At the afterparty, we see Costa carrying two candles and Paul's girlfriend takes one. She places it on the table and sees Paul. She goes and holds him and tells him she's been overreacting lately. Then, she tells Paul she'll be going away to New York, to which he says, "I'll miss you." She told him that she's getting worried that he's preferring his statues over her. The scene then cuts to the candle falling over and Paul immediately rushing to put the fire out; as he does this, we see the reflection of the girlfriend looking on apathetically and then walking away.
It's a strange scene. I'd have never thought she'd set the place on fire, but as for not having her around when he's at the hospital: He hardly had visitors, except for Laura, Sarah and her husband. Costa drove him back to his studio, but Paul tells him that he wants to be left alone, that he won't need his services anymore (it pisses Costa off 'cause Paul wasn't the least bit thankful). So, the feeling we get here is that he's very aloof and nonchalant of what goes on around him.
At the beginning of the film, he's looking over famous sketches and prints and asks, "What was Michelangelo doing when he was 41?" It seems a bit conceited he'd compare himself with a master painter of all time, but he goes on to state that his heart is not in it anymore. He's having problems coming up with inspiration to create a new work. At the beach (which is one of the best scenes in the movie; the cinematography and score are simply enchanting), he sees this figure rise from the bright ocean waters and, suddenly, he finds his muse.
If you were to go on thinking for the rest of the movie that Paul is only interested in creating a new piece of art, you'll notice that the film takes on a slightly different tone. There is still a bit of ambiguity about what happened at the end. If they didn't have sex and his only interest was in finishing the statue, then Laura's look of disappointment fits that idea. If they had become intimate and Paul remains aloof as usual, then that fits the fact that Laura was disappointed as well. After all, when the statue was finished, they did hold each other as lovers do... and then the scene cuts to her sleeping in his bed, nude, and him smoking a cigarette outside (a symbol of having just had sex). Still, the intertwining of the love scene with the making of the sculpture lends itself to the idea that it's all in the girl's head.
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wpbos
19 years ago
Yes fully agree with you.
Both ways are sad endings though...
I hoped someone could come up with a positive ending.
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Btw: when he's looking at the sketches, the original French version doen't have text!
About the figure rising from the water: I always thought that that was Sarah..
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Another question.
Have you any idea how this sync. version can have the extra scene? Was it in the original movie as well? Must have been... But why is it not in the French version then?
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Bitter_Almonds
19 years ago
The figure rising from the water was one, if not the best scene in the film. I wish I had that score! The silhouette rises, the bright water shimmers, and the score kicks in with these windchimes. It is beautiful. Even if you were not to like this movie, you must admit this scene was well-composed.
The entire score was minimal, yet possessed that old Eurodisco of the late 70s and early 80s sound to it (I suppose some might recognise such kind of music as "Italodisco" as well).
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Karma-15
19 years ago
I rediscovered this movie recently after seeing it the first time when I was 18 and home from college for Christmas break. Back then (pre-Internet and before the large video chains took over the world), I used to visit a small local video store where the owner's wife would recommend some unusual stuff, because I told her that I'd like to see some good small movies as well as the big releases. She steered me to "Laura," although she probably figured I would like it because I would fall in love with the actress who played Laura. (She was right.)
Anyway, I wanted to weigh in on the "did they or didn't they" question. It's a valid point that perhaps their lovemaking was Laura's fantasy. But I figure that they did, and maybe those lovemaking scenes are cut into the scenes of making of the statue because David Hamilton and the editor were trying to show how much the process of making a statue was like making love for Paul. Either that, or Hamilton was just trying to give us something interesting visually, since the whole movie is about visuals more than plot or dialogue.
Part of the reason I think they did have sex is that after Laura says that the statue is finished, he goes into her arms, and it appears they're ready to commit to making love. They're in about the same places as he was when she takes off his glasses a little bit earlier. So I figure the sex took place after he finished the statue, and that the scenes were cut together. Some of the editing is a little rough, anyway, because there's one point when they're in bed, she raises up with her hair loose and then in the next instant, her hair is back in the ponytail.
As for what Laura is thinking when she leaves, that's a mystery to me. She doesn't seem disappointed or angry or anything. Her expression seems more blank. If there is a hint of disappointment in her face, maybe it's because she wanted Paul to come demand that Laura not be shipped off to boarding school. And when he remains in the water, she gives up on the idea of staying with him and walks off.
I'd love to see the French version, although it appears most of the dialogue is spoken in English. The whole thing seems dubbed, but the dubbing matches the mouth movements of the three American leads (Paul, Laura and Sarah). Also, I'd love to see this in full screen. While the plot is thin and the dialogue not the greatest, the movie is stunning visually. I'd prefer to see it like Hamilton wanted it seen.
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missyamerica18
18 years ago
After reading this thread, it made me go back and review the ending. Originally, I thought that Paul and Laura made love. I have several reasons for thinking this way.
First, I thought it interesting that Sarah and Laura hug in front of Paul's open bedroom windows. They both look in before hugging and it almost made me feel that something had happened and Sarah was comforting her. If you notice, it seems like Sarah is craddeling her head. This led me to believe that some sexual act had occured. Or, after reading this thread, it could be that nothing happened and they were both grateful?
Second, I thought it interesting that Paul regains his sight after his time with Laura. I almost took it as if the gift of her innocence cured him. If anyone is familiar with the film "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders," there is a similar scene. After Valerie and her friend that is stricken with vampirisim sleep together (whether innocently or sexually), the friend is cured. She believes that Valerie's purity saved her. I almost felt this was the same with Paul. However, it could also be that finishing the statue was the cure?
There are so many ways to take this film. I suppose whatever works for the viewer is the best answer. I will say that Sarah's final look at Paul seems like one of quiet sadness. I get the impression that she wants to say something to him but holds back.
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przgzr
18 years ago
I have seen it in theatre, and it is astonishing (you can't imagine how beach scene appears to be...).
Now, back to topic. I don't have second thoughts about making love. I see no reason to think it was only imagination. But (I'll answer to some earlier posters too) Paul was interested in her as a model, there was not much love on his side. He is an artist, it is the way he sees the world around himself, and everything around him is a part of his art - why he is doing it, who is he doing it for, what and who is the source... His girlfriend understood it so she left. Sarah has experienced it long ago, and now she understands what's in Laura's mind, so she can comfort her. Her relation with Laura was protecting her (knowing Paul), but there was a competition as well, as some posters noticed.
Overlaping scenes of making love and making sculpure are both real, of course not made in the same time (therefore time is of no interest, so we see Laura in different situations including her hair), and it is irrelevant which one happens first, they are so strongly bound. Without making love Paul wouldn't finish the statue, this was the final feeling and experience he needed to incorporate in Laura-statue, and without making statue there would be no making love because it connected them, Laura-girl was as proud and impressed to become a model, a Laura-statue as she was interested in Paul as a person or a lover. (And also, girls have always - wittingly or by intuition successful in manipulations, so we mustn't ignore using her own body to abet Paul to intercede in boarding school discussion. Yet, she didn't realize that his work is his top priority, and finding it out was probably the cause of her disappointment.) I think this editing was not rough at all, it was among the best things in the movie.
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