False ending
A false ending is a device in film and music that can be used to temporarily lead the audience to believe that the work has ended before it continues.
Film
[edit]In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, director Peter Jackson presents a series of concluding scenes after the film's climax, several of which have been described as false endings. [1] In The Simpsons Movie, the screen fades out at an apparent climax and displays "To be continued", followed by "Immediately."[2] In Everything Everywhere All at Once, the words "The End" and a short sequence of fake credits appear after Evelyn seemingly dies. The film then reveals that the preceding events are being watched as a movie in an alternate universe.[3]
Music
[edit]False endings are a known device in classical music. Josef Haydn was fond of them, for example inducing applause at the wrong place in the finales of his String Quartet, Op. 33 No. 2 (nicknamed "The Joke")[4] and Symphony No. 90.[5]
False endings also appear in popular music. The Beatles used the device in songs including "I'm Only Sleeping", "Hello, Goodbye", and "Strawberry Fields Forever".[6] Other examples include Guns N' Roses' "November Rain", Foo Fighters' "Come Back", and Beastie Boys' "Sabotage".[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "The End Of The Ring". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2026-07-02. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ Sherlock, Ben (2021-05-17). "The Simpsons Movie: The 10 Funniest Scenes". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ↑ Etemesi, Philip (2023-04-01). "10 Best Fakeout Movie Endings". CBR. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ Service, Tom (29 May 2009). "Haydn composed existential comedy". The Guardian.
- ↑ Hicks, Sarah (16 May 2010). "Haydn's Head Fake". Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
- ↑ Beviglia, Jim (2025-02-19). "5 Beatles Songs With False Endings". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ↑ Edwards, Briony (April 10, 2018). "The 10 best false endings in music, as chosen by Haggard Cat". Louder. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.