MovieChat Forums > Le mépris (1964) Discussion > The last scene.

The last scene.

posted 19 years ago by klausfindl
7 replies | jump to latest

Anytime I see the end of Le Mepris, I am absolutely fascinated and deeply moved by that scene. And I have no real idea why. The structure of the film is based (as I see it) on neverending motion. ("Motion picture, it's called", as Fritz Lang says...): From the - great! - prologue shot on: People move all the time, camera moves, Camilles respect moves downwards ..., The last scene seems to bring to an end and to sum up what all the "movie" is about. Maybe it's so "moving" (sorry...), because it starts the movements one last time from the people on (the crew), in a kind of countdown: "Msr. Lang - on est pret! - Merci -- Silence, on tourne! - SILENZIO, SI GIRA! -- Moteur! - MOTORI!" -- etc. etc. - and then the movement of the camera, the slow, strange movements of Ulisse and the final picture of the blue sea - it goes into infinity with all this...
Well, maybe I answered my question by myself..., but nevertheless I would be very interested if anybody else has similar or contradictory feelings about this scene. Thank you.

[–] tron2-2 19 years ago

well, fritz lang knows that movie is the last odyssey for him, he his living in the past, he knows he is a relic and this will be his last journey.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jy311 19 years ago

The end scene, as others would not tell you, is more of a celebration of a film techique that Goddard is too timid to try. If you look at other fritz lang films, he is far from a neo-realist as you can get. Indeed his characters tend to just be people working within the frame. What does Odyessus see at the of his story. He sees ithaca. What does hte bad actor playing him see? there is no island. Because lang' is not a filmmaker hung up on realism like goddard is. which goddard admires him for. Paul is also a strange anti-odyessus as goddard is also an anti-lang but admires him nontheless.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] zosoguitar15 18 years ago

oh my god i couldnt agree with you more.

that end scene is, for my money, up there with the ending of Requiem for a Dream or Schindler's List in terms of intensity. of course, these are different films, all three, but each ending is intense-in either an obvious or subtle, understated way

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fxx2-1 18 years ago

I have found myself shouting out: "SILENZIO!" for no special reason. It's just a perfect ending for the film and a hint at the ongoing pain/pleasure fo it all. Fabulous film.