the ending *spoiler - Birdy (1984) Discussion

[–] gothichippy 19 years ago

i like the ending too!it makes people go like 'oh *beep* when we saw Birdy jump and then make people go like 'thank God'(with a little smile) It is a strange ending so i think it's cool!There a lot of movies with a bad ending but there are not a lot of movies with a unpredictable ending like this!I think it is better than a dark ending!

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[–] Zyad 19 years ago

I remember hearing that the original ending in the novel was that Birdy jumps off the roof and die to the astonished eyes of Al. Parker changed the ending to make it less darker. I think both endings are good and shocking.

"Define irony: a bunch of idiots dancing around on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash" .... Garland (The Marietta Mangler) Greene

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[–] AmandaLeeMuse 19 years ago

I agree. I just watched this film for the first time and it does a great job at reflecting both the absurdity and horror of things. (I can't help but think of Terrence Malick a bit with the poetic photography and violence going on at the same time. Maybe I'm too excited about "The New World".) But the ending felt "right". A darker ending would have made the film too dark (and forced, perhaps), a totally different kind of animal. As it stands, you come away from the film feeling a little more familiar with the darker side of "man", but also closer to a cosmic sense of humor about it all.

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] smfree2003 19 years ago

I haven't seen this movie in a few years, but have always held it in high regard. I think I've maybe seen this movie 15 or 20 times. I've always considered it as having the best ending of any movie ever (Well, tied with The Killing, anyway). There's really no reason for the ending to be dark, a couple of kids getting thrown into the horrors of Vietnam is dark enough, not to mention Birdys mental collapse and Als facial disfigurement. Not only is the ending funny and fitting, but its still open-ended. How are the two of them going to escape the Army Hospital? Won't they be in really big trouble once they're caught? But in our hearts we want to believe that those two wacky boys from Phillie are going to come out of it okay. If you think there is a better movie ending out there, I'd love to hear your opinions.

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[–] downstairs_roro 19 years ago

As much as I love this ending, there are a couple others I like more:

The Usual Suspects
Big Fish
Guilty By Suspicion
Paths Of Glory
Catch-22

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[–] mcaswaco 19 years ago

I like the ending, too. i saw the film for the first time on german tv.

The ending was just unexpected. I really thought that the guy is going to smash down on the ground after jumping from the roof...
but then as i see that he was only kidding and landed on the lower roof-part i relaxed. The ending changed the hole situation.
It seemed like he was playing the "psycho" all time and that he just waited for his buddy to arrive to take him away from this sick hospital, like he was just joking around all the time.

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[–] PuddleMonkey 18 years ago

yeah, it didn't need to be any darker, although Birdy dying would have been a clean ending for the character.

the bit with Birdy's pet and a window had me in pieces though. If I ever see the movie again I'll have to flick past that bit!

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[–] reverandfunk 18 years ago

The end was a complete cop out. I like this film but i thought it ended poorly. Its the one thing that really lets it down. Everyone is a sucker for a happy ending but it difused the film of its power.

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[–] sc_hitch 18 years ago

well... <i'm brazilian and i am excited with the movie so my english is really poor>
i'm sixteen (that doesn't matter) and i whatched the movie today (in a brazilian tv movie show) and i thought that the ending was the best i've ever seen...it was like:
<birdy is walking and than he jumps..cage goes "bridy!!!">
me: OMFG!! T__T HE CAN'T DIE!!
<birdy is safe and asked "what?">
me: T___T thank god he is safe!!! \o/

i....i am shoked i can't believe my eyes!! but i like to think that they went home and lived together untill death!! <no to mention that i thought that birdy wasn't "cured" and cage was also going crazy...i think everyone think like that!>

thank you alan parker for this great movie!!

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[–] jon-warren-1 18 years ago

i have not seen the movie in a little while but i agree and think the ending is appropriate and think being more violent would be pointless.

it did somehow seem that Birdy finally snapped out of his mental state once he landed safely from the rooftop, which makes you think, and Cage is all shocked that Birdy landed safe and did'nt die, but i'm sure Cage was happy his friend survived the jump and that he is out of that loony bin.

the next stage is questionable, but its good for a movie to make you think, cause you will never know if they get out of the loony bin free or not? but the bottom line is i felt good in how it ended and i did'nt have to keep thinking too much, i felt like they were in a good spot after all they went through, and that they were both still alive, so its a good ending overall, and its not a predictable happy ending either which is a good thing, instead its slightly eccentric but still positive. i'm happy with how it went.

