Happy Endings?

[moira finnie]

What do you think constitutes "a happy ending" in a movie?

Which seems more emotionally satisfying to you as a film lover--a happy or unhappy ending?

What movies do you think were helped or harmed by their admittedly preposterous happy ending?

What happy denouements of films in the past would you change and why?

What movies can you think of that had an open-ended or ambiguous ending that seemed just right or all wrong?

Thanks to anyone who cares to share their opinions...gotta go now...someone is waiting for me at the cottage door!

[klondike]

...gotta go now...someone is waiting for me at the cottage door!

That would be all of US from SSO, M, and we've all brought cake & opinions!
But I'll let some other folks go first . . . . . !

[MichiganJ]

Interesting subject.
I think endings are the most important part of the film and if a happy, sad or ambiguous ending isn't earned, than the entire film suffers.

Chaplin was one of the best at endings. My favorite, I think, is from The Circus, but Modern Times is also pretty great. City Lights is in a class all by itself. It's perfect because of its emotion and its ambiguity.

I'm not a fan of happy endings when they are tacked on (á la, The Last Laugh), but some films deserve the happy ending. I just watched the documentary that was the special feature on the Blu-ray of African Queen, and apparently the plan was for Kate and Bogie to not survive, as per the novel. Had Huston kept that ending, obviously the tone of the film would be entirely different, and probably not for the better.

The film with the best happy ending: Cinema Paradiso.

[movieman1957]

One of my favorite endings is from Keaton's "The General." After all that he goes through he gets his train, his girl and his promotion. The fact that all three are included in the final shot is nice. Having to position himself so he can kiss his girl and salute the men is multi tasking at its most rewarding. A bit contrived but its nice.

Kevin is right. The wrong ending can sure kill a an otherwise fine film. How many films have we enjoyed where the movie just ran out of steam?

A happy ending? Where people are restored or renewed. Where there is opportunity to change or go to a better life. They must be so popular as we might seldom come upon things in our lives the same way.

[JackFavell]

Most perfect ending of all time:

[jdb1]

Which is more satisfying is a very open-ended question, Moira, because it all depends on what's gone before.

And sometimes an ending isn't necessarily "happy" or "sad," but it is satisfying, or devastating.

Examples I can cite now are the ending of The Incredible Shrinking Man, where the poor guy is on his way to disappearing completely, but realizes that he will indeed continue to exist in some form or other -- it's done in a very uplifting way, and makes all the tribulations he faced seem meaningful. Maybe there isn't really a zero, after all.

An ending can be realistic and sad, but satisfying, such as the wistful ending of Summertime, when Hepburn's train pulls away from her lover Brazzi, who is holding out the gardenia he bought her as a goodbye present. Lovely.

And an ending can be really tragic and scary, but still satisfying and have "closure," (stupid word): like the endings of the yin/yang Fail-Safe and Dr. Strangelove.

And there are iconic endings that say it all, like the ending of Gone With The Wind. She cries and simpers, he curses and leaves, and she turns around and goes about her business. Just the way it should be for those characters. Perfect.

And for me, the worst ending of any movie (even worse than Old Yeller) is the ending of King Kong. I can't even watch it any more. What did the big guy do to deserve it? He was purely a victim of circumstance and exploitation, and he was destroyed in the name of greed and prejudice. I hate it.

[MissGoddess]

Interesting topic, Moira!

I love happy endings in movies because they are so rare in real life. However, it sometimes admittedly compromises the integrity of a story if an abrupt, carelessly fashioned happy ending is "tacked on" at the last minute.

SPOILERS!!!

