Still haven't been able to track down the book's plot summary or free pdf so I can read it myself, but I found this interesting review:

I have rarely seen a film that follows the book so closely. The director/scriptwriter Delmer Daves sticks to the book like a life preserver - most of the film's dialogue comes right out of it. The only real difference is at the end when the film gives it a Hollywood ending that is implied in the book but still left open.

Aha so I was right, Hollywood did manipulate the ending to make it cleaner and happier. But I think the reviewer is talking about the very end, the last 2 min epilogue, rather than the climactic scene I'm talking about.

Elsewhere I found a review that mentions the climactic scene (SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW!!)

. . .

FINAL WARNING! THAR BE SPOILERS....!

Here goes. The quote kinda spoils what happens and below that I talk about it more.

Wasn't she great? That look on her face when Vincent slowly turns the knife on his identity should be acting school required viewing. But come on, didn't she know the window was there? OK, maybe it was a suicide ...

That last word is what I was getting at. In the book I'm wondering if it's suicide because that's the only way to explain what happens. I don't buy the movie's explanation, that she accidentally fell through a plate glass window and fell a dozen floors to her death. There are only 2 logical possibilities: 1 - suicide, or 2 - Bogie accidentally (or purposely) pushed her.

SPOILERS END

. . .

See what I'm saying: both of the logical explanations are extremely dark and disturbing, at least for a 1940s Hayes Code film. My guess is that the book makes it clear, whereas Hollywood couldn't go that dark, hence the contrived explanation that it was a random accident. It doesn't necessarily ruin the film, but it does sorta break our suspension of disbelief because it's just so unlikely. That plus the last 2 min epilogue, while leaving us energized, definitely reeks of Hollywood screenwriters' manipulation.

Hi, rooprect.

Okay, so, I don't want to be "that guy", but in this particular case-- and considering by far that you are not the only one who has made this mistake, and I think it needs to be clarified --the correct spelling is Hays Code, after William Hays. The error can be forgiven, as this man might be one of the very few with that name who did not spell it "Hayes".

As far as your review of Dark Passage-- nice, and, unfortunately, the changed ending would be endemic of that very restricted time (I haven't seen Dark Passage, but it sounds interesting).

A similar thing happened with one of my favorite books, Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain, published in 1941-- the book was quite risque, but the 1945 film version was much toned-down (although not the 2011 version with Kate Winslet).

I've always found it interesting that-- even in much more repressed times --books were given much more leeway than film in terms of the frankness of certain portrayals (going even back many centuries before the medium of film was even invented).

Hahah you called me out! Honestly, every time I've typed "Hayes Code" there's a flash of doubt as to whether I'm spelling it right but I'm always too lazy to spend the extra 10 seconds to google it. I'll remember it now!

Man we're on the same page regarding Hollywood's hypocritical rewriting of endings, hence the well deserved insult "Hollywood ending". I've seen the film Mildred Pierce and loved it, and now I'm wondering if I would've loved it more with the unsoftened story. I'll have to watch it again and imagine what might've been cut.

It's a wonder that we got any good films out of the Ha*ys* years at all.

But I guess it kinda adds to the fun to read between the lines and see how filmmakers struggled to beat censorship. One of my favorite examples is in the French film Wages of Fear where a dying character goes on a seemingly random monologue about a childhood playground, climbing the fence, and seeing what's beyond. There's nothing beyond! he says and dies. This was flagged by American censors and cut from the film because, Lordy, we can't imply that we don't all go to heaven!

@rooprect said:

Still haven't been able to track down the book's plot summary or free pdf so I can read it myself, but I found this interesting review:

I have rarely seen a film that follows the book so closely. The director/scriptwriter Delmer Daves sticks to the book like a life preserver - most of the film's dialogue comes right out of it. The only real difference is at the end when the film gives it a Hollywood ending that is implied in the book but still left open.

Aha so I was right, Hollywood did manipulate the ending to make it cleaner and happier. But I think the reviewer is talking about the very end, the last 2 min epilogue, rather than the climactic scene I'm talking about.

Elsewhere I found a review that mentions the climactic scene (SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW!!)

. . .

FINAL WARNING! THAR BE SPOILERS....!