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[–] dionblackler 18 years ago

I haven't seen this film for years, but I remember thinking exactly that- what a cop out. Totally jarring compared to the tone of the rest of the film and completely unnecessary. It made me pretty angry at the time.

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[–] TheConsigliere 17 years ago

I completely agree with dionblackler and reverandfunk - the ending was a complete cop out based on the tone of the rest of the film. It is one of the biggest let-downs I have experienced in film. Only tonight have I witnessed an ending that rivals it for having such a jarring and disappointing effect - Kiarostami's The Taste of Cherry. With both films, I was deeply moved and loving the film up until the ending, which felt like a slap in the face for the emotions I had experienced during the film.

I disagree with pennyliss, I believe a film's ending is incredibly important, in my view it is the one part of a film that has the power to make or break the film. As the final thing that the viewer experiences, a film's ending has the final say (literally) on what the film is trying to communicate.

You're nothing to me now, you're not a brother, you're not a friend, I don't want to know you or what you do

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[–] penny_liss 18 years ago

Don't be silly, how can one screen shot diffuse an entire film of its power? Throughout the film we're constantly being made aware of the horrors that can result from war, there is no question even if at the end Birdy had come out of his conscious coma singing and dancing we would still know it could have been much worse as we were constantly being reminded by the Psychiatrist and Al "...you know what happens to people like your friend..." and "...you don't come out of this they're gonna lock you up forever...." (I'm paraphrasing but this is the general gist). The end here was a touch of humour that signified the irony and hilarity that is present in even the worst situations in life, it added to the gravity of Birdy's breakdown in the sense that the war had removed all desire to exist in the real world so much so, that he effectively chose to remove himself from it. It also exemplified the depth and strength of the bond between the two protagonists that finally Birdy had found something to hold onto in the form of his friend Al, they were two lost souls and they were the only two people who knew who the other was and in the end this was what brought Birdy back; he knew what it felt like to not know who you are and Al was dangerously close to losing his identity. The ending was more a testament to the power and dire need of solace than some generic desire to have a happy ending. Its pretentious to think that profoundness can only be conveyed through severity; humour can achieve just as much if used deftly and this is one case where it was so.

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[–] Lu_Xun 17 years ago

i think that most of you look too deeply into the events of this film. sure they went through some tough times as well as some good times together, but what the ending says to me is, there wasn't anything wrong with birdy... he just didn't know what to say.

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[–] FDeBernardo 17 years ago

I did not like the ending, but not because it wasn't dark enough. I didn't like it because it felt like a cheap and easy way to end it. It was like the writer or director couldn't make up his mind what to do. It didn't feel "open-ended." It just felt not thought out. As a viewer, I expected more of a resolution to the problem that he is stuck in this hospital.

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[–] harlen_maguire 17 years ago

I think he should jumped, then they have the below shot of Cage looking down... and cuts to black and the credits run.

Woulda been ambiguous, and real powerful. Could have made one of my favourite endings out of one of my least favourite, just by getting rid of that last 'What?' shot.

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[–] smfree2003 17 years ago

I'm trying to remember the ending in the William Wharton novel, but sadly, haven't read it in years.
Thanks penny-liss, you've shown some good insight about the power of humor.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] cjgalwey 15 years ago

The novel ended, still in the cell at the hospital, with Birdy finally talking to Al and suggesting a number of wild fantasy scenarios of what might happen to them next. 'And what then?' asks Al. 'Nothing, Al, just the rest of our lives,' replies Birdy. The implication is that the two of them are starting to heal and move on from their troubles, but obliquely rather than head-on. I read in an interview with Alan Parker at the time the movie came out that he had no idea how to end the film while he was shooting it: 'the logic of the story suggested Birdy ought to die, but I wanted something more optimistic'. Almost as a joke, he suggested the existing ending to some of his crew and they were so enthusiastic he went with it. To me, it seems true to the spirit of the book, but in a more concise and cinematic form. Do read the book if you can get hold of it, it's good. Unfortunately I gave away my copy.

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[–] amcelholm 16 years ago

yeah, i didn't really like the ending because there's too many loose ends. did it mean that al had gone mental too? or if it meant birdy was recovered, well did he just come round there now? or had he recovered beforehand? in which case was he just acting mental?

great film though.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] ronnieronb 15 years ago

The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.

bushtony and his mother suffer from Congential Stupidtiy and they didn't see it coming.

