In this particular film, the criminal masterminds were once part of a common brotherhood, but now someone is taking them out, one-by-one.
During the course of the film, Bruce Wayne's passionate love for Andrea Beaumont is revealed when she returns unexpectedly to Gotham. The movie shifts seamlessly between the present troubles and Batman's flashbacks.
The script for this is amazing. It grabs from the get go and there is no happy ending to the tale. And yet, it has become a cult classic, and I understand why.
This has made me sit back and re-evaluate the contemporary stories playing out on screen and in books. Most stories, especially the superhero type, have happy endings and there are few permanent losses that the heroes and heroines must endure. As storytellers, are we forgetting the power of a sad ending? Are we afraid to let a beloved character die, and are we afraid to make our heroes stalwart and true?
So here is a tip of my hat to the stories of yesteryears, and the tragedies that hooked me and stayed in my memory.
What movies and books had this effect on you?
5 comments:
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It was a great movie but no one else in my family liked it because it didn't have a happy ending. But that's what made it pop out.
This book/movie goes back to my childhood, late 70s early 80s. Where the Red Fern Grows. It is very moving with sad ending but ir has stayed with me all this years.
Though I have not yet come upon a book or movie that has a sad ending (and I am sure I will), the story I am writing with a friend will. I now believe that a tragic story is the most powerful of all.
Hmm... Writer4Christ I have never heard of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Is it good?
Anonymous #1, yes! Where the Red Fern Grows was an amazing film! I grew up on movies like that one.
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