The Ending
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jwatts83 — 20 years ago(July 27, 2005 11:45 PM)
I saw a version without a boat too, I saw it tonight, in Los Angeles, CA. The boat seems like it could be crucial in understanding the movie, it sheds a different light on it. Since I thought that Hardenberg called the cops, but that Jan, Peter and Jule fled to Spain. I didn't think about where they got the cash for the hotel though.
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noralee — 20 years ago(July 28, 2005 05:56 AM)
I just saw the film in NYC - -no boat scene at all. The yacht version, however, does seem to make more sense. I'm not sure the director's excuse makes any sense, about the distribution issue.
In this version, I just assumed that the hotel where the maid was speaking Spanish was somewhere in the Mediterranean as they prepared to do the satellite attack (as they had gone on quite a bit about television's pernicious anti-revolutinary influence). I didn't see anything in the subtitles about Nicaragua as an option.
The note in the apartment was NOT signed The Edukators as all the previous notes were (nice point of a poster above about the Wenders' reference). And I don't think it was done by press-on letters like Jan's had been. So maybe it was written by H the capitalist. Though I do think he was the '68 idealist (or as a poster pointed out, at least for the pot and sex he's nostalgic for) he lied to them about his salary and Jan compliments him on being a good liar and manipulating them, especially with the free love line. (I assume that a character is named Jule as a reference to that other famous three-some Jules et Jim.)
So it's confusing! I shudder to think how a Hollywood version would resolve it. -
childofxautumnx — 18 years ago(October 20, 2007 10:12 AM)
That was a good movie. It threw me off in the end. I thought the businessman would be sympathetic to let them go.
I like the ending how the julie, jan and peter got themselves into a hotel room instead because they KNEW the business man was going to call the cops on them. -
silver_fly — 18 years ago(October 21, 2007 06:45 AM)
i totally agree. it was also kind of sad, especially with the sign saying "some people never change". what i don't really like is the fact that this movie apparently has another ending showing them to be materialistic (according to other posters).
and yeh i was also majorly disappointed with the rich man. bastard. -
vonGoethe — 18 years ago(October 31, 2007 08:45 PM)
Since Hardenberg started out as an anarcho-communist in his youth, wouldn't "some people never change" mean he was still sympathetic to the cause?
That does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor you must acquit! -
PaOwen — 18 years ago(November 12, 2007 10:44 AM)
If I was kidnapped by anyone, I'd be pretty angry about it. He started to identify with his captors, and on some level he was almost taking a vacation, but once he got home the gravity of the situation kind of hit him. It wasn't really that unrealistic in my opinion. I'd probably have done the same thing.
The "Some people never change" line really has a lot of meanings too though. Maybe it was FOR the businessman, suggesting that even though they knew he would go to the cops, he hasn't changed completely from his liberal, young self. -
smart7-1 — 18 years ago(November 19, 2007 10:41 AM)
I was surprised at the ending. I had began to like Hardenbergs character, and didnt think he would turn Jan, Jules and Peter for the one main reason that it seemed he had enjoyed the escape of his own life by being kidnapped and not being withheld by the constructs of living in high society for those few days.
When we see Hardenberg for the first time outside his house on the cell phone we notice how hyighly strung he is, in his sweater, and stressed expression on his face, which is ni strong contrast to the relaxed person we see standing in the mountains. For this reason alone, i expected him to be grateful to the youngsters. Although kidnapping is a serious crime, it seemed like this was a small part of the story.
When we see Hardenberg sitting depressed and restless on his couch I think it does show that he may have found come conscious, within himself, for reporting the trio.
All in the all, i think a great film. -
bdc147 — 18 years ago(November 29, 2007 08:37 AM)
I saw Handenberg sitting in the police car at the end, so he was arrested too. So maybe he joined the group or something, and they kept breaking in houses. That's why the letter in the house says: some people never change. Because inside he was still the guy he used to be when he was young.
I don't know, that's how I saw it -
ar_gyrion — 18 years ago(January 28, 2008 04:27 PM)
That is what I assumed too. The 3 are in that hotel/apartment somewhere in the Mediterranean like Jan talked about for taking out the TV signals for all of Europe. On the boat they get on there are the ID papers for Hardenberg so I assumed it was his boat and he was allowing them to use it for that purpose.
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Inda-Nisho — 18 years ago(December 01, 2007 02:15 PM)
It's not an hotel, it was just their normal appartement from the beginning. The businessman just took the adress he had from Jules (probably from the case of the Mercedes) but as we know from the story she moves out and thus misses them.
So they were a bit naieve about the businessman but still are safe in the end. -
neverquiteawake — 18 years ago(December 14, 2007 07:39 PM)
I've seen the ending where it just stops at 'Some people never change' and I think that Hardenberg let them go in the end. The note was probably aimed at the viewers, rather than the characters in the film to demonstrate that Hardenberg was finally educated. It doesn't seem too realistic, but there's numerous interpretations.
There are times when life calls out for a change -
nona_pinkfinger — 18 years ago(February 03, 2008 02:29 PM)
I believe the apartment the SWAT team is at is Jan and Peter's, not Jule's. Because of the stickers on the door. I thought the same thing, that it was Jule's, but her walls didn't look that shabby, plus the door stickers.
And they were safely in a hotel room - my guess is that it is near the Mediterranean, working on their next project. -
danburton720 — 18 years ago(December 23, 2007 03:43 PM)
I didn't particularly like this ending, I think it would've been better just to see the 3 of them get arrested. I mean I agree with their causes and everything, I just would've preferred a more melon coly ending.
Something that I also wondered, yes they checked themselves into a hotel, but the maid looked as if she was spanish/italian or something and therefore meditteranean. If you recall from earlier in the film, I think it was Jan who had a photo of an island in the meditteranean that had the satellite receivers or something for all the televisions in europe and he would like to strike there and disable it. Maybe the hotel they are staying in is somewhere in that area because they plan to disable the systems on that island?
Just a thought.
Laters.