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[–] Saint_Jimmy 14 years ago

Isn’t it possible that Birdy was never really cured? Instead maybe Al was going insane. I’m not 100 percent sure but I recall Birdy not talking to anyone but Al. Maybe Al thought he was talking, but he really wasn’t.

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[–] bluestocking-7 14 years ago

The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.

And immediately followed by La Bamba. I agree with you. I don't find it hard to believe that Birdy was able to *snap out* of his mental trauma and suddenly he's his *normal* self again. I'm sure there are documented hospital cases like Birdy's.

But I do understand the "it's a cop-out/letdown ending" arguments. Dark, heavy, and ambiguous endings can be pretty powerful. And Birdy's personality seemed to be so out-of-this-world that the only logical end for him is to escape permanently from it in some kind of surreal way and the movie defied the logic.

P.S. TCM just premiered the movie (and I love catching movies in their first showing on TCM) on May 30 at 1:30 AM as part of their Memorial Day Weekend marathon.

Billy Wilder Page, Play the Movie Smiley Game
www.screenwritingdialogue.com

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[–] drxcreatures 10 years ago

Maybe he felt better about being out of the cage?

http://www.cgonzales.net & http://www.drxcreatures.com

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[–] Edren 14 years ago

The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.

What a fantastic way to end a brilliant movie.

Life is just one damned thing after another - Elbert Hubbard

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] McQueen85 14 years ago

That's more or less what I thought when watching that scene.

"You want to investigate my courage? Do you? Find out! Find out!" (Robert Ford)

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[–] mrtanner 14 years ago

I love the ending. I don't think it is a cop-out or out-of-sync with the rest of the movie. On the contrary, I feel it was in keeping with the tone of the whole movie, which was one of incredible highs and lows: goofy comedy one minute and heartbreaking drama the next. To this day I strongly remember first seeing it in the theater in 1985, and the impact the whole ending had on me, from Al's monologue (devastating) to Birdy waking up (oh my God!) to him seemingly lapsing back into his catatonia to "I didn't have anything to say" to the chase and then the jump and the last shot. It all literally took my breath away. Very few films have had such a lasting impact on me. One of my all-time favorites.

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[–] Van Dieman 14 years ago

Was there an alternative ending version released?

It's been many years since I saw it on Australian tv, but my memory is that Birdy did indeed leap to his (implied) death.

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[–] binaryDigit 14 years ago

Count me in as one of those who loved the ending. Not so much because he lived, but more that it was a) unexpected b) the final line was delivered perfectly and really "capped" the movie. I think we've become a bit disillusioned as US movie goers and expect any type of "positive" ending to be a "Hollywood" ending and sometimes lose focus on having an "appropriate" ending. It also didn't feel gimicky like some endings (that end the way they do just for the sake of doing so), like I said, it seemed to be right in line with the story and helps to bring about some additional understanding.

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[–] cjgalwey 12 years ago

I loved the ending, and also thought it was true to the book while being much more concise. In the book, Birdy is starting to respond to Al and come back to 'reality', and the two go through all kinds of fantasy scenarios of what might happen next. 'What then?' asks Al, spellbound. 'Nothing, Al, just the rest of our lives,' replies Birdy. The film ending manages to convey that without any words ... astonishing considering Parker claimed to have hit on it almost by accident.

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[–] iceblink1 12 years ago

The ending was perfect, and I was surprised the BAFTAs didn't show it in their montage before Alan Parker's lifetime achievement award (or did I miss it?).

A very intense and memorable film, that will appeal to younger people a lot - at least it's one of my favourites from my teenage years.

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] MozartsMuse 11 years ago

I agree! I thought the ending was excellent.

Contrary to what a lot of people on this board have said, I didn't think the ending was a cop-out at all....it would have been really predictable if Birdy jumped and, instead of him standing on the lower ledge of the roof, we saw him dead on the ground. The ending was like a breath of fresh air. Just because a movie's ending is happy and not tragic doesn't mean that it's a contrived Hollywood ending!

Welcome to Fright Night....for real.

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[–] clerlic 10 years ago

Certainly not a cop-out, but I wouldn't call it happy, we just didn't see the consequences of their little escape. Not to mention Birdy's obvious psychological condition.

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