MovieChat Forums > The Happy Ending (1970) Discussion > Deserves Higher Rating

Deserves Higher Rating

posted 11 years ago by onegreendress
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I can't believe I hadn't heard of this film before. Or that it only has a 6.5 rating. I think it is an incredibly well-written, honest, and well-acted portrayal of the beauty of love and the horrors of marriage, and why we yearn for marriage even when it becomes, as the young girl in the movie says, "the end."

Jean Simmons is perfect in every scene, though I'm going to remember this film for 2 scenes that she wasn't even in: 1. The short one on the stairs between Forsythe and the daughter when he tells the daughter how much her mother loves her. For all the husband's denseness about his wife's life, that scene redeems his character. 2. Shirley Jones explaining her past while coldly undressing for her lover.

This is an adult movie--no easy answers to anything. And that ending question...wow.

[–] Victoriavixen 11 years ago

I agree with everything you've said here. Simmons was sublime, and her fellow cast rounded the story out well. A lot of what Mary endured struck a chord with me as a woman. Excellent film. 8/10 from me.