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- Gone with the Wind (1939) The classic Civil War film starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable almost veered a bit differently from Rhett Butler's iconic ending line "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," after Scarlett O'Hara pleads with him to stay with her in Atlanta.
- Suspicion (1941) One of Alfred Hitchcock's Cary Grant-led thrillers was notoriously fraught in the decision over its ending, abetted by studio meddling.
- The Birds (1963) In another famous Hitchcock picture, the classic horror film about inexplicably murderous avians almost had a much more chaotic final scene.
- Dr. Strangelove (1964) Stanley Kubrick's satirical skewering of Cold War hysteria almost ended in a pie fight, as opposed to a nuclear holocaust cheerfully set to the song "We'll Meet Again," sung by Vera Lynn.
- The Descent
- Clerks
- 28 Days Later
- Seven
- I Am Legend
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Titanic
- Pretty Woman
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
- Dr. Strangelove
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So what is in fact the official ‘alternate ending’ is the one you’re most likely familiar with–Sarah escaping from the underground cavern and making it to her car, only to find that she’s hallucinating and is still trapped underground. It’s a bleak, take-no-prisoners curtain call which was totally unexpected. I thought at least one of them would ma...
So Clerks, hey? Kevin Smith’s legendary debut about life as a slacker, and the ensuing pitfalls of working in a convenience store on the day you’re not supposed to be there, had a very different conclusion, which would have seen Dante brutally gunned down by a robber who casually steps over his dead body while taking money from the till. For a shoc...
Although featuring a pretty satisfying conclusion, it appears that Danny Boyle had several other ideas for his rage virus opus. All of these involved poor Jim dying. In the first, which Boyle considers the ‘true’ ending, he’s taken to the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound, except this time dies, bringing the film full circle to him waking al...
A scene that was storyboarded but never shot, the alternate ending of Se7en has Morgan Freeman’s Somerset killing John Doe instead of Brad Pitt’s Mills. I rate it so highly because, while it would have been a perfectly acceptable ending, and would have left Seven as a great film, it serves to illustrate how right the ending they chose to use is, an...
I Am Legendis an underrated movie, with a powerful first half let down by awful CGI and a crappy ending where Will Smith murders a load of vampire creatures and sacrifices himself to give humanity a chance. But what if the filmmakers had decided to use this smart and compelling alternate ending instead? In it, the creatures attack the lab as before...
I’ve read elsewhere online that James Cameron was just one bad decision away from making terrible movies, and with the evidence of the next two entries, it’s a compelling argument. How else do you explain this happy ending to Terminator 2, which seemingly comes out of nowhere and features Linda Hamilton in old lady make-up explaining how Judgment D...
Easily my favorite alternate ending on the list, James Cameron actually filmed this travesty. Gone is the original ending of old Rose tossing the diamond into the ocean and dying in her sleep (to be reunited with Leo again). Instead, and looking like a distinctly dodgy cheap soap opera, we have old Rose climbing up on the rails and being spotted by...
A much-loved romantic classic that teaches us to look for love in the most unlikely of places? Well not if they’d gone with the original and horribly misogynistic script, entitled $3,000. In it, Edward is a complete and utter horrible bastard, while Vivian is a crack-addicted prostitute. In the end, he decides to push a crying Vivian out into the s...
A movie that divided many upon release (I loved it), one thing most people can agree on is the seemingly rushed nature of the ending. Partly due to the comic book series remaining unfinished while they were shooting, the existence of a completely different ending reveals that director Edgar Wright was of two minds himself–rather than win the fight ...
One of the more bizarre alternate endings out there, instead of the classic image of Slim Pickens riding the bomb down to the strains of Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again,” the film ends with a giant custard pie fight in the war room. Do I need to say more? It also features Dr. Strangelove wriggling around on the floor, before unsuccessfully attempting...
Explore the fascinating and sometimes shocking alternatives to the endings of popular films, from Blade to Hannibal. Find out why some endings were changed, cut, or left out, and how they affect the stories and characters.
An alternate ending (or alternative ending) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on the canonical narrative.
- Tom Fish
- Gone with the Wind. 1939 ‧ Romance/Drama ‧ 3h 58m. This American classic stars Vivien Leigh as heroine Scarlett O'Hara and Clark Gable as her lover Rhett Butler in the iconic tear-jerker.
- The Birds. 1963 ‧ Horror/Thriller ‧ 1h 59m. This Hitchcock horror ends with the birds ceasing to attack the injured heroine as no longer poses a threat. However, a far more bleak alternate ending existed, featuring the Golden Gate Bridge covered in birds and the town in ruins with dead birds everywhere.
- Dr. Strangelove. 1964 ‧ War/Comedy ‧ 1h 42m. Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove ends with the titular character declaring he has a plan, rising suddenly from his wheelchair and declare, "Mein Führer, I can walk!"
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 1969 ‧ Western/Drama ‧ 1h 53m. The film ends before audiences can see the two free-spirited criminals die in a shootout in San Vincente.
- Philip Sledge
- Titanic (1997) We’re all familiar with the Titanic ending: Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) dies, Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) survives and lives a long and fulfilling life.
- Alien (1979) Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror classic, Alien, ends with Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) defeating the Xenomorph once and for all before going into cryo-sleep.
- Seven (1995) Is there a movie ending more memorable than the Seven finale with its painful “What’s in the box?” scream from Brad Pitt’s David Mills? Well, David Fincher’s 1995 thriller could have gone in multiple directions, according to the Telegraph (via SlashFilm).
- Get Out (2017) The Get Out ending leaves things on a relatively high note with Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) being rescued by his best friend, Rod Williams (Lil Rel Howery), but there’s an alternate scene that is more devastating than anything in the final film.
Jul 29, 2014 · Can you imagine a happy ending for Jason Bourne? Sarah Connor enjoying her grandchildren? Andie ending up with Ducky? Whether the directors simply changed their minds or were influenced by the...
Dec 13, 2020 · Starting with the year 1939 all the way up until 2018, here are 50 movies with alternate endings.
