film you mention. ha. (I am almost too afraid to watch the clip.. especially if the one is as graphic as you say) Though I have to say I really enjoyed reading your description of it all.. especially the use of music. And you bring up a good point about how it did not matter that the woman in the story you mention was even proven to be innocent. There were still plenty (or at least enough) people who merely believed she deserved to be punished.. and that was all it took.

And funny you should mention The Ox-bow Incident, because I actually had that one on my mind earlier today, and was trying to figure out how that all fit into the topics we have already discussed. And I just can't. So ha.. we may have "unlucky" category #13.. Wrongful Prosecution and/or Mob Violence.

And Masha says:
I am coming to feel that this thread is evil as it has been haunting me from the moment that I submitted my first post and then realized that I had forgotten to mention many different excellent movie deaths. It has invaded my mind at odd moments through the night and day and usually at times when it was not convenient to find a pen and write down revelations.


Ha.. yes.. it has sort of taken on a life of it's own (funny.. since we are talking about the OPPOSITE of life.. ha) But I keep thinking of even more ways that death can be portrayed or used in a movie... silly me and my original "five" categories. So many ways to croak.. so little time. ha. And alas.. I have seen NONE of the films you mentioned.... so I cannot comment much other than to say.. I do remember when "Heathers" came out and I absolutely CRINGED at the very thought of it. ha. But I also know it does have its following.. so I think it really depends on how well one can receive a subject like that (for entertainment purposes) as to whether or not they will enjoy it. (I also completely avoided Prizzi's Honor for the same reason.. even though from what little I know of the film.. they are in NO way alike.. except that folks are getting bumped off.. for one reason or another) ha. But again.. dark humor is an acquired taste.. and I am finding some aspects of that I DO enjoy, but I am just not all the way there yet)

OH.. and PS: Mr. Lucky.. I also have ONE more category to add.. after you mentioned Wuthering Heights.. ha.. #14 Gone.. but not Forgotten (ha.. for all those characters who are SUPPOSED to be gone.. but they just keep coming back... even though they're dead) :D
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