*SPOILER* I don't get the ending - The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) Discussion

[–] Bloody_Wonder 16 years ago

Driven by Roderick- I think is the cause. It was Roderick who insisted that she had a genetic madness.

"I'm not kind, I'm vicious. It's the secret of my charm"- Waldo Lydecker

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[–] Rainey-Dawn 9 years ago

I believe we, the viewers, are left to ponder that mystery.

In my review I stated: In the end, we are left to wonder if this "curse" is all in the mind, you know simply believing it to be true and is curable by letting go, forgetting the past and living in the now (Philip Winthrop's idea). OR is it something that runs in the family [genes] and cannot be cured - completely doomed (Roderick Usher's belief). I believe we are left to ponder this.

In my belief: Madeline Usher (Fahey) would have been "cured" if she would have never gone back to The House of Usher - she should have at least left with her fiancee Philip Winthrop (Damon) then she would have lead a normal life with Philip. Roderick Usher (Price) might have "snapped out of it" as well if he had left and forgot all about the house and family's history. Basically I believe that Philip Winthrop was correct and that Madeline Usher was driven to "madness" by her brother Roderick Usher in the end. But I am still left to ponder this mystery.

"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." ~ The Invisible Man

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[–] Bflogal11 16 years ago

I think it was Roderick who was insane, either born that way, or driven that way by his preoccupation of the family history of madness. Madeline seemed fine, Roderick was projecting the "family insanity" onto her himself. He told her for so long she was cursed, she believed it. After all, Madeline was apparently fine in Boston, none of the afflictions were apparent there when she met her fiance (the bland food, light,noise and clothing issues) or he would have known about them when he came to see Madeline. But all these revelations revealed by Roderick were a surprise to him. It was Roderick who drov her to madness by burying her alive. So, in a way,the family was cursed, by death and insanity, brought on by themselves.
"There is nothing in my dish but my dish!" James Cocoa-"Murder by Death"

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[–] Navaros 7 years ago

None of the afflictions were apparent there when she met her fiance (the bland food, light,noise and clothing issues) or he would have known about them when he came to see Madeline.

Or:

A> Maybe Mads was hiding her afflictions.

B> Maybe Mads didn't have the afflictions at the time she was in Boston, but nevertheless, she was still going to be receiving her afflictions no matter what, at the proper time as appointed by the curse, regardless of Rod being there or not.

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[–] iyeko 16 years ago

I don't really think you are suppost to get it, it calls for personal reflection. :)

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[–] Shinobu_Sensui 16 years ago

Exactly.

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[–] jorgito2001 16 years ago

Good explanations guys...it helps me appreciate this film more.

***
Recent:
House of Usher (1960): 7/10
The Pledge: 4/10
Haunted Prison: 4/10

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] wongsaur 16 years ago

Mental illness is contagious. Roderick probably definitely had a congenital condition. But his behavioral symptoms influenced his interactions with his sister and her "normal" behaviors over time were adapted to his abnormalities.

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[–] megArnold 16 years ago

Yes, but in the end she had the USHER MADNESS RED EYES(tm)!!!

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[–] liscarkat (16483) 6 months ago

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[–] davidandjone 16 years ago

That is a very good question which only the viewer can answer for himself/herself. One must weigh everything the movie shows and suggests, and finally the viewer must decide. Some of the things Roderick says appear to be quite true, such as the stark and dying land around the Usher house, his heightened senses, etc., but he also comes off as being sinister to a large degree, which causes the viewer to understandably favor Madeline and Philip in their desire to leave. However, near the end even Bristol warns Philip that Madeline is mad, and Roderick earlier had said to Philip that 3/4 of his family had fallen into madness and in their madness developed a super human strength that took the power of many to subdue them. When Philip tries to restrain Madeline at the end, she throws him down with her superior strength and then overwhelms Roderick, also. Madeline had time to "snap out" of her rage running through the house at the end if she was completely normal, so one probably must have to hesitatingly admit she carried the Usher madness, unfortunately.

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[–] InsideTheCastleWall 16 years ago

Well put! I agree.

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[–] kathykato 15 years ago

Madeline wasn't insane prior to returning to the House of Usher...she evidentally was well when living in Boston. Her brother drove her insane by burying her alive. Perhaps on a conscious level her brother believed his family was cursed, and this was his motive for not allowing Madeline to leave with her fiancee, but I think that on a subconscious level he was insanely possessive of her and couldn't bear the thought of her fiancee stealing her away from him.

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[–] beckeis 15 years ago

Unfortunately, in the end, she was definitely mad. Poor thing. Whether it "Usher maddness" or not -- it did both she and her brother in.

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[–] phillipsdan83 10 years ago

There's so many killers, criminals and lunatics swinging from the Usher family tree that it can't be a "normal" family in any sense. Roderick likely only sped up what would have happened anyway.

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Navaros 7 years ago

Madeline had time to "snap out" of her rage running through the house at the end if she was completely normal,

A ha ha! Dude, she was an undead vampire at that time. There is no "snapping out of" that, other than via a stake through the heart or exposure to sunlight, or being burned to ash in a raging fire.

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[–] TheSolarSailor 10 years ago

Madeline had the strength associated with the Usher madness, so I think she had it genetically, though Roderick prematurely pushed her to it.

- - - - - - -
Whose idea was it for the word LISP to have an S in it? [giveup]

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[–] Navaros 7 years ago

So was Madeline really afflicted with a genetic madness or just driven that way by Roderick?

I couldn't call it "genetic madness." The more accurate word is curse. Madeline was cursed no matter what. Even if Roderick wasn't there, Madeline would still be cursed. But Roderick exacerbated her curse by turning her into a vampire.

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