MovieChat Forums > The Wind (1928) Discussion > Happy End

Happy End

posted 20 years ago by Prof_Lostiswitz
30 replies | jump to latest

Everyone seems to hate the studio-imposed ending, including Gish herself. Well, they are wrong! The Wind was going to end with Gish escaping the bad guy's advances by fleeing into a sandstorm and perishing...typical Victorian tragic melodrama, the sort of thing spoofed by Chaplin and other comedians.

What we get instead is considerably more complex and interesting, and contains some of the best scenes in the movie. I won't give the credit to the studio execs who demanded the revised ending; obviously, Sjöström was a genius who knew how to work wonders with whatever material he was given.

The very last scene is entirely too sentimental, but still a great improvement over the original proposal. I'm going to watch it again, to see what more I can get out of it.

PS According to http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/51/gish.htm no tragic ending was shot or contemplated, Gish fabricated this complaint for personal reasons.

[–] Damfino1895 19 years ago

I agree, it isn't the terible ending that many people harp on about, in fact the last two shots of Lillian Gish and Lars Hanson as incredibly beautifully shot. However, I would like to see both endings. I did hear that the original ending of the script was the one that is shown, despite popular belief to the contrary. the most criminal thing about this movie is how hard it is to get on VHS and even worse is that it has not been released on DVD yet.

[–] csu16387 19 years ago

I watched it again last night on TCM. Though I would like to see the original ending, the happy ending placed in the film is still very memorable. While a bit melodramatic, the final moments are great. Lillian Gish gives one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. The score of this film is incredible as well (music also great in The Crowd and 2-hour version of Greed). Not only one of my favorite silents (with still plenty to see), but one of my favorite movies overall.

"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."

[–] Damfino1895 19 years ago

Totally agree with you. Sir Carl Davis did the score to all the films you mention, also "Flesh and the Devil" and "The General" both of which enchance already superb movies. I'd love to have all his soundtracks put onto a CD to buy as they stand just as well on their own.
I think Lars Hanson was also fantastic as he had to play Lige as a goofball to start of with into someone who could be regarded as a romantic lead, which he managed with aplomb, he was awesome in the wedding night sequence, completely heartbreaking.

[–] mlevans 18 years ago

I'm a bit divided on which ending would be best. In one sense,Lillian's great work led inexorably toward madness ... and the tacked-on ending does seem a bit dues a machina, in that context. Yet this doesn't keep me from liking the existing ending. Somehow it makes it more fulfilling in one sense.

I totally agree about Lillian's performance. I loved her BEFORE seeing this, but was totally blown away by her! Those EYES! Her descent into madness (or near-miss, with the revised ending!) was one of the finest bits of work I've seen, also!

I agree about Hanson ... but let's not overlook Dorothy Cumming. I was extremely impressed with her ... talk about facial expression and body language! She was obviously a real pro. It was just a brilliant film, best possible ending or not.

[–] al_baby 18 years ago

i was very impressed by all performances in this film, but most notable that of Gish and Cumming. their interaction was so subtle and so powerful.

[–] bookwormdreamer 18 years ago

I think the ending we get was the right one for all the reasons mentioned -we actually see how difficult it is for both Letty and Lige to to understand one another.He's so in love from the word go but he's noble enough to only want her happiness so he does what he has to do to send her home-only to find out in the end Letty is in love with him too-great love story.So many layers of emotions.I think Letty didn't no expect to fall in love but she did and once she did she was no longer afraid.I think actors and directors often become addicted to the sad ending(now I see nothing wrong with that really it does show a certain reality to it)but a happy ending does not make it a lesser film.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

mlevans says > I totally agree about Lillian's performance. I loved her BEFORE seeing this, but was totally blown away by her! Those EYES! Her descent into madness (or near-miss, with the revised ending!) was one of the finest bits of work I've seen, also!

I agree; her performance was brilliant. She's completely convincing as Letty, even in the end; which I thought was rather forced and unexpected. Your comments, however, made me consider another possibility.

Perhaps this 'happy' ending was really just part of her madness. She had endured so much by this time; the constant blowing of the wind, being forced out, having to marry marry someone she didn't know and for whom she did not care, the rape, having to kill him to protect herself, the inability to bury his body, the fear of being found out... The body and mind can take only so much stimuli before it protects itself by shutting down.

