the ending *spoiler
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TheConsigliere — 18 years ago(June 27, 2007 01:47 AM)
I completely agree with dionblackler and reverandfunk - the ending was a complete cop out based on the tone of the rest of the film. It is one of the biggest let-downs I have experienced in film. Only tonight have I witnessed an ending that rivals it for having such a jarring and disappointing effect - Kiarostami's The Taste of Cherry. With both films, I was deeply moved and loving the film up until the ending, which felt like a slap in the face for the emotions I had experienced during the film.
I disagree with pennyliss, I believe a film's ending is incredibly important, in my view it is the one part of a film that has the power to make or break the film. As the final thing that the viewer experiences, a film's ending has the final say (literally) on what the film is trying to communicate.
You're nothing to me now, you're not a brother, you're not a friend, I don't want to know you or what you do -
penny_liss — 18 years ago(May 26, 2007 07:26 AM)
Don't be silly, how can one screen shot diffuse an entire film of its power? Throughout the film we're constantly being made aware of the horrors that can result from war, there is no question even if at the end Birdy had come out of his conscious coma singing and dancing we would still know it could have been much worse as we were constantly being reminded by the Psychiatrist and Al "you know what happens to people like your friend" and "you don't come out of this they're gonna lock you up forever." (I'm paraphrasing but this is the general gist). The end here was a touch of humour that signified the irony and hilarity that is present in even the worst situations in life, it added to the gravity of Birdy's breakdown in the sense that the war had removed all desire to exist in the real world so much so, that he effectively chose to remove himself from it. It also exemplified the depth and strength of the bond between the two protagonists that finally Birdy had found something to hold onto in the form of his friend Al, they were two lost souls and they were the only two people who knew who the other was and in the end this was what brought Birdy back; he knew what it felt like to not know who you are and Al was dangerously close to losing his identity. The ending was more a testament to the power and dire need of solace than some generic desire to have a happy ending. Its pretentious to think that profoundness can only be conveyed through severity; humour can achieve just as much if used deftly and this is one case where it was so.
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Lu_Xun — 18 years ago(June 30, 2007 11:21 PM)
i think that most of you look too deeply into the events of this film. sure they went through some tough times as well as some good times together, but what the ending says to me is, there wasn't anything wrong with birdy he just didn't know what to say.
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FDeBernardo — 18 years ago(June 28, 2007 01:07 PM)
I did not like the ending, but not because it wasn't dark enough. I didn't like it because it felt like a cheap and easy way to end it. It was like the writer or director couldn't make up his mind what to do. It didn't feel "open-ended." It just felt not thought out. As a viewer, I expected more of a resolution to the problem that he is stuck in this hospital.
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harlen_maguire — 18 years ago(August 14, 2007 01:12 AM)
I think he should jumped, then they have the below shot of Cage looking down and cuts to black and the credits run.
Woulda been ambiguous, and real powerful. Could have made one of my favourite endings out of one of my least favourite, just by getting rid of that last 'What?' shot. -
cjgalwey — 16 years ago(September 08, 2009 06:41 AM)
The novel ended, still in the cell at the hospital, with Birdy finally talking to Al and suggesting a number of wild fantasy scenarios of what might happen to them next. 'And what then?' asks Al. 'Nothing, Al, just the rest of our lives,' replies Birdy. The implication is that the two of them are starting to heal and move on from their troubles, but obliquely rather than head-on. I read in an interview with Alan Parker at the time the movie came out that he had no idea how to end the film while he was shooting it: 'the logic of the story suggested Birdy ought to die, but I wanted something more optimistic'. Almost as a joke, he suggested the existing ending to some of his crew and they were so enthusiastic he went with it. To me, it seems true to the spirit of the book, but in a more concise and cinematic form. Do read the book if you can get hold of it, it's good. Unfortunately I gave away my copy.
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amcelholm — 17 years ago(January 24, 2009 10:46 AM)
yeah, i didn't really like the ending because there's too many loose ends. did it mean that al had gone mental too? or if it meant birdy was recovered, well did he just come round there now? or had he recovered beforehand? in which case was he just acting mental?
great film though. -
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Saint_Jimmy — 15 years ago(June 02, 2010 11:05 AM)
Isnt it possible that Birdy was never really cured? Instead maybe Al was going insane. Im not 100 percent sure but I recall Birdy not talking to anyone but Al. Maybe Al thought he was talking, but he really wasnt.
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bluestocking-7 — 15 years ago(June 14, 2010 06:38 AM)
The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.
And immediately followed by La Bamba. I agree with you. I don't find it hard to believe that Birdy was able to snap out of his mental trauma and suddenly he's his normal self again. I'm sure there are documented hospital cases like Birdy's.
But I do understand the "it's a cop-out/letdown ending" arguments. Dark, heavy, and ambiguous endings can be pretty powerful. And Birdy's personality seemed to be so out-of-this-world that the only logical end for him is to escape permanently from it in some kind of surreal way and the movie defied the logic.
P.S. TCM just premiered the movie (and I love catching movies in their first showing on TCM) on May 30 at 1:30 AM as part of their Memorial Day Weekend marathon.
Billy Wilder Page, Play the Movie Smiley Game
www.screenwritingdialogue.com -
drxcreatures — 11 years ago(December 26, 2014 08:52 PM)
Maybe he felt better about being out of the cage?
http://www.cgonzales.net
&
http://www.drxcreatures.com -
Edren — 15 years ago(September 18, 2010 03:21 AM)
The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.
What a fantastic way to end a brilliant movie.
Life is just one damned thing after another - Elbert Hubbard -
mrtanner — 14 years ago(May 09, 2011 05:46 AM)
I love the ending. I don't think it is a cop-out or out-of-sync with the rest of the movie. On the contrary, I feel it was in keeping with the tone of the whole movie, which was one of incredible highs and lows: goofy comedy one minute and heartbreaking drama the next. To this day I strongly remember first seeing it in the theater in 1985, and the impact the whole ending had on me, from Al's monologue (devastating) to Birdy waking up (oh my God!) to him seemingly lapsing back into his catatonia to "I didn't have anything to say" to the chase and then the jump and the last shot. It all literally took my breath away. Very few films have had such a lasting impact on me. One of my all-time favorites.
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binaryDigit — 14 years ago(May 16, 2011 05:09 PM)
Count me in as one of those who loved the ending. Not so much because he lived, but more that it was a) unexpected b) the final line was delivered perfectly and really "capped" the movie. I think we've become a bit disillusioned as US movie goers and expect any type of "positive" ending to be a "Hollywood" ending and sometimes lose focus on having an "appropriate" ending. It also didn't feel gimicky like some endings (that end the way they do just for the sake of doing so), like I said, it seemed to be right in line with the story and helps to bring about some additional understanding.