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Warning: the following article contains spoilers!
Last impressions matter just as much as first impressions, and movies are no exception. An ending can make or break a film altogether, seeing as it's the image that audiences will walk out of the theater with. Whereas a weak, unsatisfying conclusion can make even the greatest of films leave a sour taste in one's mouth, a genuinely masterful ending can elevate anyone's impression of a film into the stratosphere.
It just so happens that several of the most masterful endings in film history belong to movies that are themselves timeless classics, true gems of the art form that have gone down in history as paragons of their genres. Whether it's a bittersweet conclusion, an action-packed one, a deeply symbolic one, or one that makes it impossible to contain one's laughter, these finales prove just how powerful a movie's ending can be.
'Cinema Paradiso' (1988)
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, the magical Cinema Paradisois not only one of the most beloved Italian films of all time, but also one of the greatest coming-of-age movies ever. It's everything that the genre should always aim to be: charming, sweet, and full of youthful innocence, exploring the poignancy and bittersweetness inherent to growing up. This beautiful masterpiece is undoubtedly one of the best depictions of childhood in movie history.
But what makes Cinema Paradiso a must-see for any and all cinephiles is that aside from being a tale about leaving home to chase one's dreams, it's also a profound love letter to the power of the movies. Nowhere is this clearer than in the nostalgia-infused ending, where an adult Salvatore returns to his hometown for his mentor Alfredo's funeral. Alfredo's parting gift? A film reel containing all the passionate kissing scenes the village priest previously forced Alfredo to censor, reminding Salvatore of the passion and emotion that made him fall in love with cinema in the first place.
'Whiplash' (2014)
The years have allowed the endings of the great classics from the 20th century to become infused with nostalgic love, but the 21st century has thus far offered several film conclusions bound to receive the same level of love in the future. Case in point: Whiplash, the film that catapulted Damien Chazelle to Hollywood prestige, which features one of the best movie endings of all time.
Whiplash is one of the greatest, tensest, most engrossing films ever made about artistic obsession. That fixation comes to its boiling point in the climax, where Andrew takes control of the stage after initially being set up to fail by the abusive Fletcher. Andrew delivers an electrifying, truly transcendental drum solo, and Chazelle leaves us with a pair of silent looks that nevertheless speak volumes: Andrew knows that he's triumphed, and Fletcher sees that he's succeeded in creating one of the greats. What makes the conclusion so great is its dialogue-less ambiguity. It's not exactly a happy ending, but it's not a fully tragic one either.
'Some Like It Hot' (1959)
It's typically the conclusions of drama movies that tend to go down in history as some of the most acclaimed ever, but there's just as much of an art in making the ending of a comedy land. And if there was one filmmaker from Golden-Age Hollywood who definitely knew how to make the finale of any sort of film land—comedies most definitely included—it was the legendary Billy Wilder. For proof, one needn't look any further than Some Like It Hot.
After Osgood helps Sugar, Joe, and Jerry escape from the mafia on his boat, Jerry tries to break off his engagement to Osgood without having to tell him that he's actually a man. After Osgood rejects all of his efforts, Jerry finally reveals the truth of his gender, only for Osgood to deliver one of the best final movie lines of all time: "Well, nobody's perfect." Sweet, hilarious, and genuinely progressive for the time, it's a conclusion that may very well be the best in the history of comedy films.
'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982)
Not only is Steven Spielberg the father of blockbusters; throughout the entirety of his career, he has remained their king. He gave ample proof of that in 1982 when he released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a coming-of-age and alien invasion movie so unique and delightfully sweet that it became the highest-grossing motion picture in history at the time.
Though it's far from being the biggest box office sensation in history nowadays, E.T. is still one of the most universally beloved sci-fi blockbusters of all time, and that's in no small measure thanks to its having one of the best endings of any 1980s movie. After Elliot rescues E.T. from the government, they make it to the alien's landing site, where he bids a poignant farewell to his friends and leaves into space. It's a simple enough conclusion on paper, but it's greatly elevated by Spielberg's deeply emotional direction and John Williams' sweeping score.
'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946)
Frank Capra was another one of Golden-Age Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, a director always willing to push the boundaries of the art form and the censorial Hays Code. The first film he made after serving in World War II was It's a Wonderful Life(starring Jimmy Stewart, who also served in the war), which is fittingly all about a man struggling to find meaning in his life.