Perhaps the sudden reversal in both her feelings and behavior towards Lige marks the point at which she has finally snapped. She went numb and was no longer able to think normally. She goes through the motions. Lige is her husband, she's aware of that much, so she behaves accordingly; even choosing to stay because she cannot fully grasp the consequences of her actions. There are obviously other possibilities.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

[–] damien-16 13 years ago

The shot of Lige holding Letty leaning into the wind made me think of Jack and Rose on the bow of the Titanic.

[–] zerscherbelt 18 years ago

(i love this movie so.)

there was nothing wrong with the happy ending in general, but i found it a bit overhasty [wrong word, i know.] like there was a hole or gap in the development, right before the denouement. they could have set the last scene up a little bit more carefully. the instant turn in letty ("now i'm not afraid anymore!") just struck you as a big surprise, and seemed kind of questionable therefor.

it looked a little bit like defiance against that ending gish had not wanted.

[–] blackbritishbabe 17 years ago

i agree with you all. in fact, i didn't know that there was an alternative ending until i visited this site. if the film had ended as originally intended, with letty descending into madness and wandering out into the desert to die, it wouldn't be a favourite of mine as letty would have remained a powerless victim to the very end. in the ending we are given she has the strength and courage to take responsibility for her actions, face her fears make a life for herself.

i would have liked to see a more ambivalent resolution between lige and letty, but this is nonetheless a remarkable film.

[–] nosnojsirhc 17 years ago

There is ANOTHER alternate ending where the wind just stops blowing and everyone goes back to normal and the story just kind of wanders around for about an hour and then the credits roll. This one was b!tchslapped down by both the studio AND the directors, but has been secretly beheld in France as a testament to occasionally brilliant film-making coming out of Hollywood.

[–] catherine-corder 17 years ago

The book on which the movie is based ends with Letty running out into the wind. The description of her being blown about like some broken thing is rather haunting. Check out _The Wind_ by Dorothy Scarborough.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

zerscherbelt says > they could have set the last scene up a little bit more carefully. the instant turn in letty ("now i'm not afraid anymore!") just struck you as a big surprise, and seemed kind of questionable therefor.

I agree. Watching the movie I wanted things to work out well for Letty; she was alone and helpless in a strange place. I also felt bad for Lige when she rejected him. He was happy to finally have a wife. For him, she represented companionship, love, children, a future.

I didn't see anything in the movie that could have caused their relationship to change drastically from her not wanting him to touch her, to her being willing to stay there; happily accepting him as her husband. The change was too abrupt.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

[–] Prof_Lostiswitz 8 years ago

Throughout the relationship, you see her slowly starting to care for Lige. When he proposes going out in the storm to round up wild horses, she's concerned for his safety. Watch again, there are many clues as to her gradual change of attitude.

[–] Unwanted_Birdtamer 17 years ago

I don't mind that she stays with Lige, as there were signs her feelings for him were changing, but the whole "I'll be so happy because I'm with you" bit was just too absurd and too sudden. Apparently, committing justifiable homicide can not only restore your lost sanity, but can also completely overhaul your attitude for the better.

John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

[–] Prof_Lostiswitz 8 years ago

She had just been through a REALLY horrible experience - it's easy to imagine her being overwhelmed with gratitude and relief.

[–] tmdspfld 17 years ago

I'm going to see this film for the first time this Saturday, in an auditorium with a live symphony accompaniment, in Springfield, Ohio, the birthplace of Lillian and her sister Dorothy. It's the first Lillian Gish Film Festival. They're screening Whales of August, Broken Blossoms, Night of the Hunter, Way Down East, and The Wind. I don't know which ending will be shown, I'm excited to find out.

[–] xylonian-1 17 years ago

"The description of her being blown about like some broken thing is rather haunting. Check out _The Wind_ by Dorothy Scarborough."

Yet could they not have included both endings in the film???? One of course would have been a dream type sequence. Perhaps the 'happy ending' being the dream, as Letty's final thoughts as the wind had 'its way with her', alone and too far from shelter to survive, thwarting her final dream or attempt to experiance it.

