leaving las vegas ending explained

A version of "Lonely Teardrops" performed by Michael McDonald that features in the film is not included. He told Film Critic: "It was just a week and a half of rehearsal. Pluto TV - Leaving Las Vegas Though every actor delivers a convincing performance, it is Shue who takes on the most emotionally demanding role and executes it flawlessly. The supermodel was supposed to play the hooker at the bar who Ben takes back to his and Seras apartment. Cage plays Ben, a man who has officially hit rock bottom and has gone to Vegas in . The strange thing about Leaving Las Vegas is, despite the terrible subject matter, the love story is genuinely touching. Available to host your next spooky public access show. With Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis. Here he began with a novel by a man named John O'Brien, whose autobiographical sources can be guessed by the information that he killed himself two weeks after selling the book rights. Sera doesnt seem to quite understand this and later attempts to stop Ben from drinking, which leads to the relationship coming to an end. [26] The soundtrack also included three jazz standards performed by Sting and excerpts of dialogue from the film. She later was nominated for an Oscar for playing Sera. Cage relishes operatic role in tragic `Leaving Las Vegas' The strange thing about Leaving Las Vegas is, despite the terrible subject matter, the love story is genuinely touching. He goes off to drink himself into steadiness, and then it seems he returns and makes obscene suggestions to the teller, but they all take place in his head. Bellagio Fountains. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic in Los Angeles who, having lost his family and been recently fired, has decided to move to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. [23][24] The DVD contains a supplemental "Hidden Page" menu feature. Mike Figgis, who wrote, directed, and composed the music for this movie, is a filmmaker attracted to the far shores of behavior. Julie Benz played Shues character, who in this version was bulimic. Nicholas Cage stars as Ben Sanderson in "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995), directed by Mike Figgis. There is a curious, effective scene in which he tries to get a check cashed, and his hands shake too much to sign his name. Famously, director Figgis used a super 16-mm camera for the whole shoot. On the contrary, the social contacts at work typically tolerate, sympathize with, and even enable alcoholics and other substance abusers, because many of the other employees are also similarly (and secretly) engaged in addictive behavior of their own to varying degrees. It is a pure, grand gesture. The two agree to not judge one another, but it doesn't take long for Sera to break their pact and try to put an end to Ben's suicidal bender, which prompts Ben to sabotage their relationship. However, her career never really took offa shame given the talent she showed in the film. [24] The film was also released on Blu-ray, HD DVD and LaserDisc.[25]. Leaving Las Vegas - Lonely Teardrops - YouTube It really shows the nature of mental health issues beneath our outwardly sociable exteriors. She initially rejects their offer by stating that she only "dates" one at a time but eventually acquiesces when she is offered an increased price. This elegance is best seen through Bens drunken confidence as he waxes poetic to Sera (Elisabeth Shue) and others on the Vegas strip. But nothing is forever. [17], Roger Ebert from Chicago Sun-Times and Rick Groen from The Globe and Mail gave the film high marks. Sera visits Ben, and the two make love, and he dies shortly thereafter. [13], The film was a success at the box office, particularly considering its budget, grossing $49.8 million. Since a producer asked Figgis to take the added therapy scenes out, he wanted to make sure they were absolutely necessary. And because Ben essentially has given up on his, the film becomes Sera's story, about how even in the face of certain defeat we can, at least, insist on loving, and trying. "[19] Ebert named the film "best of 1995" and included it in his "best of the decade" list in the number 8 spot. All rights reserved. Interviewing Director Mike Figgis, Cage Did Serious Research For Alcoholic Role, 'Vegas' Stars Cage, Shue Ponder Chances for Oscar, 'Leaving Las Vegas' reminds us performance counts, 'Leaving' Preconceptions Behind? One could also argue that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.). And that's the end of the season. This was the way everybody in their late twenties drank, right? Another icon disappears from The Strip. Not every wine mom binge drinks like Cages character does, but every time we normalize any level of alcohol dependency, we enable one more person to indulge in an unhealthy relationship to booze. He sang Stormy Monday in the cab before he talked to Sera, but Figgis cut it for seeming too self-indulgent when it came timefor editing. It is about great sad passion, of the sort celebrated in operas like "La Boheme." Thats what I want, I want you to talk or listen, just stay. In the peaceful quiet of Bens hotel room, the two reflect on the winding drawbacks of their lives. She takes him in as she might take in a wet puppy. However, Ben is very clear about his drinking intentions and Sera promises not to interfere with his goal. Unless someone wants to start a Kickstarter campaign? But he doesn't stop drinking. Thats why when I tried to watch Nicolas Cages performance in Leaving Las Vegas after my first year of sobriety, I just couldnt. As it won awards from multiple film critics organizations and earned four Academy Award nominations, the film's release was expanded and it ultimately opened nationwide on February 9, 1996. I wanted to give Ben a sort of crumbling elegance.. Follow her on Twitter @izbcho. He went with a more action film focus after this, with daft (but entertaining) films like Con Air and Face/Off. Beneath their occupations are their souls. The woman's name is Sera (Elisabeth Shue). One early morning, he drives drunkenly from his Los Angeles home down to the Las Vegas Strip; he nearly hits a woman, Sera, on the crosswalk. As the pair continue to hit it off, the audience begins to wonder if Ben will abandon his plans and commit to Sera. Ben says he will not criticize her occupation either, and she thanks him. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera. Everything is real to him, even if he often doesnt seem real to us. This bank scene is the moment that made me originally turn the film off, because it was too much of a painful reminder of what I had just been through. He tries to excuse his tremors by lying about a recent brain surgery, but he gives up and downs an early morning gin and tonic to steady his hand. [10], The limited budget dictated the production and Figgis ended up filming in super 16mm and composing his own score. He begs her to just cash the check without his signature because his hands are trembling so badly he can barely hold a pen. Mike Figgis brings his directorial eye to this very theme in his romantic tragedy Leaving Las Vegas (1995). Figgis determined after seeing his first version of the movie that they were. He may go into convulsions. One early morning, he drives drunkenly from his Los Angeles home down to the Las Vegas Strip; he nearly hits a woman, Sera, on the crosswalk. The man's name is Ben (Nicholas Cage). As we mentioned earlier, we dont know the full circumstances of Bens situation. Interviewing Director Mike Figgis", "Cage Did Serious Research For Alcoholic Role", "Oscar Nominations Are Just One Surprise After Another", "How Nicolas Cage Gambled on 'Vegas' -- and Came Up Big", "Ebert & Scorsese: Best Films of the 1990s", "Leaving Las Vegas (1995) - All releases", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leaving_Las_Vegas&oldid=1147514134, "Ben Pawns His Rolex/Sera Talks to Her Shrink" (dialogue), "Sera Talks to the Cab Driver" (dialogue), This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 13:12. If acting is just professional pretending, Cage plainly chooses to take that one step beyond. As those two hit it off, Sera invites Ben to live in her flat. Starring: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue. Retrospective: In 'Leaving Las Vegas,' Love Doesn't Win

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