MovieChat Forums > Number One (1969) Discussion > The Ending (Spoilers)

The Ending (Spoilers)

posted 17 years ago by Justin1-2
9 replies | jump to latest

Ok did anyone get the ending. Did he die? Will he be able to play football anymore? Was his wife leaving the stadium or going to see him? Anyone please help me.

[–] bradford-1 17 years ago

The scene is a recreation of a famous photo of Y.A. Tittle, the New York Giants quarterback. After having endured several sacks by the Pgh. Steelers, Tittle, in his final game in 1964, is pictured on his knees, without his helmet, blood dripping from his balding head down his cheek. He apparently also had a coupla broken ribs.
I doubt if Cat Catlan was about to die, but his career was. He was tackled once too often.

[–] mvpx7 16 years ago

I don't believe he died, either. But his wife (played by Jessica Walter a few years before "Play Misty for Me") was definitely headed for the exits because she had had enough!

[–] chas77 14 years ago

He didn't die. It was just meant to show that his career was over. There is this book on Heston that shows a still from a scene deleted from the movie where his character is lying on a hospital bed -- alive.

[–] mcintyro 14 years ago

But he was bleeding from his ear. I always thought he died. That was the point. He spends 15 minutes off the bus, contemplating whether to play or not. I remember the blood from the ear and thinking this is not good.

[–] OC47150 12 years ago

Watched this movie for the first time the other day. I thought it would be a concussion at the least.

Julie was just a cold-hearted witch by getting up and leaving.

[–] ScarletPimpernel64 11 years ago

I think she was going down to see if he was all right.

"Be sure you're right, then go ahead."
Davy Crockett

[–] AccidntlTourist 11 years ago

I thought the final scene was a disappointing ending to the otherwise well told classic dilemma - when does the superstar athlete let go of the world that meant everything to him.

Another thing that I thought was weird about the ending was the way none of his teammates gathered around him - even though he was clearly seriously injured.

I'm guessing they would have liked to have re-shot the last scene, but in 1969 they didn't have the tools (cgi, etc) to change it and they were very limited because - from the looks of it - they had a gigantic live shot. So, I'm guessing, they just decided to cop-out with their flawed ending by leaving it up to the viewer.

I think the ending can be interpreted in several ways, but I think - sadly - the ending basically failed an otherwise good movie - so I'm not going to guess.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] AccidntlTourist 11 years ago

Good points retsokm.

I think in the late 60s and early 70's the film industry was also (as with the nation) going thru an anti-establishment phase. Happy Hollywood endings were "not cool" and gritty real-world was "in"; a little ambiguity was welcome. Easy Rider, The Long Goodbye, Cool Hand Luke, to name a few.

Heston actually seemed to like this sort of tough-guy / hard life / rough ending:
Planet of the Apes, Omega Man and Number One.

It just occurred to me - "Number One" - as the song says "one is the loneliest number". So, maybe that is part of the meaning of the title.

So we have a guy that became number one by shutting everyone out (cause it was all about "him"; number one) and when he finally realized what a mistake this was - it was to late.

So we see him alone on the field - no one cares about him, not even his wife (as we might be led to believe; she walks out on him?) - at his death, dying alone.

Whether he actually died or was just injured - this was it - the end - the death of his career and the death of his life as he had constructed it - dying alone.

Maybe that was it?
Just wish the movie had played the ending with a little less ambiguity. I like trying to understand a flick, but sometimes poor execution takes ambiguity too far.