MovieChat Forums > The Rainmaker (1956) Discussion > The Ending?

The Ending?

posted 18 years ago by ijonesiii
7 replies | jump to latest

Am I the only one who has always been thoroughly aggravated by the way this movie ends? I will never understand why, when faced with the option of running off with Starbuck, the first man who ever made her feel beautiful, and staying with that grumpy old bore File, she would choose File is beyond me. OK, Starbuck called her Melisande and she liked being Lizzie, but if Starbuck understood she liked the name Lizzie, Starbuck would have called her anything she liked and Lizzie could have gone with him and finally made a life for herself away from her family and File, who always treated her like an old maid. Opinions?

[–] puzzle_queen 18 years ago

I didn't exactly understand her choice either. However, I don't think going off with the unstable outlaw was a good choice at all.
Marianne

[–] catherinerob 17 years ago

Having always thought that Burt Lancaster was absolutely gorgeous, especially in this film, I didn't understand why she picked File either, until I had a child. Then it made sense; Lizzie speaks of having a husband and children to care for, about the small things that you do for someone you love that they appreciate. She is looking for a man like her father, a loving, reliable family man. While Starbuck is sexy and exciting, he can't be relied upon to stick around and be a father to the children she wants. She wants a man who loves her as she is, not someone who romanticises her; someone who is practical and sensible, not a dreamer and a drifter. File begins to see her as more than just an old maid; too many efforts by the family to "fix them up" have made him feel pressured, even though maybe he did like her all along, but now seeing someone else interested he realises he could lose her and shows his real feelings. If Lizzie wanted a family and stability, she chose the right guy. At least she got one romantic interlude with Starbuck first!

[–] maybellinezmascaragurl 17 years ago

I totally jumped out of my chair and started screaming when I saw the end of the movie, for the first time. I couldn't understand why Lizzie chose File.. they couldn't even hold a decent conversation.. whereas with Starbuck there was passion; he and Lizzie had things to say to each other. He knew she was beautiful, and she adored him.

[–] jimprideaux2 17 years ago

Made sense to me. But I saw the movie in broader terms. The movie was about the actual vs the possible. The rational vs the emotional. What was vs what could be. Fact vs imagination. Prose vs poetry. Truth vs Beauty. The movie was asking how we find ourselves given these choices. The answer is not black or white, either/or, but finding the right "mix." What ever path we take we must be true to ourselves. Thats why she refused Starbuck because she was truly Lizzie, and there was goodness and beauty in being Lizzie. Starbuck saw her as Melisande. File said something to the effect "You are Lizzie and Lizzie is who I want."

[–] Harold_Robbins 17 years ago

Of course, on their wedding night, File is obviously going to know that Lizzie isn't quite an "old maid" (then again, who can say that all old maids were actually virgins, though in that time period they were probably more likely to remain so) . . . I've said in another post that I think it interesting that the Production Code apparently looked the other way regarding a father literally encouraging his daughter to have a sexual encounter - this was 1956 of course (the year some of us were born!) and the Code had been compromising films for years with its demands that human beings behave every way but human. . .

As for the film's actual ending, well, I didn't much care for the "singin' and dancin' in the rain' bit - it came off as almost too comical for me.

"I don't use a pen: I write with a goose quill dipped in venom!"---W. Lydecker

[–] johawke 17 years ago

Plus, her decision was cinched when File said the two words he refused to say to his ex-wife, the two words that signified begging to him, that he said he would never say: "Don't go." That's when Lizzie knew he wasn't going to be crusty old File anymore.

[–] mdonln 8 years ago

ijonesiii says > Am I the only one who has always been thoroughly aggravated by the way this movie ends?

Based on the other comments posted, you're not alone. I was surprised to see that because I think Lizzie and Starbuck are incompatible. They needed each other at that particular point in time but as a long-term relationship it would never work.

When Starbuck asked her to go with him it was unexpected. She was flattered and probably thought it romantic. She was tempted for a moment but, the truth is, even if File was not in the picture, she already knew Starbuck was not the man for her.

File wasn't all razzle-dazzle but he was dependable, stable, and compatible with Lizzie. They were both lonely, recovering from feelings of hurt and inadequacy, and willing to work through their issues. They also had the support of the important people in their lives.

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