the end
hi all....im a bit confused at the ending...the woman looking for her lost dog and then maura looking in her cottage window...what was going on...i thankyou
Georgie
My interpretation is that Maura suspected Billy might know that the young woman was out here, all alone, and feared he might be tempted by the opportunity to go on a "rampage" again.
And then she hears him play the harmonica, which is indicative throughout the film that he is in a special "mood" - so that confirms her suspicions.
And, of course, when he appears on the motorbike, it turns out she was right... :(
There are a few things I dislike about this film, but all in all it's not bad.
How did you like it?
Thankyou...i suppose he could of been on his way to that farmers wifes cottage when maura saw him....i really like the film,its in my all time top 10!I love the rambling old mansion,the bossy blind mother and there are some rather black humour in it too...i like the music too which adds to the atmosphere.
Georgie
I think the idea was to catch the woman further along that road; I may be wrong.
And I LOVE the music, too! :)
I can understand why Bernard Herrmann hated the ending. It relies too much on supposition and vague hinting, making it unsatisfying (although shocking). If they intended to imply that Billy was now reverting to his old ways, "playing the harmonica" was not the clearest way to do it, simply because the harmonica is frequently used in the soundtrack, NOT just as "source music" when played by Billy. When Patricia Neal is outside the cottage window, it's not clear at first whether the music we are hearing is intended to be soundtrack or live music.
shareI only got to see the last half hour, and I could tell from just the very end of the night burial, breaking in the window to his bedroom, the newspaper about the missing nurse... that she suspected him... and then he played his harmonica.
She moves him away, the girl's dog is missing (and I was worried for the girl's safety, as probably was she), then she spies on him, hears the harmonica, and disappointedly shrinks back against the stone wall.
Pretty obvious he'd done something... and they were supposed to be in their idyllic hideaway, free from... torment.
Next thing I know...
He finds her on the road, she wordlessly shows her disappointment, which he can't take, and for guilt/anger,whatever ...he commits suicide.
Straightforward. Didn't know why he was a killer... but now I do from reading here.
I had wondered if she was going to get on the bike and then driving along the cliff, jerk the steering to run them both off. But it works as is.
Rather simple.
It's one of those older, all-about-the-drama, UK movies... that develops too slowly for a lot of present-day viewers... but I like having such a story sedately told, and not full of gore, or inane music, etc. It's something to watch while you're doing something else, bills, laundry... or tea ;)
Atmosphere. Reminds me a little of 'The Haunting', one of my favorites that scared the heck out of me as a young child, watching it alone(?) in a darkened room just before bedtime. Ohhhh, man!
if it were obvious, people wouldn't be wondering what was going on. Thoughts, motivations and actions are hard to link up in this movie. Did he kill the dog? Was he going to kill the young woman? Why would he kill himself - just for "disappointing" Maura, or because she would also leave him permanently (or call the police)? People dont usually kill themselves so suddenly like that, so you're left unsatisfied for any reasonable reasons (regardless if he's crazy and it's just a movie).
It was unclear if Maura knew what Billy was doing. Notice that she doesn't actually peek through the window as she hears his harmonica. I thought she assumed he might just be cheating on her with the younger woman and that her sadness and tears are due to that. What I like about this movie is how open it is to interpretation. When I think about it, you guys might be right, but it's never specified, which makes the ending very poignant and effective for me. I'd even dare call it poetic. At this point I'd usually go on a rant about how way too many modern viewers are used to being served up explicit and easy to follow movies with endings neatly wrapped up like a Christmas present so they can't appretiate old gems like this, but there'd be no use.
I'm here, Mr. Man, I can not tell no lie and I'll be right here 'till the day I die
Thank you toshguy! I couldn't agree more. I love films that are open to interpretation and this is certainly one of them.
shareGeorgie,
I recently watched this film for the first time and I adored it. Admittedly, it's not perfect, but the cast was terrific, the atmosphere haunting and powerful, and the script finely nuanced. Great points about the music (which was scored by Bernard Hermann in case you didn't know!)and the black humor. I laughed out loud when Mrs. Prince was telling her friend about Mrs. Palafox's upcoming "operation."