Every single time i see the end of this film my eyes get watery and the fountains go on full strength. It's just such a powerful ending. Im glad the character figure out that in the end to God size doesnt matter.
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Yes, it's a very emotional moment for me, too. What a great film!
shareYup.
When I was a kid I thought he was the coolest movie character of all time! And I still do.
I also had a tear,when I saw the end. This music and Scott´s words are so moving...
shareYes, it is a very inspiring moment. It makes me forget about my problems and lets me feel that I belong in this world.
Robert
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." ~ Winston Churchill
My wife abhors science fiction, but we watched this together, & she loved it. I too shed a tear @the end, if I'm really wrapped up in it: not just the solioquy but pondering the fact that his wife believes him dead & has left.
shareAgreed, the ending is one of my favourite moments in cinema. The closing speech is just transcendent. Does anyone have a transcript of this - it was years ago that I saw it?
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Sir John Rossman
Knight Of The Jersey Shore
Owner and Proprietor Of The Laughing Loon Inn
Here is the "ending" speech by Scott Carey: (from the Memorable Quotes section of this board.) And yes I feel a tear threatening to burn my eyes, even just READING this speech. So, there you have it. Here it is.
[closing soliloquy narration]
Scott Carey: I was continuing to shrink, to become...what? The infinitesimal? What was I? Still a human being? Or was I the man of the future? If there were other bursts of radiation, other clouds drifting across seas and continents, would other beings follow me into this vast new world? So close - the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet - like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens. The universe, worlds beyond number, God's silver tapestry spread across the night. And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of man's own limited dimension. I had presumed upon nature. That existence begins and ends is man's conception, not nature's. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing. My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero. I STILL EXIST!
Of course it's sad! This is a timeless soliloquy that pulls the viewer into the bitter end of a man's existence and significance to those who loved him.
I've seen a couple of other Jack Arnold movies and those are great too, but this one is his crowning achievement.
Do The Mussolini! Headkick!
such a brilliant and profound closing narration.
my friend recommended this film after he stumbled across it on TV ...so i had to go get it out on DVD.
(something about this film reminded me about the orginal The Fly)
I think that closing statement meant that whatever size you are ..or whatever circumstance you are in ...all of us ..all the things of the world ...are infinitely small in comparison to the vastness of the universe.
There is no zero in the universe. Everythings has its place and purpose in this cosmic clock work mechanism ...big or small every single cog does a job.
All in good company here. Yes I did cry too.
Great movie!!! Saw it again just tonight after about 7 years.
Peace.
PCL
THANK YOU for including the final soliloquy. The ending is frightening, brilliant, inspiring, and, yes, brought tears to my eyes. I found it intensely moving to watch the character cling so desperately to some sense of meaning, even in the terrifying face of nothingness. Heartbreaking.
What amazes me about Richard Matheson's fantastic tales is how they work on so many levels. "Shrinking Man" can be interpreted literally, metaphorically, religiously, sociologically, psychologically, philosophically, metaphysically, existentially, you name it. So too can his other masterpieces, including his novel "I Am Legend" (not the movie), "Duel" (perfectly adapted by Spielberg), and Twilight Zone classics like "The Invaders," "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," and others. Matheson always adds deeper metaphoric levels to his work that modern writers seem incapable of.
"Shrinking Man," in my opinion, has to be one of the most intellectually profound sci-fi movies ever made, second only to "2001: A Space Odyssey." And the fact that it's a low-budget cheapie makes it even more impressive.
I STILL EXIST!
Words to live by.
I've loved this movie for years. Several years ago, I got hold of a copy of the novel as well. My fiancee at the time was going through terminal ovarian cancer. I saw the story as a metaphor for terminal illness--that we simply move to another sphere of existence. I tried to get her to read the book or watch the movie, but she never would. I wish she had.
shareYes, I did actually.
I saw this film years ago and recalling it this evening, one thing occurred to me: the similarity to Kafka's Metamorphosis (except that the ending of TISM seems almost hopeful). One day, through no fault of his own, a man undergoes a most bizarre transformation.
In both cases, the family members are initially concerned and supportive but gradually are worn down by the stress. (Actually, in Kafka's story it was only the sister. The parents were appalled and wanted nothing to do with him.) In Metamorphosis, the memory of Gregor as beloved son and brother eventually fades as the family adjusts to his presence as a giant insect. In both stories, the transformed man is as good as dead to them, loved in memory but no longer a part of their daily lives. They have done with their grieving and go on with their lives.
It always struck me as an allegory for the despair of mental illness - a family's resignation, the afflicted one's sense of abandonment.
I'd say the last speech is pretty much in Shakespeare's league.
Food For Thought
Love The Oldies
Yeah, I LOVE that ending soliloquy. I'm a total atheist, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating some of the truly beautiful thoughts connected with religion, and that "To God, there is no zero. I STILL exist!" is one of them.
shareYes, I totally agree. I always cry at the end -- it's a reaction to a combination of his soliloquy and that sad, haunting music. He is so brave!
share Yes last night watching it again I still welled up - with eternity (and nearly shed a tear as big as the drop of water in the basement).
It was truly inspired - like from a great, Directing Force. It even almost joins religion and science triumphantly.
For me, it was the fact that a string of great profound and so rare ideas poured out of his head.
It also wasn't just the tremendous overcoming of utter hopelessness - as he often had to do - but that he finally did with The Ultimate!
The Elephant Man also has a great similar cosmic ending of eternal hope.
Hand raised.....
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