# Stories where the ending was changed BEFORE release. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239 "2005-10-28T01:20:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/21 "2005-10-28T15:54:24Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Then why is **Podkayne** still posting here, even after death? 😃 For the answer, I refer you to the film _Re-Animator_. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/22 "2005-10-28T16:03:07Z")
I just posted in another thread about John Barth’s first novel, **The Floating Opera.** His publisher thought the ending was too bleak, and pressured him into changing it to one that was perfectly awful. It was a finalist for the National Book Award. The judges made note of the ending as a reason for giving the award to John O’Hara. Ten years later, Barth re-released it with the “Original and correct text.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/23 "2005-10-28T17:08:29Z")
Let’s not forget the two “original” endings for _Fatal Attraction_ 1. Alex commits suicide, but frames Dan. You can see the last trace of this ending in a scene where she asks him to hand her a knife, then handles it very carefully to make sure his fingerprints stay on it. 2. Dan kills Alex in the bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/24 "2005-10-28T17:17:07Z")
How about the “love conquers all” studio cut of **Brazil**? The ending is pretty much the opposite of Gilliam’s version. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/25 "2005-10-28T17:26:42Z")
> [@](#): > > How about the “love conquers all” studio cut of Brazil? The ending is pretty much the opposite of Gilliam’s version. I’d forgotten that. They did the same thing to **Bladerunner**. The Director’s Cut is definitely better. And now I recall that both \*\*Terminator 2[p/B] and **The Abyss** were changed from Cameron’s original versions, in the case of The Abyss this resulted in a lot of impressive and expensive special effects footage being jettisoned. I like his “Director’s Cut” versions much better. I can’t see that **Close Encounters: The Special Edition** really added anything, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/26 "2005-10-28T17:29:05Z")
I actually have a related question about a movie. [Imdb.com](http://Imdb.com) reports that the Shining(Kubrick’s) had a scene after the closeup of the group photo(including Jack) at the end of the movie. The site says that: ``` **Director Stanley Kubrick edited the ending on the third day after release, removing about 10 minutes at the end: starting after the closeup of 'frozen Jack in daylight' it goes to a pullback shot with part of a state troopers car and the legs of troopers walking around in the foreground with jack in the background, then cuts to the hotel manager (Barry Nelson) Stuart Ullman walking down a hospital hallway to the nurse's station to inquire about Danny and Wendy, he's told they're both doing well and proceeds to Wendy's (Shelley Duvall) room, where after some gentle conversation he tells Wendy that searchers have been unable to locate any evidence of the apparitions she saw. Then it cuts to the camera silently roaming the halls of the Overlook hotel for about a minute until it comes up to the wall with the photographs, where it [back to the ending as it is now known] finally closes in on the photo of Jack in the 1921 pic.** ``` Did anyone see this version of the movie in theaters? I’ve always wondered if it really exists. If it does, it almost qualifies for changing before release, but misses it by a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/27 "2005-10-28T17:37:11Z")
> [@Palooka](#): > > How about the “love conquers all” studio cut of **Brazil**? The ending is pretty much the opposite of Gilliam’s version. Aren’t there three different versions in all? I’d love to get my hands on the 3-disc Criterion Collection set, but it’s so expensive! ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/28 "2005-10-28T18:04:03Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Aren’t there three different versions in all? I’d love to get my hands on the 3-disc Criterion Collection set, but it’s so expensive! I rented the 3-disc version from my local video store (though it was two years ago, so I could be wrong). I think there are only two ‘endings’. The third version includes some extra/extended scenes, especially some longer dream sequences. Not exactly the same, but E.M. Forster changed the ending to _A Room With a View_ himself. In that case, though, the book wasn’t entirely in its finished form so it’s not really an initial intent. The early ending had George getting killed in a bicycle accident by a tree branch. He was sort of trying to indicate that Lucy was ‘too late’ but even he thought it didn’t work well. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/29 "2005-10-28T20:07:49Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > Actually, it was “The president has been struck down in his prime”. Actually, he said, “Gentlemen! Our gallant young president has been struck down in his prime!” Kubrick opted not to include it not only because of the uncomfortable (if unintentional) allusion to the Kennedy assassination, but because it also didn’t fit in with the tone of the movie. > [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Aren’t there three different versions in all? I’d love to get my hands on the 3-disc Criterion Collection set, but it’s so expensive! There are at least 6 different cuts of the _Brazil_ that have been screened for the public or released for sale: [ul] [li]The original director’s cut at 142 minutes (a final “working print” with interim titles)[/li][li]the infamous “Love Conquers All” edit per the instructions of Universal studio head Sidney Scheinberg,[/li][li]the 132 minute cut (eventual American cinematic release)that Gilliam grudgingly delivered to the studio as his final print to comply with contractual obligations (this is also the only version available on NTSC video and DVD in North America for several years),[/li][li]The European theatrical release distributed by 20th Century Fox, which includes most of the DC scenes but ends the final shot a few seconds before the other “full” versions,[/li][li]the “Japanese” laserdisc release that was available in Japan and Europe which includes the European theatrical release plus some nudity. (I think this is the same as the Criterion Collection Laserdisc.)