American Beauty (lost alternate ending of drama film; existence unconfirmed; 1999): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:53, 21 December 2016

American Beauty advertisement poster.

Status: Existence Unconfirmed

American Beauty is a critically acclaimed drama released in 1999. It was directed by Sam Mendes and starred Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, and Thora Birch. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2000 and Spacey won Best Actor for his performance.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

In the released cut's ending, Lester Burnham is shot by Colonel Fitts. In an alternate ending, Ricky and Lester's daughter, Jane, are arrested and put on trial for Lester's murder. The prosecutors use Ricky's videophillia against him as evidence. One version of this ending resulted in the two being guilty, while the other showed them both innocent. However, this alternate ending was left out with concerns that it would detract from the film overall.

It is currently unknown how much of the intended ending was filmed, and none has been found or released. While Mendes hasn't commented on the subject, many members of the film's crew remember filming at least some footage for these endings. It is possible that the scenes were removed by Mendes at the last minute or that they never existed at all.

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-'''''American Beauty''''' is a critically acclaimed drama released in 1999. It was directed by Sam Mendes and starred Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, and Thora Birch. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2000 and Spacey won Best Actor for his performance. As this article is about the ending for the film, '''be warned, spoilers are ahead'''.
+'''''American Beauty''''' is a critically acclaimed drama released in 1999. It was directed by Sam Mendes and starred Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, and Thora Birch. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2000 and Spacey won Best Actor for his performance.
-Everyone who has seen the movie is familiar with its ending: Lester Burnham gets shot, we see the reactions of various characters, and it is made very clear that Col. Fitz is the one who killed him. This was not Sam Mendes' original intention. Mendes wrote various scripts, working with different ideas for the ending. The script, which can easily be found online, does not make it clear that Fitz is the murderer. Instead, the film drags on for an additional 30 minutes, showing Col. Fitz's son, Ricky, and Lester's daughter, Jane, being arrested and put on trial for Lester's murder. Ricky's constant videophillia is used against him as evidence. One stage of the ending shows the two found guilty, the other finds them innocent. Mendes decided to leave the ending out, as he felt it would have ruined the film.
+'''Warning: Spoilers Ahead!'''
-Another missing scene involves a more drawn out opening. The opening video is a bit longer, Lester's narration is more detailed, and a bit more character development is established.
+In the released cut's ending, Lester Burnham is shot by Colonel Fitts. In an alternate ending, Ricky and Lester's daughter, Jane, are arrested and put on trial for Lester's murder. The prosecutors use Ricky's videophillia against him as evidence. One version of this ending resulted in the two being guilty, while the other showed them both innocent. However, this alternate ending was left out with concerns that it would detract from the film overall.
-It is currently unknown how much, or if any, of the intended ending was filmed. While Mendes is yet to comment on the subject, many members of the film's crew remember filming at least some footage for these endings. Some claim that the ending was finished and was removed at the last minute by Mendes. The footage, if it exists, was left out of the extras section of the DVD release. Mendes probably won't release any of the footage anytime soon, as he is personally ashamed of the film's original ending.
+It is currently unknown how much of the intended ending was filmed, and none has been found or released. While Mendes hasn't commented on the subject, many members of the film's crew remember filming at least some footage for these endings. It is possible that the scenes were removed by Mendes at the last minute or that they never existed at all.
 [[Category:Existence unconfirmed]]
 [[Category:Lost films]]
-[[Category:Needing work]]