When I first watched this movie growing up I noticed that depending on the cable channel playing it, it had two different endings. In one Matt Dillon's character enters the wife's hospital room and she looks up at him and says "I bet there's a liar's moon out tonight". In another ending she dies! Can't seem to find anything on the internet about the alternate endings or which was the original ending.
I am so glad I looked this up. For years I though was I remembering this wrong. The very first time I saw this movie, I was in middle school and I saw it at my grandmothers, because they had cable TV. . The movie upset me so bad when her character died. I think I remember Matt Dillion crying in the operating/recovery room with his head on her stomach. Then maybe a grave stone with her name? Anyway, I knew I saw a different ending. I knew she died. I watched it with my mom & sister on a later date and I was so confused to see another ending. Many years have went by and I rented the video for my two girls to watch. I wish somewhere I could find the one I first saw. But at least I know I am not crazy. Thanks.
shareI just watched this movie for the first time in like 20 years and I thought I was losing my mind! It had a happy ending and I don't remember it that way AT ALL. I know the original that I saw, the wife dies on the operating table. It was so sad. As for the song "I'll love you forever" - someone said it's written by some guy, but who was the woman who sang it? Sorta Patsy Cline-sounding. Great song, great movie - 20 years later and I still love it!
shareIM SO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE. I HAVE LOVED THIS MOVIE FOR MANY YEARS, BUT HADN'T SEEN IT IN MANY YEARS ALSO. THE FIRST TIME I SAW IT MATT DILLON'S WIFE DIES. IT WAS LIKE 20 YEARS BEFORE I SAW IT AGAIN AND SHE LIVED. I THOUGHT I JUST REMEMBERED IT WRONG TOO. I LIKE HAPPY ENDINGS, SO THE SECOND ENDING IS BEST TO ME!!!
shareyeah, I hate when they make two different endings to a film. I think the ending where she dies is the best, but I am a sucker for a sad ending ..haha
This is a very good movie though, too bad not too many people know about it.
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I don't think they really made two different endings. It's probably just that the broadcast version edited it for time and cut the last scene.
shareI don't think they really made two different endings. It's probably just that the broadcast version edited it for time and cut the last scene.
Actually, they *did* film two endings. They showed the first version to a test audience that liked everything except the fact that the girl died, so they changed it. The original version showed in some places, and the revised version showed in others. It was the first movie that I had ever heard of doing that (that's the only reason that I remember it! :) )
I own this movie and it is so great! At the end of my copy Jenny does die. Matt walks in and tells her that her parents have givin permission for them to be together and then she dies happy. Sad, but a great movie!!!
shareWhen my cable company was showing this movie, they showed both endings. My brother saw it and we were discussing it and I said it was a shame she died at the end. He thought I was nuts. He saw her live and I saw her die. The next time it was on it was the living version and I thought I was going crazy.I knew I saw her die! It was like a completely different movie with the new ending. When I saw the credits, however,I noticed in one of the stills they use for the background, they are all standing around a grave. Strange.
shareI hired this movie from a video store back in the mid 80's and then it had the 2 alternate endings. They played the one where she died first. It kinda spoilt it for me because I'd already cried for her dying. The 2nd happy ending kinda didnt count.
shareI saw this movie only once when it first came out. I was never aware that there was an ending that she died. I must have seen the happy version. I do admit though the dying one does make better sense, I wouldn't want to see it. I also agree that this movie wasnt promoted properly. I think alot more people would have seen it if it was. I was a cute but sad little film.
shareI am relieved that I did not see the 'sad' ending. I prefer movies that end on a positive note. Very well done, and it was nice to see Yvonne DeCarlo's small performance too. The movie was quite well cast. I think the song, I'll love you forever,' was done by Asleep at the Wheel - curiously, they do not list the two songs used in the film in the credits - the other song I recall is "Lazy old sun," and that was also performed quite nicely, presumably by Asleep at the Wheel.
shareI just saw the movie with a happy ending, so if others have seen an ending where she dies, then they did do two endings.
Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Criedshare
MY BROTHER MADE THIS FILM AND WE DISCUSSED THE ALTERNATE ENDINGS. DAVE WAS AN MBA AND ENTERTAINMENT ATTNY AT THE TIME SO HE WAS VERY WELL AWARE OF THE COMMERICAL IMPORT OF SUCH CALLS. THE CALL WAS TO BE MADE BY THE RESULTS OF AUDIENCE TESTING.
I saw the one where she dies on cable as a kid. I heard the "alternate ending" story and rented the VHS of it from a video store as a teen ....hoping it would have the "happy endinG" I never saw. It was the evrsion where she dies.
Is there a DVD of this yet? Does it have BOTH endings? That would be cool.
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"Is there a DVD of this yet? Does it have BOTH endings? That would be cool"
sure, i have the dvd with both endings.
it's available on
http://dvdworld.com.br/dvdworld.hts?+LW54664+acha
it's a brazilian web site.
I saw this movie a long time ago (the version where she lives) and loved it...I suggested it to a friend who rented the version where she dies..she was furious with me for suggesting a movie with such a sad ending..I had no idea what she was talking about until we watched it again together.
I had no clue there were 2 versions...
We gotta travel by day so..lets go
I have the RCA SelectaVision CED of it (released by Vestron Video) and it had the ending when she died. I think the VHS and Betamax Vestron tapes have that ending also.
shareThe Australian original VHS on Roadshow contains both endings, the cover advertises: "Have you ever wanted to change the ending of a movie? Heres your chance! Happy or Tragic... the choice is yours!"
shareThis is one of my favorite movies. My parents first got cable in the early 1980s and there were a couple movies that I just watched over and over again. This was one of them. I loved the ending when he walked in and you "thought" she was dead, but then her hand moves and she tells him that "There must be a Lover's Moon out tonight" since earlier in the movie she explains the difference between a liar's moon and a lover's moon. I saw it a year or so later and bought it (unfortunately I accidentally bought the Beta copy instead of VHS). So years later I had it copied over to a VHS tape so I could watch it and boy was I surprised when she died at the end. I was in total shock and could not believe what I saw. It was later after looking up the movie in a huge book at Blockbuster that gave information on the movies, that I learned they had filmed 2 different endings. I was glad that I was not crazy. But when I found this out, movies were still on VHS so you didn't get to choose what ending you wanted to watch. Now that they are on DVD, I'm sure that I'll have to get it now. None of the movie rental places have it so I need to order it.
sharethe new "Rare Cult Cinema" DVD set has the sad ending. I guess the only way to see the other ending is through the Aussie DVD.
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On my DVD there is only the happy ending, it was the only copy I could get hold of. It is a region 2-version, published in the Netherlands with Dutch and French subtitltes only and no extras (except for the original theatre trailer).
shareThe only ending I've seen is the tragic one. Maybe one of the DVD imports that can be purchased off of Amazon would have the happy ending? I'd like to compare them.
According to an Amazon review. The set you mention (Amazon ASIN:B003XMKU1G) has the sad ending and The Excellent Eighties collection (Amazon ASIN:B008L0YN0Y)has the happy ending.
Both from Mill Creek.
For those still keeping score in 2014, Mill Creek's Top Of The Class 12 Film Pack contains Liar's Moon in a very good transfer with the happy ending (albeit sharing space with three other films on the disc):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EI3YGD2/
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