Directors Best final scene? (1 Viewer)

[Jon_Are]

Which films totally overwhelmed you with their final scene? Whether with drama, humor, action, whatever. I'm talking about the very last scene (not scenes )

Please use spoilers where appropriate.

Here are two that immediately come to my mind:

The Straight Story, in which the Richard Farnsworth character (Alvin) brings quiet tears to the eyes of his brother, Harry Dean Stanton. Almost zero dialogue (it would have been an intrusion) in this most beautifully directed and acted scene.

About Schmidt, in which Jack Nicholson (Warren Schmidt), feeling unneeded, opens the crayon-drawn picture from his adoptive third-world child, Ngudu. Nicholson's moving response to this picture is nothing short of a work of art.

Jon

 

[Jordan_E]

Shutting the door in THE GODFATHER.

 

[Adam_S]

Nobody's Perfect

Some Like it Hot

---
that and the aforementioned Godfather are two of my acknowledged greatest endings, but some of my personal favorites are:

The desparate bike ride to bring his childhood back and the final silent sceen that close Empire of the Sun

Crossing into Switzerland in Grand Illusion

"Shut up and Deal" The Apartment

But then, for those three movies, I think everything about them is perfect.

Adam

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Planet of the Apes - Statue of Liberty shot

 

[Richard Kim]

The 400 Blows: the zoom in shot on Antoine Doinel's face, which was also used at the end of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

 

[Holadem]

Vertigo

Seven Samurai

--
H

 

[John Doran]

Limbo
The Thin Red Line
The Conversation
In the Company of Men
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Unforgiven
The Road Warrior
The Shawshank Redemption
Traffic
The Game
Castaway
Spiderman
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Donnie Darko
Gretchen Ross waving at Mrs Darko, and she waves back. Beautiful.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

The endings of T2 and, more recently, Gangs of New York , are two of the all-too-rare moments in movies that actually give me chills. A few other favorites that haven't already been listed:

-The Third Man
-Bridge on the River Kwai
-Fight Club
-Goodfellas
-Gladiator
-Ben-Hur
-LOTR:FOTR (I have friends who have actually complained about this film by saying, "But it didn't END!!) :rolleyes
-Se7en
-Memento
-One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
-The Usual Suspects
-Taxi Driver
-The Big Lebowski
-Patton
-Braveheart (The musical score here is just incredible.)

 

[Sean Dilly]

Pulp Fiction
Rushmore
The Apartment
Casablanca
The Shawshank Redemption
Reservoir Dogs
Ghost World
The Big Lebowski

 

[Dan Shogren]

Memento
Fight Club "you met me in a very strange time in my life."
The Game
The sixth sense
Signs
The night of the living dead
Planet of the apes
Saving private ryan

Edit: how could i forget this

PULP FICTION

 

[Adam_ME]

The Godfather Part II
The flashback to the dinner scene in 1941 followed by the haunting closing shot of an aging, bitter, isolated Michael Corleone.

 

[Ric Bagoly]

Heat

 

[stan hiller]

The Searchers - that last shot of wayne framed in the doorway - pure classic!

 

[Mike Graham]

Looking over my list, it occurs to me that a great ending usually means a great film:


The Terminator
Terminator 2 Judgment Day
Silence Of The Lambs
Memento
Pulp Fiction
The Usual Suspects
The Sixth Sense
Seven
The Godfather
The Godfather II
Vertigo
Psycho
Rear Window
Fight Club
Traffic
12 Monkeys
Narc
Blade

 

[Jon_Are]

Yikes, I guess this is a poll, isn't it. First time I've ever mis-placed a thread.:b

Anyway, I'm looking for brief descriptions of endings as well as why it worked so well for you, not merely a laundry list of films that have great final scenes. (see Adam's entry above for a good example).

Jon

 

[Steve Christou]

Planet of the Apes (1968) Still the greatest, most shocking, most memorable final scene in film history, IMO.

 

[Angelo.M]

So many great ones already mentioned here.

I'll pick one of my favorites: the ending of the "director's cut" of Blade Runner.

It fits the tone of the rest of the film so much better than the 'sunny' ending of the theatrical release.

 

[Jeremiah]

Won't mention the ones already mentioned so I will say....

Caddyshack - "We are all going to get laid!"

Easy Money - "My mother-in-law, for years I wouldn't so much as kiss her face, now I end up kissing her ass." As it ends with a freeze frame on Rodney, classic.

 

[Peter Mazur]

The Last American Virgin.

Very realistic, and not your happy Hollywood ending.