MovieChat Forums > Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray (1962) Discussion > Question about the ending - MAJOR SPOILE...

Question about the ending - MAJOR SPOILER!

posted 10 years ago by quellcode
4 replies | jump to latest

***Don't read if you don't want to hear about the ending***

I saw this film last night for the first time after finding it on a list of Harmony Korine's favorite French films. I had never heard about it before but I found it enormously beautiful, mesmerizing, and touching.

I have a question about the ending, though.

Before we find out Pierre was shot, we see that he was apparently cured from his vertigo which was a symptom of his war trauma. But the police reports that he was about to kill the girl with his knife just when they arrived on the scene and that's why they had to kill him.

If this is what actually happened, I wondered that if he was "cured" from his vertigo, i.e. overcome his war trauma, would this not also mean that he was healed and not attack the girl as previously suggested by his girlfriend Madeleine's friend.

I would be interested in hearing other opinions. I really loved this film.

[–] HenryCW 10 years ago

Pierre, both before and after being "cured" of his fear of height and war trauma, had never intended to harm Cybèle. He had used his knife to unscrew the weathercock on top of the church. In the meantime Cybèle had fallen asleep while waiting for the gift. When the police - who had already been informed (wrongly) by many people that he was dangerous - saw him approaching or bending over Cybèle with his knife (we are not shown), they thought he was going to molest or kill the child and so they shot him.

[–] masuka-fan 10 years ago

I knew, when I saw them playing with the knife in the cafe, that it was going to cause trouble for them. Someone was going to see it and misunderstand. Like Henry said, he was never going to hurt her at any time.

Passion is just insanity in a cashmere sweater!

[–] rexamillion 10 years ago

The knife was the one he stole from the soothsayer at the fair, reminiscent of the one Cybele had talked about her grandmother having, so it was the opposite, it represented his love for her and their connection.
And he was just returning it along with the gift from the church roof as she slept.
A beautiful movie, thank goodness for Criterion! I go to their website every couple of months to see what they're doing, then hit up Netflix to see it's available there.

Anyone who liked this, I'd recommend "Lilith" with a very early Warren Beatty as a troubled young man (I know, Beatty, but he's actually pretty good in this!). Not everyone's cup of tea but similar psychological study, black and white, of war's traumas. I loved it.

[–] A_Prosthetic_Prophet 9 years ago

If you love the films the Criterion Collection releases, you really need to get a Hulu Plus membership, as they have around 8 or 9 hundred classic Criterion Collection Films, including some they have yet to release on dvd or blu-ray.