How a Dreadful Alternate Ending Saved Arlington Road
Director Mark Pellington took a bold gamble with Arlington Road, filming a deliberately poor alternate ending to protect the film’s original, uncompromising finale. The risky tactic ultimately preserved the story’s dark vision.
In the world of filmmaking, it’s not uncommon for directors to be asked to shoot multiple endings for their projects. Sometimes it’s to keep the real conclusion under wraps, but more often, it’s to appease studio executives who have their own ideas about what will sell. For one particular Jeff Bridges thriller, this demand led to a rather audacious solution—one that could have backfired spectacularly.
Hollywood, as ever, is a business first and foremost. Creative vision often finds itself at odds with commercial interests, and directors are frequently forced to compromise. Unless a film is made entirely outside the system, there’s a good chance the people holding the purse strings will want a say in how things wrap up. Yet, every so often, a director finds a way to outmanoeuvre the system, as Mark Pellington did with Arlington Road.
Studio Pressure and a Risky Response
While not the most celebrated entry in Jeff Bridges’ filmography, Arlington Road was well received and saw him take on the role of Michael Faraday, a university lecturer who becomes increasingly suspicious of his neighbours, played by Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack. The film, steeped in the paranoia of 1970s thrillers, delivered a jarring conclusion: Faraday is killed in a bombing and posthumously blamed for terrorism. This bleak finale, echoing the cynicism of its influences, was not to the studio’s taste. They felt it was simply too grim to let Bridges’ character meet such a fate.
Bridges recalled the moment the director approached him with the news.
“I remember when the director, Mark Pellington, came to me with a drab look on his face and said that the ‘suits’ were unhappy with the ending and wanted my character to live, so they asked to change the ending.”
Pellington, unwilling to let go of his vision, devised a plan. He would shoot an alternative ending so unconvincing that the studio would have no choice but to stick with the original.
Deliberate Sabotage and a Close Call
It was a bold move, but one fraught with risk. There was always the chance that the studio might actually prefer the lacklustre version, no matter how poorly it was executed. Bridges himself was not keen on the idea of changing the story’s outcome.
“I remember fighting back, saying that changing the ending defeated the purpose of the film, but they demanded an alternate ending be shot. He had the balls to shoot a terrible alternate ending, so bad that they weren’t able to use it, which was dangerous because, as bad as it intentionally was made, they still could’ve used it and really ruined the film. It was a ballsy move that paid off for a very unusual movie.”
In the end, the gamble worked. The studio rejected the alternate, and the film’s uncompromising conclusion remained intact. Arlington Road may not have been a box office sensation, but its ending left a lasting impression on those who saw it.
Legacy and Future Prospects
Though it never achieved blockbuster status, the film’s reputation has endured, in part due to its refusal to offer easy answers or a comforting resolution. There have even been reports of a television adaptation in development, suggesting that the story may yet find a new audience on the small screen.