MovieChat Forums > From the Earth to the Moon (1964) Discussion > What's supposed to happen at the end? (...

What's supposed to happen at the end? (SPOILERS!)

posted 15 years ago by hobnob53
9 replies | jump to latest

DANGER!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Near the end of the film, after Ben explains to Virginia about the fate of Barbicane and Nicholl, and their own chances of returning to Earth, she tells him that one day the world will know the truth, they embrace, and...suddenly there's a huge flame outside the porthole, with the sound of an explosion -- then, cut to the final scene with J.V., Cartier and Von Metz.

Now, I've watched this film for over forty years, and to this day I can't figure out what exactly is supposed to have happened. Did the remaining section of the Columbiad with Virginia and Ben blow up and kill them? Or are we supposed to assume they return safely to the Earth, since -- as with almost all movies -- when a character makes a statement about something the audience never sees (in this case, Ben's "We might possibly just make it"), we're supposed to take this as assuring us that that is actually what does happen in that unseen development.

Trouble is, no ending is entirely satisfactory from a plot point of view. If they were blown up, it violates the movie principle mentioned in the above paragraph. Besides, after the flame shoots out, it dies away, but the ship still appears intact, as viewed from the shot looking through the porthole (if the ship had exploded, then the porthole and everything else in the shot would have disappeared before the flame).

On the other hand, if the two did make it back to Earth, they could report on what happened, and whether they were completely believed or not, there would be some resolution to the mystery. Yet the final exchange between Jules Verne, Cartier and Von Metz makes it clear that they'll "never be able to prove" what happened, and that the fate of the Columbiad and its passengers will remain unknown for at least a long time to come...not something that would be true if Ben and Virginia made it back home.

So what's supposed to have happened? Were the two lovers killed or not? I don't think there's a definitive answer to this, as the movie is so vague. But any opinions?

[–] flan99 15 years ago

I don't think there is an anwswer.

The couple were still in space - and we'll never know what happened to them.

[–] hobnob53 15 years ago

Personally, I think producer Benedict Bogeaus ran out of money and film and just ended things. But you may be right.

[–] babettegillette 14 years ago

Being the 19th Century, such an event would probably be met with widespread disbelief, even if there was a tour of the craft around the country. The lack of an instant media would make it difficult for the public to believe such an event had occurred. So for it's era of technology, the conversation at the end makes a lot of sense to me. To me that was not sloppy, but well thought out(or perhaps by accident). Whether the couple survived or not may not have mattered as far as proof of the flight. Having seen some moonrocks, that certainly would not have been proof. Not even photos. The ending does seem to confirm what you say.

[–] hobnob53 14 years ago

Well, I basically agree with you (as usual!), but it still leaves me wondering what is supposed to have happened to Ben and Virginia -- blown up, or somehow got back? The dialogue when Ben tells Va. that they "just possibly might make it" indicates the latter, in the time-honored movie tradition that when a character says something will happen about an event we don't see, the audience can take it for granted that that's what will happen. But the final burst of flame makes me think otherwise, although if you watch it all the way the flame dies away and the porthole is still there, intact. I'd like to think the filmmakers deliberately made the end artistically vague, but let's just say they could have done it better.

[–] DrakeStraw 11 years ago

I think producer Benedict Bogeau [sic] ran out of money and film and just ended things.

Actually, its Bogeaus. I would pronounce it without the "ea."

Yes, the film was never finished. Actually, it should never have been started!

--
Drake

FYI

[spoiler][/spoiler]

[–] hobnob53 11 years ago

No, I'm glad it was made. I just think they should have paid more attention to what they were doing.

Thanks for pointing out my "Bogeaus" typo of three years ago. Don't know how I left off the "s", but it's there now. But I like your "Bogus" remark.

[–] DrakeStraw 11 years ago

The thinness of this board reflects how bad the movie was. I watched it again recently, because I have liked all three leads in other roles. They just didn't overcome the bad screenplay for this film. The FX in this movie are extremely bad, especially when they show the projectile in space against a blue sky with flames and smoke rising.

--
Drake

FYI

[spoiler][/spoiler]

[–] hobnob53 11 years ago

Not to mention the steel rod holding it up, apparently also there to feed fuel to be ignited so that it looks like flames are shooting out of the rocket. It looks like they hoped the flames would disguise the rod but it generally didn't. If you think about it, that's actually a fairly elaborate model to construct for a film with such cheap effects...one reason I can't understand why they resorted to such fake, poorly-thought-out effects. They could have done something at least more credible, if still phony-looking.

[–] KobiyashiMauru 8 years ago

Should have used abacus or slide rule graphics! 😵

Luke Skywalker, your Mom was hawt! Darth Vader