One could take this a far as one would like....to be elaborate, Letty dreams her future (as in happy ending) as it seems she has been found and rescued by Lige.

She is being led back (or conveyed by horse) to the cabin (and the viewer thinks such), when....she is actualy being led futher away, by the 'ghost horse' or one of its offspring. Her final realization, and demise, combined with a diabolic regrouping of 'ghost' horses, could provide a frightening and heartbreaking ending, but combine the best of both worlds....

I'm a putz though....

"It's the first Lillian Gish Film Festival."

Hummmm.....sounds great, if this is an annual event, I may look for it in the future....

Read My Lips!!!!

[–] Ron in LA 17 years ago

I thought the same thing and really preferred the happy ending. What bothered me throughout the movie is that Gish was so helpless and rarely did anything to take responsibility for herself. With the happy ending, she finally starts to show some courage and initiative.

[–] xylonian-1 17 years ago

I didn't dislike the happy ending, something about it seemed odd though. Perhaps the fact that no one was happy about doing it, they rushed through it, as in....lets get this over with????

Again, I think a short reflective day dream at the very end, picturing what her end would have been like, had she gone through with the 'unhappy ending', would have fit perfectly.

Read My Lips!!!!

[–] barnesgene 16 years ago

Sure, the pacing is off at the end, but not badly. Letty's declaration of love is a bit too much too soon perhaps. But in fact, we're already seeing Letty growing into her, um, new-found appreciation of Lige. There's touching, honest looking straight in the eyes, all the things you would normally associate with precursers to love, beginning, yes, even on their wedding night.

The studio suits always get a bad rap for interfering with "les artistes", but you know as well as I do, sometimes they're simply... right.

[–] DickyBettsBass 15 years ago

I must say I didn't like the ending ... it was a typical Hollywood ending, and I'm afraid there are too many of them around, slapped on otherwise challenging, nuanced films imposed by the studio to (supposedly) please the audience.

To me, its suddenness and put-on melodrama almost spoiled the great performances by Lillian Gish and Lars Hanson in the middle part. As a whole, I think it's a flawed masterpiece. The initial establishment of the characters and premise was a bit too clichéd to my taste too, with the William Orlamond character (Sourdough) played for laughs in a way not unlike Ben Turpin or James Finlayson in slapstick farces.

But the middle part was totally captivating, with Lillian Gish turning in an amazing performance (making the melodrama look more real and credible than the heavily theatrical, hammy or 'expressionist' acting of the day) and Lars Hanson equally impressive in a more subdued way, in fact an astonishingly modern approach to his role, especially when he realizes Letty does not love him.

Dicky

[–] vinidici 14 years ago

It would have been interesting to see Greta Garbo in the role of Letty, because:

(1) Director Sjöström (I had to c/c/p that name, don't have a clue how to type it with an English keyboard!) and co-star Hanson were fellow Swedes and the mutual understanding among Garbo, Sjöström and Hanson might have made for an even greater chemistry than Gish had been able to accomplish

(2) If a tragic ending is a "must," no one did 'em better than Garbo!

I actually prefer the happy ending, though, since it's Lillian Gish we're talking about and no one wants the "petite, angelically lovely, sweet & innocent yet full of inner-courage" women she typically portrayed to come to a bad end; besides, Gish already did the "tragic ending" thing with "Broken Blossoms."

Secret Message, HERE!-->CONGRATULATIONS!!! You've discovered the Secret Message!

[–] ABetterDay 12 years ago

Garbo? What a way to ruin this gem. Lillian Gish was born to play this role.

Remember When Movies Didn't Have To Be Politically Correct?

[–] Jumbajookiba 11 years ago

Are you kidding me! Garbo could be incredibly over the top at times. She annoys the heck out of me in the short available clip of The Divine Woman, when she virtually physically assaults Lars Hanson when kissing him, I know it was meant to be passionate, but, hair pulling? She could not play the fragile and haunted Letty, Lillian Gish, like Clark Gable in GWTW, are the only people imaginable for a specific role.

I am a four eyed evil genius.

[–] Prof_Lostiswitz 11 years ago

Leni Riefenstahl would make a good Letty, she resembles Gish in many ways.

Julie Harris might also be good.