Terrible ending
-
Banjo_oz — 18 years ago(August 20, 2007 10:56 PM)
For me, it's easily the best thing about the movie. I found out later about Heston's involvement in it's choice, and I admire him greatly for that.
I just recently watched another disaster movie (won't say which, in case of spoilers) in which a man having an affair feels guilty, but luckily the "other woman" dies in the disaster, allowing him to reconcile with his wife. It was so predictable and cheesy (not to mention a cop-out), that it reminded me of Earthquake and how refreshing the ending is here.
He sacrifices future happiness for loyalty. He might have been more happy escaping with his new love, but he remembers his vows (and, no doubt, the love they once had) with his wife, and goes back for her, even knowing he will almost certainly die.
In a film with more than a few cheesy, silly moments, the end of Earthquake - for me - is the most memorable and powerful part. -
scruffy58 — 18 years ago(August 21, 2007 05:40 AM)
I agree completely! It was unexpected and, as I remember at the time, rather shocking. I thought it was of the most realistic moments of the film and certainly one of the best things about it. To me, it made perfect sense. You can really see just how torn he is at the moment he makes his decision.
"Thus, we began our longest journey together."
Adult Scout, 'To Kill A Mockingbird' -
nation22563 — 12 years ago(June 28, 2013 04:23 PM)
I felt bad for Remy, she was a woman desperate for her husbands love. I remember leaving the theater, everybody was quiet, somber. It was an ending that made you think. Now a days you don't leave a movie with profound thoughts, you just forget it immediately.
-
MrHooba — 11 years ago(April 05, 2014 05:37 PM)
Are you people kidding? The best thing about the movie was the ending?! I always hated the ending, even when I saw it as a kid when it first came out. It would have much better for Heston to stay with Bujold's character and become a stepfather for her son, who already had lost his dad. That's much more honorable and believable than dying with a woman you clearly hate. It's not even close. I seriously question the sanity of anyone staying and dying with their awful wife rather than living with their beautiful and stable mistress.
-
Eric-62-2 — 11 years ago(February 08, 2015 07:25 AM)
It would have much better for Heston to stay with Bujold's character and become a stepfather for her son, who already had lost his dad. That's much more honorable and believable than dying with a woman you clearly hate.
Ummm..has it ever occurred to anyone that the issue of who Heston was going to stay with after the quake is not relevant to the question of whether its appropriate or not to try and save someone's life from drowning in a horrible death? Even if that person is the bitchy wife, just what is so noble about letting that person die? If that happens, then Heston is WORSE than his wife. I'm frankly amazed no one else seems to grasp that point. If Heston decides, "This is my chance to be free without a divorce and I can inherit her father's business since he conveniently dropped dead too!" then that basically makes him and Bujold the leads in "Double Indemnity" and "Body Heat". -
wallacesawyer — 11 years ago(May 31, 2014 03:38 PM)
I didn't see the ending coming, but I didn't really care. I had no emotional investment in either character, at least not so much Ava's character.
http://www.freewebs.com/demonictoys/ -
HeartMonger — 11 years ago(January 11, 2015 01:16 PM)
I still contend that the ending is one of the best parts.
It IS thought provoking and leaves you with a sense of loss. And guess what? Life AND Death is part of living. We can't predict who will live and die in situations.
The ending totally worked.
"All I want in life is a thirty share and a twenty rating." -
!!!deleted!!! (49761343) — 10 years ago(March 26, 2016 09:27 AM)
I thought the ending was brilliant, because it showed exactly where "the other woman" fits into a cheater's life. The other woman always thinks she is the new love in the guy's life, the woman who he'll dump his wife for and start a new life with. But the truth is that 9 times out of 10, the other woman is never anything more than a cheap lay a guy goes to when he's sexually bored with his wife. It's why, when Heston's character had to make a choice who to go with, he chose his wife over the floozy. He may have hated his wife, yes, but he still had a deeper emotional connection to her than he did a bimbo he was just using to get his jollies off.
Emojis=
Emoticons= -
Woodyanders — 6 years ago(May 28, 2019 05:04 PM)
I love that both Ava Gardner and Chuck Heston both bite the big one at the end. Half of the fun of watching these 70's disaster epics can be derived from seeing various big stars of the era meeting brutal untimely ends. These films didn't pull any punches when it came to bumping off several famous folks in 'em.
You've seen Guy Standeven in something because the man was in everything.