MovieChat Forums > Coming Home (1978) Discussion > A Swim Or A Suicide?

A Swim Or A Suicide?

posted 20 years ago by bertschkid
42 replies | jump to latest

At the end of the movie, when Bob Hyde takes off his uniform and heads out into the surf; is he going to drown himself or just go swimming? I realize that the writers intentionally scripted the scene ambiguously so people can draw their own conclusions; but my girlfriend and I were arguing about it the other day.

I say he just wants to purge himself of the Marines and the war, even if for a short time, by stripping down, leaving everything behind (literally) and doing something he might've enjoyed before Vietnam. Although he seemed too uptight to go skinny dipping on a public beach in broad daylight; the scene demonstrates how Out Of Time he's become. But I also thought he began to get a handle on his conscience and reality at the end of the scene with Luke and Sally in their living room. Sidenote question: During that scene, Bob calls Luke a "jody" (jodee, jodie, joady, Joe D?) twice; what's the correct spelling and does the word have anything to do with being disabled?

My girlfriend says Bob abandoned his life when he took off the wedding ring Sally gave him before Vietnam and the surf was so powerful; he couldn't have been doing anything but trying to drown himself. Although he runs at the movie's beginning and seems to be in decent shape; a house on the beach and swimming was more Sally's thing than his. He can't live with himself any longer, gave up and just wants to end it all.

Any opinions?

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] actress2414 16 years ago

I don't know. It's all up to our imagination. The first time I saw it, I took it as just a way to cleanse himself because water symbolically means rebirth, ya know? But the second time I watched it I felt it was a suicide (then again, I had my period so was thinking the worst of every situation...lol) I like how it can be perceived differently...no right answer.

However, when I read Jane Fonda's book, she wrote something along the lines of "At the end of the movie, my character's husband commits suicide..."

[–] IrishHeart45 16 years ago

I watched the commentary with my mother last night to answer this very question. They recorded it in 2001, so they can't get Ashby's input, but Dern himself says that his character dies. While I kind of prefer the other ending, obviously the man who played the character and invested so much of himself in him knows what he's talking about. I just pretend he's doing a purification ritual so I can get through it

[–] collegebound525 16 years ago

According to the filmmakers, Bob commits suicide at the end of the film by trying to "swim back to Vietnam."
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/03/warmovies200803?currentPage=1

[–] Starchie28 15 years ago

The only problem with that concept is that if Bob was really crazy enough to "swim back to Vietnam," he would have left his uniform on. I personally like the purification angle, but neither that nor suicide leaves me completely satisfied with the way they wrapped up Bob's final destiny.

[–] CDizzle1975 15 years ago

he's committing suicide...but it doesn't ring true to me. who swims to death? at least bodie in point break surfed to death.

he does ask earlier in the movie "how's the surf" or something to that effect = foreshadowing.

ditto vi's bro's suicide (foreshadowing).

Gary Dourdan looks like Gary Gnu from the Great Space Coaster.

[–] nikongal 15 years ago

I think it's open to interpretation. While his not saying anything when Sally talks about going to the grocery store would lead me to believe he was going to commit suicide, Sally has chosen to stay with him and it's Luke's earlier statements about not killing anyone here [at home] and having enough ghosts that gets Bob to snap out of his rage and put the bayonet down. We can still see Bob in the final shot of the ocean. Seeing waves only would be a more definitive answer, to me.

I watched the special feature documentary, not the commentary. In the documentary, Jon Voight, Haskell Wexler, and Bruce Dern are interviewed. Dern talks about how Hal Ashby had wanted to work with Tim Buckley on another film and was committed to using him for Coming Home. Unfortunately, Buckley died before filming was complete. During the shooting of the beach scene, according to Dern, Ashby took him aside, played "Remember Me" for him, and explained the story about Buckley. Ashby told him that the film's finale was for Buckley, and then they went back to shooting. Dern said that the beach scene was originally unscripted and he didn't know exactly what he was going to do. But he did request that the crew not rush him as he got undressed, because a real Marine would be meticulous in removing his uniform.

Tho it is dark . . . know our flag . . . is still there.

ABC = Already Been Canceled.

[–] gljbradley 15 years ago

It had to be suicide. It seems that he had nothing to live for and thought that life really had let him down.

[–] AriesJB4 15 years ago

It was a suicide. Bob Hyde felt that he was in no man's land - not belonging in Vietnam (especially when he was awarded the citation for shooting himself in the foot), nor living at home with Sally who has a relationship with Luke.

The fact that he took off his wedding band meant that it was an intentional act on his part to leave all remnants of himself on shore.

What made this act complete with the sign on the glass door of the supermarket that Sally and Vi go to - Lucky OUT.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] piquebu 14 years ago

I'm kind of surprised at the responses here saying they think he was just taking a swim.

Uh, the guy came back from the Vietnam War seriously messed up only to find that his wife was in love with another man. He didn't feel like he belonged in the military OR as a civilian.

So, like, some of you think that what, just for kicks, he decides to go skinny dipping all of a sudden?

He killed himself.