Can a whole film fail, if one scene is a failure? If, for example, we are speaking of the ending of a film, then yes, of course. The occasions are countless when we leave the cinema with feelings ranging from sheer surprise, bittersweet emotion due to an unexpected ending, or a climax that just didn't meet our expectations one single bit. It's not necessarily about ending the plot with a narrative balance, but more the fact of not throwing everything overboard all at once. Neither should we ask for perfection, let's be realistic.
Now, a more of a nitty gritty question. Can a blockbuster fail because of a poor closing line? Categorically, no. However, can they help improve a film? Absolutely. Perhaps not in the sense where the actor or actress involved becomes a sudden cinematic hero, but it certainly leaves viewers content in their seat when it comes to the end. One last crack at the script, a sudden final reference, a last turn of wit, a few words. They can change everything. A witty final phrase is essential in order for a simple sentence to end up forming the better part of a film, as rare as they are however there are a few cases which have had such an effect.
So, in this article, we have ten famous closing lines from films that have truly put the icing on the cake to their prospective movies.
1 'Planet of the Apes'
You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!
If you managed to survive the enormous and incomprehensible spoiler that was its movie poster, the ending of 'Planet of the Apes' must have left you with your head spinning. A perfect ending, with the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand already having complete power over the viewers but that accompanied by the desperate cries of Charlton Hetson makes it such a classic ending.
2 'The Truman Show'
Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!
Ok, so if we're going to be picky, the actual final words of The Truman Show are "Where is the TV guide?", a perfect phrase to round off this contemporary classic. However, the moment before this, is when the excellent Jim Carey says the classic greeting as a way of saying farewell, full of emotion straight from the mouth of an unforgettable character. Wonderful.
3 'Some Like it Hot'
"Well, nobody's perfect!"
The perfect final phrase, the classic of the classics, the definitive gag which signs off one of the most well known comedies of all time. Pure cinema in three words, but the only possible exception would be that IF someone was to be perfect, it would be Billy Wilder.
4 'The Black Knight'
He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight.
Hair-raising. You immediately want to watch it again. This must have been exactly what the millions of viewers thought when they first saw the 'The Dark Knight', the best superhero film in the history of cinema and one of the indisputable top blockbusters of it's type. Christopher Nolan rose to the top with the outstanding sequel to 'Batman Begins', that from beginning to end was destined to become a classic. And a classic it has definitely become.
5 'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial'
"I'll... be... right... here."
And everyone cry. 'E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial', the major breakthrough for director Steven Spielberg, that ended in three words that shrunk all our hearts, whilst being accompanied by John Williams' unforgettable sound-track. It without a doubt gave us all a huge lump in our throat. A wonderful farewell that marked one of the most beautiful friendships that cinema has ever witnessed. It's practically impossible to not get emotional over this film.
6 'Casablanca'
"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship"
If the emphatic farewell had not been sufficient enough between Humphry Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in this marvelous black and white film, Casablanca was keeping an ace up its sleeve to leave everyone with a silly smile when it comes to the end. It is the loneliness of a tough guy, the last nod of a memorable character who disappeared into the fog to appear in the privileged realm of film icons. An absolute classic.
7 'Back to the Future'
"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads"
After almost two hours of pure cinematic pleasure, 'Back to the Future', the first episode of the brilliant trilogy, finishes with a slight wink at the possibility of a sequel that everyone probably didn't realise would bring such success in the future. Fortunately, the public loved the first part of the saga and since then it has been branded as an 80s classic. Phrases as symbolic as it's final lines just add to the compliments of a movie which was just born to succeed.
8 'Psycho'
I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching... they'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly..."
In the heights of filmmaking, 'Psycho' is already classed as more than a masterpiece, it is one of those unbeatable classics you know like the back of your hand. In full competition with 'The Sixth Sense' to sit on the throne of having the best final twist, telling the story of Norman Bates, one of those unforgettable characters that continues to give you goosebumps right to this day, and the Master Alfred Hitchcock thought out his final scene perfectly. That final shot, that inside voice, that smile, that stare. Pure cinema.
9 'Fight Club'
"You met me at a very strange time in my life."
Edward Norton, during those years seemed like he was one of the best actors around, alongside Brad Pitt. Both these men accompanied us along a 140 minute journey of outrageous, explosive, risky and masterful cinema.
David Fincher confirmed his status as the essential director of 'Fight Club', an hypnotic journey to the bottom of a man's sick mind that finds its perfect parallelism with the society that surrounds him. Everything was unpredictable, delusional and brutal in this masterpiece that has not lost one speck of its power. Those finals words along with the song 'Where is my mind?' by The Pixies, never fails.
10 'Lost In Translation'
"I have to be leaving, but I won't let that come between us. OK?"
Sometimes, such a subtle phrase can thrill more than any declaration of love . 'Lost in Translation' was closing with the delicacy and cinematographic mastery of one of the most beautiful romances of the last decade, singing of freedom in the middle of chaos, to the deep value found in the middle of a desert, to the beauty of silence and the secret gestures.
Several years after its premiere, as well as various audio analysis, it was finally revealed what the impeccable Bill Murray was whispering in the ear of Scarlett Johansson. Some of the magic was lost, but we all returned to this last hug still upset from the first time we saw it.