Written by Jennie
Recently I listened to two friends have a conversation/argument over whether Jack from “Titanic” could have survived if Rose had shared her little raft with him when they were in the water waiting to be rescued. One argued that it was at least possible that he *might* have. The other insisted that it would’ve only led to both of their deaths; they would’ve each had to be at least partly in the water, which would have quickly led to hypothermia and death.
I was amused by how vociferous each was about their positions, but also about the yearning with which my one friend seemed to ponder the question, “What if Jack had lived?” I think the “tragic ending” aspect of “Titanic” is one thing that contributes to its timeless appeal. Even those of us who find the film a bit overwrought and cheesy at times feel a little frisson at the ultra-romantic and timeless love of Jack and Rose,
I think “Titanic” is one of those “what if?” films. To generalize a bit, women seem to like happy endings – witness the success of the romance novel industry. And yet, it’s often films like “Titanic” – those with bittersweet if not tragic endings – that stay in our memories.
My “Titanic” is a 1966 film called “This Property is Condemned”, starring Robert Redford and Natalie Wood. It’s not a particularly good film; it’s a rather melodramatic adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play (if “melodramatic” and “Tennessee Williams” in the same sentence doesn’t render the whole sentence redundant). Redford is a railroad employee who has come to a small Depression-era Mississippi town to lay off railroad workers. Wood is the party-girl daughter of the local boarding house proprietor; her mother more or less prostitutes her and Wood’s character, Alva, wants desperately to escape her dead-end small-town life and go to New Orleans.
Wood and Redford fall in love, of course. (How could they not? They are both about 1000 times better looking than anyone else around.) But the course of true love is predictably unsmooth, and ultimately, tragic. I never watch the movie without (warning, spoiler ahead; those of you who have been meaning to catch this movie for the past 43 years but haven’t gotten around to it should skip the next bit) hoping that somehow it will end differently, and Natalie Wood won’t run out into the rain in New Orleans and catch pneumonia and die.
Yet I know that this movie would probably not have nearly the resonance it does for me if it ended differently. Undeniably, part of its appeal is both its tragic ending and the sense I get that maybe if I watch it just one more time, it will come out another way.
What about you? Are there any movies that you love and will watch over and over, somehow hoping they will end differently, even when you know that’s not possible? Do you think tragic endings are somehow more resonant than happy endings? Or do you stay away from sad movies, figuring there’s enough of that in real life?
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12 Responses to SOMEONE TELL ROMEO THAT JULIET’S ONLY SLEEPING!
My Best Friend’s Wedding. Ok, it’s not exactly Les Miserables (but hey speaking of which, there is another one that I wish would end differently). I always cheer for the underdog woman to get the guy. Usually, she doesn’t. The Cosette’s and Kimmy’s of the world land their man without givng much thought to the struggle that ensues for others
No bitterness, none at all. I actually, for some reason, am drawn to sad stories. I think in stories of tragedy the human condition is captured. That’s just me though.
Jennie, I always wanted that movie to end differently too. The little girl telling the story is such a sad figure. I like the realness of the characters in that film.
I wanted “The Effect of Gamma Rays on the Man In The Moon Marigolds” to end differently. I kept hoping the mother might see some worth in her daughters and put them first or at least consider them.
(Spoiler) –
I was so upset when she cooked the girl’s pet. I was young when I saw it and thought she would have a transformation. I have to say it demonstrated her meanness well, but it was so sad for me.
Gone With the Wind. I remember my mom talking to me about the ending when I saw it first as an 11 year-old. She said that Scarlett’s “Tomorrow is another day” line is hopeful and I can imagine a happy ‘next chapter.’ Nope. I was disappointed.
Last year, my 14 year old daughter had fallen in love with Jane Austen movie adaptations (and books) and asked me to rent that for her. She watched it on a sick day from school, in between naps. When I got home from work, she was just at the ending. She was very disappointed. She invested a whole day and expected an ending along the lines of Pride and Prejudice. Awww! I should have warned her that not every ending is a happy one.
I’ll just add Terms of Endearment, too, but it couldn’t have been any other way.
Ann,
I have not seen Gone With the Wind in probably 25 years. When I was young I must have watched it 20 times. I need to rent that and watch it again. That and the Sound of Music.
I recently saw Atonement and at the end I was just numb. Tragedy in every which way. I would have loved the happy ending for those people after all they went through. But when I think about it I guess I appreciate those I love more because of seeing it. Go figure!
I loved Titanic. I hate the ending. I remember thinking “are you kidding me?” This is the end? And why in the heck didnt she share her floating door? I always want it to end differently. I hate sad movies and as a general rule stay away from them. I’m the romantic comedy queen.
Am I the only person in America who didn’t like Titanic? There was room on the door for two, by the way. Selfish old lady. She should have moved over.
Soly, I was prepared for Atonement because I’d read the book. I think I would’ve found it pretty wrenching otherwise.
The Poseidon Adventure should have ended different imo: They didn’t have to kill off Linda (Rogo the cop’s wife) at the end. She should have made it out. I was fine w/everyone else that died. Ann, I was disappointed in the ending the first time I saw Gone W/the Wind. It was in high school. My friends and I couldn’t understand how Scarlett would want Ashley over Rhett.
Yes, I imagine ‘Gone With The Wind’ all the time, and Scarlett and Rhett do get back together eventually in my mind!And my other movie, (and I have not found one other person that likes it!) is ‘The Way We Were’ with Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand. And another movie (that is liked by no one but me) is ‘The Bridges of Madison County’. I did actually like those endings though, I like that the main characters didn’t end up together, it was more romantic to me that way. Another love story that I loved the ending even though the two main characters don’t end up together, in fact, they never physically get together, (it’s more heart-felt, to me the beauty of it is that they don’t get together at all), is ‘Once’. Best ending ever! Well, maybe not ‘ever’, but it’s up near there.’Love Actually’ had a great ending to every one of their little love stories! I don’t think ‘Titanic’ compared to these movies that I love.
I loved Titanic as well– bittersweet endings are what make movies memorable, in some ways. Then again, I’m a fan of any movie that draws me in and makes me cry, so I’m not one to talk. I am also a big fan of movies that turn out differently than they appear to at the start. Seeing a characters transition is almost more interesting to me than just a movie with a heartbreaking ending like “Gone With The Wind” (though Scarlett is definitely a good one to consider with this discussion).My family has a few movies that we have, at one point, watched so often that quotes from said movies have seeped into our everyday language. They include “While You Were Sleeping” (‘John Wayne was tall’), “That Thing You Do” (‘Hey guys…. Chad fell down,’ ‘Presidential flash cards?,’ ‘You guys look great in black, have I told you that?’), “Sabrina” (‘Morals are paintings on walls and scruples are money in Russia’), and then of course “You’ve Got Mail” (‘…bouquets of sharpened pencils,’ ‘Tweaking?? T-W-E-A-K-I-N-G??’). I have always liked the endings on these movies, but they are not what you think will happen in the beginning necessarily. Granted, Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox are destined for each other, but seeing the pain and heartache along the way is what draws me into these tales. It’s not really just about a sad ending, but a sad middle that makes a movie enticing. Maybe because that is how life really is– not everyone gets a happy ending (The Bass Player in “That Thing You Do” doesn’t even have a name!!), but hopefully some happiness is still found. Lucy Eleanor Moderatz may not have gotten Peter, the man she always dreamed of, but she did find happiness with Jack. People change in real life, so I like seeing change in movies from a sad period or situation into one with hope and happiness.
Moulin Rouge (sniff) If she had just left with Christian and not gone to pack her things, things might have turned out differently–at least that’s what I tell myself.