Fess up: How many of you turned it off 30 minutes early?

Regarding Play Misty for Me (1971):

Back in the 1980s, when the movie played on network TV, my wife and I watched it and -- we found out later -- so did my Mom, in her house; and so did my brother and his wife, at their place.

Now then. Elaine (my wife) and I watched all the way to the exciting end, with crazy Evelyn (the excellent Jessica Walter) crashing through the large picture window and winding up dead on the rocks, at the bottom of the cliff. But later, when we asked Mom how she liked the movie, she said:

"Oh, it was okay. But it was kind of a blah ending, wasn't it?"

Elaine and I were puzzled by that, but we let it pass. Then, we talked to my brother Mike and his wife, and they said THE SAME THING!!! Whaaa...?

We finally figured out what happened. About half an hour before the movie ends, there's a scene where crazy Evelyn is arrested by the cops and dragged away. Then Eastwood and his girlfriend in the film, Donna Mills, nuzzle by the beach at sunset, then... fade to commercial.

THAT is where my nutty family turned off their sets! And you know, watching the movie again last night, on the (commercial-free) Starz channel, I can understand why some folks would think that's the end. It looks like the end. It FEELS like the end.

But it ain't the end, is it folks? Lots of action to follow, with crazy Evelyn impaling the cop and tying up Mills and gagging her... then, Clint rides to the rescue, then Ev goes through that big plate-glass window.

Be honest, now... How many of you turned it off after that first semi-climax?

Cheers,
Dan

http://www.silentfilmguide.com






English subtitles are a MUST on all DVD releases!