MovieChat Forums > Matthew Hopkins: Witchfinder General (1968) Discussion > who was shot at the end ??? *spoiler*

who was shot at the end ??? spoiler

posted 19 years ago by rms6859
10 replies | jump to latest

I saw this movie for the first time today, and right at the end, which person did that round head soldier shoot?. Hopkins or Richard Marshall ?. I pressume it was Hopkins that was shot, and the soldier shot Hopkins out of a mercy killing. As Marshall was able to healthilly shout out "why did you take him from me?" repeatedly (which you couldent do if you had just been criticly shot).

But then I was thinking, why did that woman scream at the end, if it wasent her husband shot?. Can someone put me right please?.

[–] rich_groovy 19 years ago

The soldier did shoot Hopkins, which is why Marshall shouts he has been 'taken from' him. I’m not all that sure why his wife screamed, it could be a number of reasons - i think I read somewhere that Marshall is supposed to have been driven mad, thus his fairly unbalanced shouting at the soldier who shoots Hopkins (and, of course, his axe murder of Hopkins). It could be she is simply screaming at the horror of all that has happened; she her self may have been driven out of her mind; she might have realised they would probably all hang for Hopkins murder (thus the 'God help us all' of the soldier at the end) or, perhaps most likely, director Michael Reeves wanted to end his horror film with a manic scream.

[–] whipsnade76 19 years ago

Her "husband" (they are never really married by the Church, which is corrupt and, bascially, allows for people like Hopkins) has just sat there and let her be tortured! Remember Hopkins allowing Marshal to step in, but he doesn't take her torture. He just stares at Hopkins. Even Hopkins is amazed at Marshall's selfishness - note his expression.
All he wants in Hopkin's blood.
Marshal is no hero. By this point, if not since much earlier, he is blood-crazed. He is an animal seeking revenge in the sickest way possible. His selfishness and sadistic ax-murdering of Hopkins is the exact type of act the Witchfinder General does. It's inflicting pain for selfish glory.
She screams because her lover is mad. But she also screams because the world is mad.
The soilder shots Hopkins to put him out of his misery. But Marshall is now insane with a selfish blood lust. That line "You took him away from me" always freaks me out. There is no happy ending for that couple.
That ending is crazy! It really breaks rules. I think it's one of the reasons some people hate the film.
But good point on the hanging. That could easily happen since they kill a government offical just "doing his job."

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] fatpie42 13 years ago

Marshall didn't just "let her" be tortured. They were both tied up and Marshall was forced to watch.

Also Marshall's brutal attack on Hopkins is intended as justice. When Hopkins has killed so many after making them pretty much "beg" for death, just killing him instantly with a bullet to the head strikes Marshall as too lenient.

But let's not forget that Hopkins was doing his torture for money. He was only pretending to do it for justice. Marshall, on the other hand, genuinely wants justice - even if it means being just as barbaric as the man he wishes to punish.

[–] Tchoutoye 16 years ago

Wikipedia has this to say:

"The film's violent climax was edited together in its present shape due to a continuity problem. In the screenplay, the soldier played by Nicky Henson was supposed to shoot both Price and Ogilvy to death. However, the actor only had one flintlock pistol, which had been clearly established in previous scenes, and was therefore only able to shoot one person. When the error was discovered, Reeves immediately told the actor: 'All right, just shoot Vincent and I'll get Ian to scream and shout and go mad and freeze frame on Hilary Dwyer screaming.' "

[–] doug1717 16 years ago

That had to be the dullest axe in England!

[–] TheSolarSailor 11 years ago

I don't think Wikipedia is correct here, as Vincent Price himself states on the BluRay that they decided to ad lib the ending entirely at the last minute even though a happy ending had been scripted.

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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] fatpie42 13 years ago

Yes it was Hopkins who was shot.

The woman screams because she is traumatised by what has happened to her. Marshall tries to make up for their ordeal by brutally attacking Hopkins. She realises there is no way to make up for what has happened to her, her father and so many others. And, after all, what is to stop someone else following in Hopkins footsteps? The ending is certainly not a victory.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] Trippetta10 11 years ago

The movie is about the sadists, but also about what the violence does to the victims.

I agree--Sarah may be permanently traumatized, and Marshall has become sadistic himself. I'm glad the filmmakers didn't go for an easy happy ending.

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In heaven everything is fine.