But poignant though it may be, It's a Wonderful Life is also wonderfully hopeful, one of the best crowd-pleasing fantasy movies ever made. It ends with George coming back to his world after the angel Clarence showed him what life would have looked like if he'd never been born. With a newfound appreciation for life, George embraces his family as the Bedford Falls community gathers to raise enough money to save his family's business from bankruptcy. It's the feel-good ending par excellence, a conclusion which shows how wonderfully life-affirming a movie ending can be without feeling saccharine in the slightest.
'Come and See' (1985)
Soviet cinema delivered several timeless masterpieces over the course of the USSR's history, and seeing as it's the nation's highest-rated film ever on Letterboxd, Come and See is a strong contender for the title of best of the bunch. But though it's an absolutely perfect war film, Elem Klimov's magnum opus is definitely not made for the weak of stomach. Brutally realistic to the point of feeling nightmarish, this WWII coming-of-age almost borders on being a horror film.
With every shot, Klimov shows archival footage of Hitler's rise to power and the Holocaust's horrors.
Furthermore, Come and See also has one of the best endings of any war movie. Scarred by what he has witnessed, Flyora finds a portrait of Hitler on the ground and repeatedly shoots it with his rifle. With every shot, Klimov shows archival footage of Hitler's rise to power and the Holocaust's horrors, going back in time. But when Flyora reaches a photo of a baby Hitler in his mother's arms, he's unable to shoot an innocent child, regardless of who he'll grow up to be. It's an incredibly powerful final statement for such an incredibly powerful movie.
'The Godfather' (1972)
All these many years later, there are still many who regard Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfatheras the greatest film of all time. It is, at the very least, the most influential crime film in history, and one of the most notorious outings of the New Hollywood film movement. It's also the sort of crime movie that's perfect from the first scene until the last—the last scene in question being one of the genre's most masterful conclusions ever.
After the infamous sequence of the baptism murders, Michael denies his involvement in the hits to both Connie and Kay. The moment Kay turns away, Michael's capos enter the room to kiss his hand and call him Don Corleone, closing the door and thus locking Kay out of her husband's new criminal life. Symbolically powerful, impeccably shot and blocked, and further bolstered by Al Pacino and Diane Keaton's powerhouse performances, it's one of the most iconic conclusions in Hollywood history for a reason.
'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' (1966)
Father of Spaghetti Westerns and universally hailed as one of the greatest Western movie directors of all time, Sergio Leone made the English-language Italian masterpiece The Good, the Bad and the Uglywhat many still recognize as the greatest Western in history. It's one of the most rewatchable epics in movie history, and though reception was mixed upon its original release, it soon turned infinitely warmer.
Today, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is widely seen as a masterclass in virtually every department of Western filmmaking, including delivering a hard-hitting ending. After a tense Mexican standoff between our three main characters, Blondie manages to shoot Angel Eyes dead and outsmarts Tuco, riding away with his share of the hidden gold. Suspenseful, epic, impeccably shot, and elevated by Ennio Morricone's legendary score, it's the perfect way to bring history's most perfect Western to a close.
'Chinatown' (1974)
During Hollywood's Golden Age, the noir film genre was one of the most popular, and it saw a dramatic evolution throughout its history. Eventually, that evolution reached an altogether new genre: the neo-noir, which the New Hollywood movement further expanded. The genre reached its peak in 1974, when Chinatowndemonstrated just how absolutely flawless neo-noir masterpieces could really be.
Aside from how incredibly suspenseful it is and how effective the mystery at the core of its narrative is, what sets Chinatown apart is the fact that it's one of the heaviest thrillers of all time. Its bleak, cynical nature leads all the way to one of the most depressingly tragic endings in the history of 20th-century Hollywood, where the police fatally shoot Evelyn and her evil father, Noah Cross, walks away with their daughter. Distraught and utterly defeated, Jake is escorted away from the scene and told to "forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown."
'Casablanca' (1942)
There is no Golden-Age Hollywood classic more romantic than Casablanca, and there is no ending in movie history more iconic than that of this World War II masterpiece. During production, almost no one involved with the film had any faith in it. Upon release, however, it became a modest financial hit and went so far as to win three Academy Awards (including Best Picture). It was in the years after, however, that it would grow into a bit of a cult classic. Today, it's as mainstream as it gets, one of the most widely acclaimed motion pictures in history.
A big factor that has contributed to Casablanca's undeniable timelessness is its ending. Magnificently performed by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and including one of the best final lines and best final shots of any 20th-century movie, the conclusion sees Rick bid farewell to Ilsa as he puts her on a plane to Lisbon with her husband. Accepting his role as a wartime hero, Rick stays behind in Casablanca to continue fighting the good fight. Rousing, inspiring, romantic, and delectably bittersweet, it's the peak of what movie endings can do.
