I watched Fatal Attraction again last night. I’ve always hated the ending, especially the ending…
* SPOILER ALERT *
… with the “she’s dead in the bath oh no fuck she miraculously isn’t” shenanigans. That ending was not that of the original version, but as reshoot to satisfy the mindless audiences who needed an execution for the bunny-boiling to experience catharsis.
The original ending had Glen Close’s character commit suicide, framing Mike Douglas for the murder. But he gets off when his wife produces the cassette tape in which Close revealed her plan to commit suicide.
I think the reshot and official ending was very 1980s. In fact, I think the ending might have been different in different decades.
1930s: Bette Davis has to pay for terrorising poor Frederick March. It’s the clink for you, Bette.
1940s: Barbara Stanwyk has to pay for terrorising that cad George Raft — but so does Raft. As Raft struggles to take control of the car Stanwyk is driving in a manic manner, they both go over a cliff’s edge and die. In the final scene, Raft's wife, Jane Wyman, receives the insurance payout -- and smiles. Noir, innit?
1950s: Lauren Bacall should pay for what she did to poor William Holden. But when Holden’s wife Susan Hayward shoots her husband for his cheating ways, Bacall has a moment of Redemption. She weeps at his grave (possibly kills herself or is killed by Hayward, if the Production Code is still enslaving the director or political metaphor demands it). We're freewheeling with old moralities now.
1960s: Should Elizabeth Taylor pay for what she did to poor Paul Newman? Reluctantly, she’ll have to. Suicide. Newman weeps at her grave. Will he return to wife Anne Bancroft? It's open-ended.
1970s: Should Faye Dunaway pay for what she did to that heartless Elliott Gould? Well, die she must. Like the original 1980s ending, she kills herself and frames Gould for her murder. But Gould’s wife finds no exonerating cassette tape. Off to jail, Gould.
1980s: KILL THE BITCH! KILL THE BITCH. USA! USA!
1990s: Should Sharon Stone have to pay for what she did to slimy Kevin Spacey? Who cares, there’s an asteroid coming to destroy the world.
2000s: Should the voice of Beyoncé pay for what she did to the voice of George Clooney? Who cares? It’s an animated movie. Is there a chase with loud special sound effects? The voice of Beyoncé loves the voice of George Clooney, and the voice of George Clooney loves the voice of Beyoncé, and the voice of Emma Stone says the voice of Beyoncé can have the voice of George because the voice of Edward Norton loves her. Sex In The City for Pixar. Yay.
2010s: Should Ryan Gosling have to pay for what he did to poor Halle Berry? Well, he killed her, and there'’ll be a trial, and Mark Ruffalo will be the lawyer with a past of his own… Who cares how it ends?
Your film endings?
* SPOILER ALERT *
… with the “she’s dead in the bath oh no fuck she miraculously isn’t” shenanigans. That ending was not that of the original version, but as reshoot to satisfy the mindless audiences who needed an execution for the bunny-boiling to experience catharsis.
The original ending had Glen Close’s character commit suicide, framing Mike Douglas for the murder. But he gets off when his wife produces the cassette tape in which Close revealed her plan to commit suicide.
I think the reshot and official ending was very 1980s. In fact, I think the ending might have been different in different decades.
1930s: Bette Davis has to pay for terrorising poor Frederick March. It’s the clink for you, Bette.
1940s: Barbara Stanwyk has to pay for terrorising that cad George Raft — but so does Raft. As Raft struggles to take control of the car Stanwyk is driving in a manic manner, they both go over a cliff’s edge and die. In the final scene, Raft's wife, Jane Wyman, receives the insurance payout -- and smiles. Noir, innit?
1950s: Lauren Bacall should pay for what she did to poor William Holden. But when Holden’s wife Susan Hayward shoots her husband for his cheating ways, Bacall has a moment of Redemption. She weeps at his grave (possibly kills herself or is killed by Hayward, if the Production Code is still enslaving the director or political metaphor demands it). We're freewheeling with old moralities now.
1960s: Should Elizabeth Taylor pay for what she did to poor Paul Newman? Reluctantly, she’ll have to. Suicide. Newman weeps at her grave. Will he return to wife Anne Bancroft? It's open-ended.
1970s: Should Faye Dunaway pay for what she did to that heartless Elliott Gould? Well, die she must. Like the original 1980s ending, she kills herself and frames Gould for her murder. But Gould’s wife finds no exonerating cassette tape. Off to jail, Gould.
1980s: KILL THE BITCH! KILL THE BITCH. USA! USA!
1990s: Should Sharon Stone have to pay for what she did to slimy Kevin Spacey? Who cares, there’s an asteroid coming to destroy the world.
2000s: Should the voice of Beyoncé pay for what she did to the voice of George Clooney? Who cares? It’s an animated movie. Is there a chase with loud special sound effects? The voice of Beyoncé loves the voice of George Clooney, and the voice of George Clooney loves the voice of Beyoncé, and the voice of Emma Stone says the voice of Beyoncé can have the voice of George because the voice of Edward Norton loves her. Sex In The City for Pixar. Yay.
2010s: Should Ryan Gosling have to pay for what he did to poor Halle Berry? Well, he killed her, and there'’ll be a trial, and Mark Ruffalo will be the lawyer with a past of his own… Who cares how it ends?
Your film endings?
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