MovieChat Forums > Tango (1999) Discussion > What Really happened in the end?

What Really happened in the end?

posted 20 years ago by angelinastarr
3 replies | jump to latest

At the very end of this movie, Elena (Mia Maestro) gets stabbed. However, I'm a bit confused. Does her character die or does everyone end up happy in the end? I even bought the DVD so that I could listen to the director's commentary. I understand everything that he says, even though it's in Spanish (only because I am multilingual).

The part that I am confused about is directly after she gets stabbed, she lies there motionless until Mario (Miguel Angel Sola) comes to revive her. When she comes to, she asks how the scene turned out, and then in the background, we can hear the real director of this movie (Carlos Saura) telling the actors to show up at 11 am for the dance scene that was just filmed. Then her mafioso boyfriend congratulates her on a scene well done, calling her "Maestro" which is the actresses real last name, but directly afterwards, he turns to actor Sola and calls him by his character's name, Mario, to ask him about the stabbing.

In the commentary, Saura and Maestro both state that the ending was left open for the audience to decide. I personally don't think that Mr. Larroca would let a commodity like Elena walk off with Mario. He said he would kill her if she left him. But everyone looks happy.

Somebody help me!

[–] dgaston 20 years ago

I took it that the Mafioso was asked to participate in the program and that his "moment" was so realistic that it frightened the director who loved her. But you make a good point. Throughout the movie they blur the line between "Mario's Life" and "Mario's Production". So it is a great twist that they step out of the "Mario's Prodution" and into "Carlos Saura's Production" (the actual movie). Nice touch.

Very artistic film. I think it has all the drama and sensuality that Bob Fosse's films lack. (Fosse's films are nice but nowhere near this well-done.)

d.

"Why can't we all just get along?"

[–] melvin-1 18 years ago

The blur from fiction and reality was gone and Mario and Elena lived happily where Angelo thought he had ordered a hit and decided to stop it and leave Elena alone after she left Angelo the scene it was like Mario's thought he was killing Laura and left her alone after that. Then the scene where she might have been killed was a blur when Mario thought Angelo henchman would kill her then he ran out to see if it was true or not then she lived.

[–] pywalkye2 16 years ago

I can imagine how much confused you are...anyhow I will help you at once! What really happened in the end was that Saura didn't placed the usually words "THE END", that "always" had the movies, and simple, the actors and crew just left couse the movie was done so that's why you see them going away, talking and so on, meanwhile we start watching the credits...that's all.
Sorry I'm joking...
Despite this omission, is an extraordinary production, that leads the spectator into a fictional world dubbing with the real. Surrounded by the sensual tango music insert in a color changeable scenography (it changes in parallel with the scene)all along the movie, using the entire color spectrum. Some scenes has in the backing projection of a Gardel's movie, and others a sort of a Dali's work or maybe Picasso, or even the arquitect Gaudi...
There is a story line of course, is simple, a love story at the beginning which has ended, and another that is starting, a brief and very interesting reference to the horrors Argentina suffer during the military governments, made with a Tango dance. Some sexual references in two scenes, one homosexual and the other lesbian, both ofcourse with tango dancers. (Superbs) ( Reminds me the Tango dance in "Frida" the most sensual Tango dance I have seen in a movie)
And inside of all this melting fabulous, clever, and I shall say unique movie, the constantly change between reality and fiction. Is a masterwork. Great dancers and wonderful actors. Carlos, Vittorio and Lalo made a Jewel.
Do I help you??? Guess yes... I shall recommend you to see first, "Bodas de Sangre", then "El Amor Brujo", after that see "Carmen" and "Flamenco" and then you will enjoy more this ruby of movie. Get it??.