---

Here goes. The quote kinda spoils what happens and below that I talk about it more.

Wasn't she great? That look on her face when Vincent slowly turns the knife on his identity should be acting school required viewing. But come on, didn't she know the window was there? OK, maybe it was a suicide ...

That last word is what I was getting at. In the book I'm wondering if it's suicide because that's the only way to explain what happens. I don't buy the movie's explanation, that she accidentally fell through a plate glass window and fell a dozen floors to her death. There are only 2 logical possibilities: 1 - suicide, or 2 - Bogie accidentally (or purposely) pushed her.

---

SPOILERS END

. . .

See what I'm saying: both of the logical explanations are extremely dark and disturbing, at least for a 1940s Hayes Code film. My guess is that the book makes it clear, whereas Hollywood couldn't go that dark, hence the contrived explanation that it was a random accident. It doesn't necessarily ruin the film, but it does sorta break our suspension of disbelief because it's just so unlikely. That plus the last 2 min epilogue, while leaving us energized, definitely reeks of Hollywood screenwriters' manipulation.

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

⬛Yes. In the book, it is quite clear what happened.

⬛Furthermore, the dialogue in the book and film both ended with the words "All set?".

⬛The book's final sentence was: The driver started the motor and then he faced the passengers and he said, "All set?". The End.

⬛The film continued with an epilogue after the words _"All set?"

SPOILERS BELOW

So in the book's climactic scene she accidentally falls through a window and dies? Or does the book imply that she jumped or was pushed?

And the book ends with Vincent at the bus station in San Francisco (without Irene)? I kinda like that better. The movie's ending where we see them reunited in South America was a bit much, though it feels good I admit.

@rooprect said:

SPOILERS BELOW

So in the book's climactic scene she accidentally falls through a window and dies? Or does the book imply that she jumped or was pushed?

Perhaps you should edit the title of this thread with Spoiler Warning for posts below the OP?

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

⬛Book: (Vince) "she did away with herself"

⬛Film: (Vince) "she stumbled"

And the book ends with Vincent at the bus station in San Francisco (without Irene)? I kinda like that better. The movie's ending where we see them reunited in South America was a bit much, though it feels good I admit.

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

⬛As previously mentioned, the book ends with Vince sitting on the bus without Irene and the driver saying "All set?". The film is very faithful to the book, including the phone call to Irene. Although there are some 'minor' differences. The book has no 'epilogue' like in the film.

@wonder2wonder said:

@rooprect said:

SPOILERS BELOW

So in the book's climactic scene she accidentally falls through a window and dies? Or does the book imply that she jumped or was pushed?

Perhaps you should edit the title of this thread with Spoiler Warning for posts below the OP?

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

⬛Book: (Vince) "she did away with herself"

⬛Film: (Vince) "she stumbled"

And the book ends with Vincent at the bus station in San Francisco (without Irene)? I kinda like that better. The movie's ending where we see them reunited in South America was a bit much, though it feels good I admit.

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

** SPOILERS **

⬛As previously mentioned, the book ends with Vince sitting on the bus without Irene and the driver saying "All set?". The film is very faithful to the book, including the phone call to Irene. Although there are some 'minor' differences. The book has no 'epilogue' like in the film.

I figured I was Capt Obvious on spoiler alerts on the 2nd post and below?

At any rate, ah yes then my initial assumption was correct, the movie drastically softened the climactic scene. It kinda kills the whole point doesn't it?

MILD SPOILERS BELOW

The point of the story, and Agnes Moorehead's excellent portrayal of Madge, is that she's extremely erratic. Her character follows very little logic other than to destroy for her agenda with a total disregard for life. With that in mind, what she does in the book's climactic scene makes compete sense. She is consumed by her uncontrollable instincts.

But the movie's ending, with it being a random accident is just silly. I think the audience is supposed to infer the book's explanation, but the screenwriters had to inject Bogie's line about the "accident" for the sake of pleasing the censors. We can overlook it in hindsight, knowing how brutal Hollywood was with censorship back then, but at the time, maybe that's one of the reasons why audiences and critics reacted somewhat lukewarmly. If you take it at face value, certain plot elements are just incongruous and wacky!