I thought the end of the movie was very strange; maybe it was the entire movie. I thought Owen was interested in Ann the whole time. I know she was ambivalent but I thought she'd come around. In the end he says it was Boston he wanted.
Also, the kid, Gary, is basically left hanging. Owen left him with Boston, which was odd in itself because she didn't seem like the best person to care for a child, but Jumbo killed her. Owen never knew that but we do. I guess we're to assume he stays with Ann and then at some point in the future Owen comes back for them?
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
robin moss2 says > The ending does not tie everything up neatly. That's why it is so good. It's more like life than movies.
I can appreciate what you say about the ending being like real life but I get the impression the movie; especially the end was just thrown together. It was not well thought out. The story needed an ending so one was haphazardly tacked on. When certain elements could not be explained, they were simply left dangling.
This is the very thing I dislike about a lot of French movies; the new wave ones that were made during and since the 1960's. The story seems to be going along just fine and appears to be building up to something, then it just ends abruptly with no explanation.
If that's all it takes to be a writer; put some words 'on paper' and stop at any given point, whenever you like, it can't be that hard. Anyone could do it. Heck, I should take it up myself. Unfortunately, that's not how storytelling works or, in my opinion, it shouldn't. There should be some point to the story being told.
No, life isn't tied up in some neat, pretty, little package with a bow on top but each life is made up of a series of stories; each of which has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The point of those stories depends to a large extent on who tells the story and why. That also means the storyteller gets to tell the story in whatever way they choose; however, there are some rules like not introducing characters or incidents for no reason. It's frustrating, at least for me, when there's no follow through.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
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The fact that story does not tie up all the loose ends does not mean the story does not have a proper ending. The film ends with a man who previously has been selfish and irresponsible and interested only in his own advancement throwing it all away and joining the side he knows will lose, and joining not as an officer but as a private nursing a strong sense of loss. That is the end of the story. The loose ends are what happens to the boy and the two women.
I'm glad it all came together and made sense to you. Unfortunately, the only lasting impression I have of this movie is how badly I thought it ended. The ending then made me question the entire movie and now, I barely remember anything about it except that I thought it was poorly written. The lack of comments on the board would seem to indicate I'm not alone. I don't begrudge the movie it's fans; I'm just not one.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]
I was hoping Boston would turn out to be only injured and would recover, leaving open the possibility that she and Owen and Gary would eventually reunite. Then the movie suddenly was over. I don't think it was a bad ending, though.