SPOILER ALERT!!!!!
I borrowed a dvd of Tom Jones from the library and the disk was defective, so I didn't get to see the entire ending. . . . what I saw was Tom being hanged, and the next thing I saw was Sophie's father saying that he always loved Tom and Tom would be united with Sophie. So what happened????? Was he not hanged? Did somebody rescue him?
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i didn't like this film, and have fast forward to the ending for you. the drunk guy...the one the horse fell on...rode up and saved him from being hung.
his stepfather approaches finney and says that finney is his [the stepfather] sister's son. everyone is happy re that announcement. since i didn't watch this, unsure why but hopefully you know. and then he runs to the woman and they kiss.
the end.
I recently rented the BBC version called The History of Tom Jones. MUCH better and more thorough. It's five hours -be warned, but as I said much better.
Briefly, Squire Western (Sophie's father) hears that Tom is in prison and gallops there, only to find that he is already despatched to Tyburn in the tumbril. Here he meets the officer once again he met in the inn scene earlier and fought in the wood when saving Mrs. ? (Tom's supposed mother?), who was expelled from Squire Allworthy's household. The noose is fitted about his neck, the tumbril is pulled away from under him and he swings by the neck, but still alive. At this point Squire Western arrives, draws his sword, cuts him down while mounted on his horse and gallops off with Tom across his saddle to the joy of the crowd and rage of the officer-in-charge who thought he was finally revenged of Tom.
Mr Allworthy is apprised of the circumstances of Tom's incarceration. He challenges Blifil as to what became of the paper given to him after his sister's death by the lawyer and Tom, now sufficiently recovered is overjoyed to find that Mr Allworthy is indeed his uncle and embraces him. Meantime, Squire Western who loves the sporting Tom Jones, knows that his daughter Sophia Western has fallen for Tom and the pair are united with both parent's blessing. The final scene shows them alone at last and Tom embraces his Sophie. Henry Fielding is heard at this point in voice-over speaking the lines:
"Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He, who can call to-day his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst,
For I have lived today."