For example, I recently watched THE HOUSE ACROSS THE BAY where Joan Bennet is married to George Raft who is in prison due to her own ill advised maneouvering and later Joan falls in love with Walter Pigeon. Short story, Raft breaks out of jail to kill Pidgeon but gets killed by the cops instead. There is a moment, brilliantly shot and composed where Joan, who really cared about her husband Raft (you have to see the movie for that to make sense) and she's waiting for him to meet her not knowing he was just shot by the police until a newsboy sells her paper with the headline. The look on her face as she realizes what happened, and perhaps even her own responsibility not to mention the possibility Raft deliberately put himself in harm's way to leave her free to marry Pidgeon, is such a stunning moment and perfect end to the film. It feels like the end. Suddenly, though, you're jerked to a scene on an airplane where Joan and Pidgeon are reunited (the scene was reportedly shot by Alfred Hitchcock, as a favor to producer Walter Wanger). It's awful. It has a phony happy uplifting feel that is just too jarring after the somber scene preceding it. It just feels wrong.

However, I can't generalize these things. If I've just gone through heck for an entire movie with character(s) I care about, I want it work out in the end, at least, so long as it doesn't seriously compromise the intent of the story.

It's funny, I have a friend who HATES old/classic movies thanks to me, she says, because she thinks they ALL have horrible, unhappy and tragic endings. It just so happens that so many of the greatest ones---and so many of my favorites---do end rather unhappily. I never thought about it before until she told me that. I always thought I preferred upbeat, optimistic endings.

[ChiO]

Judith came frighteningly close to what I was going to write, even citing one of the examples I was going to use, KING KONG (1933 version, thank you). No, it wasn't Beauty that killed the Beast, you lunkhead; it was supposedly civilized Man. But I love the ending because of the point it makes for my eyes.

Whether an ending is "happy" or "sad" is largely irrelevant for me. Does the ending truthfully (in cinematic terms) reflect the characters as developed through the story? If "yes", then it's satisfying and, regardless of the emotion felt at the end, I'm happy. If "no", then I'm not satisfied or happy. That doesn't necessarily mean, however, that I won't like the film overall because I do make allowances for meddling studios and producers who consciously and with malice aforethought change a director-artist's ending. MichJ cited the prime example: THE LAST LAUGH. Others that leap to mind: THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (admittedly, this is based on my dissatisfaction with the ending and the commentary I've read; still waiting for a pristine print of the original to be found in a janitor's closet in Sri Lanka) and FORTY GUNS.

Of course, in the end, the saddest ending is the conclusion of a film one never wants to see end, and the happiest is when a film that's torture to watch finally does end.

[MikeBSG]

I have heard people say "I don't like that movie. It has an unhappy ending." (Heck, people have told me they don't like the stories I write because they are downbeat.)

Yet I have to say that I never consider whether a movie has a happy ending or an unhappy ending.

take "King Kong." Is the ending happy? (New York city is saved. Jack and Ann are safe.) Is the ending unhappy? (Kong, the noble beast, is dead.) take your pick

Most movie endings seem to ask us to ignore what happens after the final fade out. Think of a number of "happy endings." Are we to assume that the couples at the end of those films will never quarrel and be happy until death does them part. (Does that apply to "the Big Sleep"?)

So I'm one of those people who just say, if the ending "fits," I'm happy.

Best comment on this subject. Two elderly women were walking out of a screening of Scorsese's "New york, New York." One said to the other, "She was too good for him anyway." So I guess that movie had a happy ending after all.

[knitwit45]

Just watched The Searchers for the bazillioneth time, ok, maybe 30? Anyway, the first time I saw it, as an 11 year old, I thought the ending stunk. I wanted John Wayne to be HAPPY. After many repeated viewings (see above for the number of your choice), I came to realize that the ending, though not 'happy', was perfect. He's done his job. It's time to rebuild or start a new life, without the love of Martha or the hatred that has driven him. I like to think he has finally found a kind of peace. So I guess, Moira, my answer is like the others here. If it fits, I'm happy.

[mrsl]

.
I agree about 'if it fits' but sometimes the ending doesn't really fit if you reconsider the whole movie. I've taken a few of my favorite all-time movies most of which have less than happy, but not unhappy endings except for one.

