July 7, 2008

When DVD cases or menus ruin everything

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't like to know the ending of a movie before I watch it. I don't think that's too much to ask. Sometimes a friend ruins it for you, or you accidentally wander into a minefield of spoilers on the interwebs. But the worst is when endings are betrayed by DVD cases, menus, or anything else you could easily stumble upon in the viewing process. So as a public service to my readers, I would like to compile a list of films that fall into this category. Here are two examples that happened to me:

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) - This is a a Tennessee Williams adaptation with a star-studded cast. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more, however, if the entire quasi-twist ending wasn't revealed on the back of the DVD case! (and the IMDB plot synopsis too, as it turns out). At the video store where I used to work, this pissed me off so much that I covered the back of the case with a piece of paper on which I wrote my own, spoiler-free synopsis.

Barton Fink (1991) - If you are catching this surreal Coen Brothers flick on DVD, close your eyes and ears while it loads - some genius chose to make footage from the wild and unexpected ending be the loop that plays behind the menu!

Okay, so now I need your help. Have you ever had this happen to you and want to spare others the agony? Email me your experiences at jsesnovich@yahoo.com. Don't post to the comments section, because I want to formally compile these. Do a good deed for the sake of your fellow film fans!

1 comment:

Alex said...

I just bought Barton Fink last week and I couldn't believe that the menu was that scene! Are you kidding?! Did they just assume that no one would ever see the movie that hadn't already?

Anyway, I can't think of any DVD menus that committed such an unpardonable sin but the Netflix description of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance gives away the ending! Don't read it if you haven't seen it. I read it, thinking that the film would be about the repercussions of this event but it turns out that that's what it all leads up to! It ruined the film for me.