[/li][li]The Criterion Collection DVD cut, which is essentially identical to the director’s cut but includes complete end titles (that were not on the director’s cut) and has been color corrected. The DVD also has a documentary and other extras.[/li][/ul] Not quite as bad as _Blade Runner_, which has at least eight released versions, but quite a few. Other movies changed prior to release: [ul] [li]_The Big Sleep_: Bacall’s role was extended and new dialog added (at the insistance of her agent and owing to the chemistry between her and Bogart) at the expense of Martha Vickers.[/li][li]_Chinatown_ (as written): The shooting script (for which Robert Towne won an Oscar) had Jake saving Evelyn and her daughter/sister, but Polanski and Evans insisted on the bleak ending, which gives a lot more metaphorical depth to “Chinatown” with the final line, “Forget about it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.” [/li][li]_Casablanca_ is widely but erroneously reported to have had multiple endings filmed, with various permutations (Bogart flies off with Bergman, Bergman stays in Casablanca but Heinred flees, Bogart shoots Rains, et cetera) but in fact the ending was as scripted in the shooting script. However, the ending line, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” was recorded several weeks after the end of principle photography and dubbed over.[/li][/ul] Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/30 "2005-10-28T20:18:08Z")
Woody Allen originally intended for _Annie Hall_ to be a [murder mystery](http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/9542/annie.html) with a romantic subplot. He ended up liking the romance and jettisoning the murder mystery, which would show up in altered form as _Manhattan Murder Mystery_ many years later. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/31 "2005-10-28T21:20:22Z")
Cryer once said that Andie picked Duckie in the [original version](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091790/), it tested bad (why???) and they reshot the icky ending. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/32 "2005-10-28T21:32:02Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Cryer once said that Andie picked Duckie in the [original version](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091790/), it tested bad (why???) and they reshot the icky ending. They changed it because Hughes didn’t want the audience to feel like they were getting the message that poor people should stick together. Or something. I don’t know; I have a hard time anyone would want to be seen dancing with Molly Ringwald in that fabric Titanic dress. I still have nightmares about that. Anyway, you can see that Andrew McCarthy (whatinaheck happened to him? Is he filming direct-to-video sequels of “Weekend At Bernies” now?) has lost a lot of weight and is wearing a badly fitted wig in the final scene. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/33 "2005-10-28T22:01:31Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > I still have nightmares about that. Anyway, you can see that Andrew McCarthy (whatinaheck happened to him? > > Stranger He is a regular on “E-ring” with Hopper and Bratt. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/34 "2005-11-02T16:04:38Z")
The weird thing about \*Pretty in Pink \* is that John Hughes and director Howard Deutsch made _Some Kind of Wonderful_ the next year. It’s the **exact same plot** , only with the main roles gender-swapped and with the PiP’s original ending (the poor kids get together, the rich kid decides his/her rich friends suck and he/she needs to figure out who he/she really is). However, \*SKoW \* is just different enough that the ending is definitely the wrong ending _again_. Trivia: Lea Thompson, who has the Andrew McCarthy role in _SKoW_, was 19 or 20 when she made that movie, yet she married the director and they’ve remained married for nearly 20 years at this point. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/35 "2005-11-02T16:42:15Z")
**Risky Business** originally had shot a darker ending, with Tom Cruise being denied admission to Princeton, etc. The studio made them shoot an alternative, happier ending, and test audiences liked the happier ending better. Sua ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/36 "2005-11-02T16:51:43Z")
The Grandaddy of the “Why does it have to be such a downer?” pre-emptive ending change is probably _Great Expectations_. Originally, Dickens had written an ending where years later Pip briefly meets a remarried Estella, and then they go their separate ways. Prior to publication, friends convinced him to go with a happier ending and he rewrote it to have Pip and a widowed Estella reunite with “no shadow of another parting from her”. ---
**Author:** ![Rouge\_Mod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@Rouge\_Mod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rouge_Mod)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/37 "2005-11-02T16:52:10Z")
In the original Last Samurai, Tom Cruise realized that the cutlass was superior to the katana, and returned to the cavalry. It was more historically accurate as originally written, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239/38 "2005-11-02T16:55:32Z")
Probably the movie Fever Pitch fits into this category. Granted, they were filming while the postseason was happening, but I’m sure the original script had the sox losing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-where-the-ending-was-changed-before-release/328239.md?page=1)