The phrases, happy ending and unhappy ending are misnomers. They belong to an era when the public demanded a saccharine finish to every picture, irrespective of whether or not it was logical. Film-goers of 1933 insist upon a new standard in their screen entertainment. They are not particularly concerned about the ending of a picture so long as it is truthful. Naturally, they do not want a preponderance of depressing themes, but I am firmly convinced that they would rather witness a tragic finish that is truthful and logical than a sugar-coated ending that is not. In The Sign of the Cross the problem of bringing the story to a close is one that would have been difficult a few years ago, when the sugary tradition ruled the film industry. But now that the words happy and unhappy have been deleted from cinema terminology, our task was simplified, and we gave an ending which appeals to logic and intelligence.
About This Quote
About Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille was a 19th-century American film director, producer and actor. Cecil Blount DeMille, often known in popular culture as Mr. DeMille, was an American filmmaker and actor. Read more on Wikipedia →