Casablanca: Perfect ending. You still love and admire Ingrid as she leaves, hubby hasn't lost any dignity, and Bogie is a sad but redeemed hero.

Steel Magnolias: As Julia dies, Darryls' baby is born shortly thereafter and the sadness of Julia's wake and funeral are replaced with the knowledge that 'life goes on'.

Roman Holiday: Greg is left so unhappily, but his sigh and long, long exit through the ballroom makes you realize there was no future for them as a couple and they must both return to their normal lives.

The Enemy Below: After trying for 3 days to down each others' ships, Captain Mitchum risks his life to save Captain Curt Jurgens. A large piece of propaganda, but leaves you wondering about what you, or the other common men would do.

The Time Machine (Original): He goes back to the future leaving you with the question that the whole audience is asking their dates as they exit as well as the next day at the water cooler: "What 3 books would you bring?"

Pretty Woman: Again a perfect ending: The whole movie is a fairy tale so it may as well end with the Cinderella fairy tale ending.

The first time I saw the first three films, I absolutely hated the ending. I usually like happy endings, but like Mike bsg, I didn't realize that I actually like realistic endings. As I grew older, I realized the endings were happy in a weird sort of way, especially when you think about how an alternate ending would change the meaning of the story, but with a total fairy tale like Pretty Woman or The Philadelphia Story, only a 'happily ever after' will do.

So, those are my ramblings.
.

[srowley75]

What do you think constitutes "a happy ending" in a movie?

Which seems more emotionally satisfying to you as a film lover--a happy or unhappy ending?

What movies do you think were helped or harmed by their admittedly preposterous happy ending?

What happy denouements of films in the past would you change and why?

What movies can you think of that had an open-ended or ambiguous ending that seemed just right or all wrong?

As someone who usually pays more attention to a film's script and story rather than its acting, direction, etc., I wholeheartedly agree with those who stated that what matters most to them is that a film's ending is satisfying, not "happy" or "sad." And if a film's message is enhanced by a powerful ending, whether upbeat or pessimistic, then I find it satisfying. And if what happens somehow rings true (whether literally or figuratively, given the boundaries of the world that the writer has created), then that's all that counts to me.

Some of my all-time favorite films have endings that on the surface range from depressing to devastating. For instance, I've friends who can't stand A Star is Born, and yet that film would hardly mean as much to me if it didn't end the way it did. Someone already mentioned Chaplin's work, which presents another fine example. Several of his films would be considered downbeat if all the viewer was hoping to see was that the boy got the girl and they lived happily ever after. But even in a film like City Lights, we can't assume that's what happens. Rather, what seemed to matter to Chaplin was that his little tramp always followed his heart. And if he did that, he was a success no matter whether or not he got the girl at the end, even though it might not be what the masses wanted for his character. And to some extent that also rings true to me - in life, people who act unselfishly aren't the ones who get ahead in life. But they can find joy knowing that someone else's life is much better because of them.

Here are a few of my other favorite film endings (as spoiler free as I can make them):

