Sam looked around the room. They were all there, looking back at him, for he was one of two people in the room who knew the identity of the murderer. The murderer was the other; the murderer who in cold blood had killed Sam’s wife, best friend, and dog. He had even killed Sam’s pet hamster… Sam was really going to miss that hamster.
“You are probably wondering why I asked everyone to meet me here.” Sam paused, as he had seen all the great detectives do in various movies. For a moment his mind wandered, thinking he should get himself a gorgeous secretary who would forever be at the verge of having a relationship with him. Then he snapped back into focus; he remembered he was a plumber, not a detective.
“I’ve asked all of you here to expose the killer who ruined my life by cruelly taking everything I ever loved away from me.” One more pause, for effect.
“The killer is…” just as Sam was about to point to the doctor, the piano tuner jumped up with a gun in his hand.
“No one moves, and maybe you’ll all live through this,” said the piano tuner as he backed toward the door.
“The piano tuner! Well I’ll be!” Sam thought as he eyed the man waving his gun from person to person. Good thing the guy jumped up when he did, or Sam would have looked pretty foolish.
“How did you find out?” the piano tuner asked as he reached the door, “I was very careful to cover my tracks.”
Just then, the door opened behind him, and two big policemen grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. The long nightmare was over.
The End
(Copyright © E. J. D’Alise, 200?)
You have just read the final page of an engrossing, riveting, brilliant work I will someday write. Readers will spend joyous hours faithfully turning each page, allowing the suspense to build, and recoiling with horror at the killing of the hamster. And finally, they will be rewarded with an ending that ties everything together, and brings closure to the book many will claim is destined to become a classic.
BUT… there are a few more pages. What’s this, then? An alternate ending? What? They turn the page, only to read a version where just as Sam was about to unmask the killer, he has a heart attack and dies. The book ends with the killer, still unmasked and unknown, thinking “Wish I had not killed the hamster; it was kind of cute.”
I don’t know about you, but I would feel cheated. In fact, that change, that alternate reality, would ruin the book for me. I suspect it would ruin it for many a reader (and not just because it’s lousy writing). Think about it; there is no alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet. You know, the ending where Juliet listens to Friar Lawrence, gets married, has lots of children, and goes on to live a happy life. Despite Romeo and Juliet’s downer ending, we accept it as part of the tale that is told. Were there to be multiple endings, they would diminish the story’s power to move us.
So why then do we have alternate endings in movies? Why are they even shot? I ask this because recently I watched a movie, which I liked, and as I sat there going through the extra features, I had a mental lapse and watched what was listed as an alternate ending. It changed the movie from having an upbeat ending to having a downer of an ending. It was not a minor change; one of the main characters gets killed as another looks on unable to help. Thing is, it’s now part of the movie for me. There is a choice in endings, and as much as I want the “good” ending, the “bad” ending is part of my memory. It is part of the tale that was told. I can choose to believe in the good ending, but I cannot erase the other one from the corner of my mind.
Yes, I have watched other movies with alternate endings. Usually they are no more than different artistic interpretation (i.e. the alternate ending to The Bourne Identity). They do not change the story. And that is the thing. We invest in the story. We invest time and effort into it. We put our lives on hold to be a part of a fantasy world, but a fantasy world that operates along the same lines as ours. And our world has no alternate endings.
If life did come with alternate endings, would anything we do have any worth? I say not. So no more alternate endings for me, even if they are offered. Not even for a bad movie. The tale is what it is. It must stand or fall on the strength of its narrative. Like books, there can only be one tale being told at a time… unless, of course, I write a version where the hamster lives.
I understand your point.
But I may have an explanation for the whole thing, actually:
Security.
The modern, digitally connected world has many people who dig for info on upcoming productions, and spend lots of time looking for scripts, pirate copies of unreleased movies and any other advance information they can find.
They are often very successful- pirate copies of movies have been at times available before theatrical release- occasionally we see news and/or web reports of this.
Shooting multiple endings that FIT, albeit changing the story greatly are thought to help preserve the integrity of the final product: few people may know which is the REAL, intended ending.
(I have read interviews with actors where they have spoken of filming different endings and not knowing which was the real one themselves.)
So that can explain why it is done in the first place.
The modern movie aficionado (well, some of them) wants Extras on their DVD releases: deleted scenes, commentary, bloopers, stories about filming, the more the merrier. Sometimes multiple releases of movies are made, differing largely in JUST the DVD Extras….
They spend the money making alternate endings to help hide which is the true one, they add it as an Extra to help dvd sales for those who want them. Compared to FILMING the extra footage, including it on a DVD costs little, after all, and may help sales.
I am not saying that the reasoning above is the only explanation, but I do know it is one, and valid.
Sorry if it takes any of the wind out of your sails, Emilio….
I do agree with you as far as watching them though: I don’t, as a rule.
It’s rare I watch any of the extras: most are far too full of themselves and seem to be trying to impress people with how wonderful they are.
Doesn’t happen often, but I’m inclined to agree with rogerdugans…at least regarding that being one explanation for the alternate endings. Another reason could be that the director…or the producers…are hedging their bets. Which is lazy thinking on their part, I’d say.
But what I really want to know is…when are we going to see the rest of that story? And can’t you let the hamster, at least, escape? 😉
It’s due to focus groups as well. Often the ending doesn’t go over well with test audiences (or they film several and see which one people like best).
Oh no! I must be one of those pathetic people who can’t stand it and has to watch the alternative endings. I thing the psychology of movie watching has changed from an intellectual adventure to a spoon fed, flavor of the month, option for everyone kind of an experience. Sadly, that has become our culture.
Is it psychology that makes us hunger for something better, a way to get rich quick, and believing some new religion just introduced actually will create enlightenment. Our passion starved minds can’t stand the thought of missing something – good or bad. What if this small action changes the outcome of our lives (the butterfly effect). I guess we are destined to be always wanting what the person at the table next to us ordered. Not because we would really enjoy it more, but the imagined possibility is where the pleasure lies.
Emilio, I confess that I like the alternate endings. I agree they leave me flat most of the time but I keep trying. Help me please – I’m addicted to that enticing option – is there hope me and others so afflicted?
Signed,
Closet Multiple Choice Addict
Valid points regarding extra shooting. Apparently they do that on TV series as well. But while that explains some of the “why” they are shot, it does nothing to change my mind about them. Must be my engineer’s training; I want everything tidy and unambiguous.
As for those unfortunate souls who like sitting at a fork in the story’s road . . . sorry, I got nothing that can help. Sure, I could go into long tirades using reason and logic, but at the end you’d just want an additional answer.