MovieChat Forums > Penny Serenade (1941) Discussion > Beautiful film marred by inappropriate e...

Beautiful film marred by inappropriate ending.

posted 11 years ago by deltascorch90
8 replies | jump to latest

Spoilers naturally.

At the end of this film I was shocked at the gritty portrayal of a life absolutely robbed of all its joys, the one Cary and Irene had together. That's a real story, life wickedly dealing a wicked hand to people, good people even, seemingly for no reason at all. None of our lives have a sweeping miracle come in at the right moment and immediately fix everything. If this was life, Irene would have left, and Cary would become Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life, another picture where all the problems, ultimately, are only wrapped up due to a miraculous intervention--though hey, maybe not, perhaps times were just different then and people were seriously that kind.

But I can't stomach it for this one, that hits too close to home. What are we to take from this film? That at the final moment when everything is finally ready to break apart, you can count on a miracle being there to save everything?

Maybe I've just been made a cynic by some things, but these were good people, and it tends to be that life cheats good people out of their happiness. I'm not saying that's what I WANT to happen to good people, just that it's how things tend to be. I'm unsatisfied that it's only by deus ex machina that things turned out well, given that in real life everything would have went to hell for them.

Though who knows: maybe it requires deus ex machina for them to have suffered the loss of two children in the first place and be deprived of any income.

[–] kelly-527 11 years ago

Look at it this way, life deals people horrific challenges like losing a child. The couple grieves to the point where they can't stand to be with one another, but then again it is it worse to be apart. There is so much bad news out there, but every now and then little miracles happen like the German Shepherd than flags down the police to save his master from a burning house, the story of the dog that became a leader to another blind dog. Okay, so a lot of the good stories deal with dogs, but there is good out there. Movies like Penny Serenade are here to remind us that little bits of miracle can happen on a day to day basis.

[–] Ed in MO 11 years ago

And also, you have to remember that this is a film for an audience of people who had suffered some horrible tragedies in their lives (Depression, war, death, disease, etc.) and the last thing these folks needed was yet another reminder that life is full of sorrows. They wanted some hope and this film gave them that hope. Yes, things often turn out crappy for good people, but not always, and certainly not in the movies.

[–] TerpStudent 11 years ago

The year was 1941; an unhappy ending to a tragedy like this simply wouldn't've allowed by the studios and wouldn't've accepted by the audience. But I certainly thought it was actually kind of hokey how Grant and Dunne, after being separated, instantly reunite over a phone call about a new child - as if getting a replacement for Trina would instantly solve everything.

Ignore the trolls! Any failure to do so will only grant them the satisfaction they seek!

[–] abs_is_back 10 years ago

It's 1941; very few movies weree allowed to have unhappy endings.

But something I took away from the ending was this: when they get the call from the orphanage, they both realize there is nothing really wrong with their marriage except that they didn't turn to each other when Trina died. It had only been a few days - as both of them state - and Julie only packed when Roger said he wasn't coming home because he didn't want to see anything or anyone that reminded him, which Julie took to include herself. If their marriage had been beyond repair or if they really didn't love each other anymore, no phone call, not even that one, could have restored it.

Sometimes people just need a jolt to see what they are about to throw away. In this case it happened to be this new opportunity to be parents again. Remember that Julie wrote to Mrs Oliver about her troubles, that Roger would not talk to her; that he was punishing himself and in turn punishing her. If Mrs Oliver had really thought their marriage was over, she would never have offered to place a new child into such an unstable home. And in the moments before that phone call, Julie and Roger HAD started to talk to each other.

The ending was not so much dues ex machinations as a reality check.

[–] npaxton-3 9 years ago

I think the ending would have been much stronger if the couple expanded upon their dialogue where both stated they had guilt and regrets. They finally were opening up to each other. The father said he felt bad about not giving Trina a quarter and the mother reprimanded her for not staying still when she was trying to make her angel costume saying that she would never fit another dress for her. They both could have acknowledged their pain and fallen into each other's arms. I would have left the whole new baby angle out of it completely. One child cannot replace another and make the marriage whole. Also the availability of a "perfect" child just at that time would have been improbable.

[–] gearhart 9 years ago

npaxton, I agree completely.

It might be a harsh judgment on my part (I've never lost a child), but I think it cheapened the loss of Trina, that they could move on so soon. And yes, it was very improbable, and so was their getting Trina in the first place.

[–] joeysdoghouse 7 years ago

Yes. They should have made the time lapse after Trina died months or at least weeks and not days.

[–] Howlin Wolf 9 years ago

Another person completely in agreement with you, npaxton!



"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"