*The Heiress (1949) - so much more satisfying - and believable, especially in today's world - than James's Washington Square.
*It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) - how to do this one justice in 50 words or less. I see Kramer's film (and I may be the only one who considers this one his best) as a testament to human nature in the vein of Mel Brooks, who probably wasn't the first to say (and I'm paraphrasing): "If I fall down a manhole, that's tragedy. If you fall down a manhole, that's comedy." There's a bit of Sartre for the masses here: hell is other people, and ironically everyone thinks that to be applicable about themselves as compared to others. The world's a pretty "mad" place, full of selfishness and incivility, and no one believes they're the problem. Luckily, God or whoever granted mankind the ability to perceive irony. And hell becomes bearable if we can laugh.
*The Miracle Worker (1962) - one of the first films to literally make me sob at the end. Thank God there've been people in history who don't let the majority browbeat them into accepting what they think and believe to be possible.
*The Haunting (1963) - it's an incredibly happy ending. The misfit who never felt at home anywhere has finally found the place where she belongs. She's wanted.
*Greed (1924) - one of the best examples of an unhappy ending that's nevertheless necessary to drive home the point.
*The LadyKillers (1955) - in a drama, it'd be ludicrous. But in a comedy, it's perfect.
*It's a Gift (1934), The Bank Dick (1940), The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) - Fields' whole point was to annoy the establishment. As such, his films end the only way they could end. He does not reform, and he lives happily ever after without the approval of the town's morality monitors.
*The Apartment (1960) - So, so completely perfect. Life is so full of people - the takers - who do nothing but spin b.s., hoping to snare "those who get took." So if you really love me, just shut up and deal.
*A Star is Born (1954) - again, the only happy ending possible in a film like this one. And yet without the tragedy, it doesn't mean half as much.
*8 1/2 (1963) - the perfect film - about film, appropriately - has a perfect ending. I can't name a better work of art about the creative process (among other things).
*All About Eve (1950) - I'd love to believe that karma functions as reliably as in this story. Alas, life has taught me otherwise. So yes, it's fantasy, but Mankiewicz has all his other ducks in a row so perfectly that you can't help but go along with it.
*The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944) - I am Norval Jones. I have experienced the phenomenon of getting something I wanted only to find that life was so much less complicated when I was just a schmuck.
*Design for Living (1933) - And here I discovered that Lubitsch was fearless. It really couldn't have ended any other way. (And I could throw Trouble in Paradise and To Be or Not to Be in here as well).

-Stephen

[Lzcutter]

I have to agree with Michigan J that the most perfect happy ending is, indeed, Cinema Paradiso, that final montage is the best valentine to film, ever.

And Nancy, I also agree with you about the ending of The Searchers being the example of an ending that fits. Ethan is like that Comanche whose eyes he shot out, he is destined to always wander between two worlds.

[mrsl]

.
Someday I may have the opportunity to see Cinema Paradiso and find out what all the cheering is about.

There was one film that somehow totally slipped my mind. The Way We Were showed me what bittersweet really meant, although it was lost on Barbra and Bob. I firmly believe in keeping abreast of the world around you, and doing what you can to wake people up to the facts, but when you allow your feelings to become an obsession which alienates you from friends, family and all who love you, you need some help, without doubt. At the end when she does her old habit of pushing his forelock over to the side, I want to cry every time. These two people adored each other, but because of her obsession they just could not make it in their world. He didn't ask her to change herself, or give up her beliefs, but he did ask that she put a lid on it when out in public. She knew all along that he was a Republican and all of his friends also were, but rather than giving in to be with him, she chose her obsession instead. You can be true to yourself without giving up your beliefs, or hurting those who love you, believe me, I've been doing it all my life. Considering all that had gone on, the ending was perfect but so sad in some ways, yet truthful in others.
.

[JackFavell]

srowley,

The Ladykillers and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek are two of my all time favorite movies. And because you mentioned them in your post, it made me realize that I am huge fan of the ironic ending. I also like circular plots, one that either leaves you where you were at the beginning, but not really, like The Searchers or one that really deposits you right back where you started. If someone has the brains to write a script or make a film that ends where it began, I can only stand back and sigh in admiration.

But the main thing to me is the follow through - the ending can be a shocker, like Lone Star, but it's got to have followed through from the very first plot point for me to enjoy it. This also goes for happy endings like Random Harvest, or bitterweet endings like The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It's all in the follow through. Otherwise a film cannot really ring true, with a superimposed ending.

My favorite films all have strong endings. That doesn't always mean wrapped up in a bow - Gone with the Wind, My Man Godfrey, The Searchers , Pygmalion, and The Third Man, too, all have open ended trails leading you to think about what happens next, or continue the circle. That works for me. In some way, those characters have to keep going as they always have, forever chasing, or wandering, or struggling for the upper hand, or losing. Sometimes the journey is the important thing.