What film has the greatest final scene?

[begin_within]

The poll feature only allows 10 choices so I'm just going to skip the poll and offer these suggestions. Post your own opinion of the greatest final scene in cinema or add your own if it's not listed here:

Au hasard, Balthazar
Being There
Caddyshack
Casablanca
Chinatown
Cinema Paradiso
Das Boot
Donnie Darko
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Empire of the Sun
Glory
In the Company of Men
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World
It's a Wonderful Life
Life of Brian
Longtime Companion
Night of the Living Dead
Planet of the Apes
Pulp Fiction
Rashomon
Requiem for a Dream
Some Like it Hot
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 400 Blows
The Apartment
The Big Lebowski
The Bridge over the River Kwai
The Conversation
The Godfather
The Road Warrior
The Seven Samurai
The Shawshank Redemption
The Sixth Sense
The Straight Story
The Thin Red Line
Unforgiven
Vertigo
Wild Strawberries
2001: A Space Odyssey

And?

[Glorfindel]

1. Casablanca

The Usual Suspects
Star Wars IV: A New Hope
Big Business
Gone With the Wind

[GalleryGod]

17. Casablanca.

The Epstein Brothers were geniuses ! It was all there, "on the page"

Here's lookin' at YOU, kid!

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Thelma and Louise

[begin_within]

15. Forgot all about that.... good one.

[Zomby Woof]

3. The Godfather

The look on Kate's face as the door shuts...

[Hissyspit]

4. "Deliverance"

until it got ripped off a million times, most notably by "Carrie"

[ForrestGump]

5. "Birdy"

:D

I made my wife sit through that whole movie (no, it's not why the marriage died), which she didn't really like all that much, just for that final punchline. She was not amused. :D

I love the film, but haven't seen it in ages.

In truth, I couldn't really choose a single greatest film ending, just as I can never pick a single best film, song, or whatever...even within my array of choices, the order of my preference changes continually. I haven't seen all of the films on your list, but some did indeed have particularly notable or powerful endings.

[CanuckAmok]

9. "What?!"

Kills me, every time.

[grannylib]

6. "Rebecca" was a good one

[peekaloo]

7. The Usual Suspects

[Phillycat]

19. Agree! nt

[Mad_Dem_X]

33. Definitely! I also vote for

Thelma and Louise
Primal Fear

[Tikki]

8. Repo Man.........n/t

[swag]

10. "Fight Club" had a good one.

[Robeson]

11. The Wild Bunch.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. "Das Boot"

It had so much punch at the end........

I mean, I haven't seen it in years......and just now considering your list made me remember it so vividly that it hurt.........

The entire film builds to this ending.......

[LouisianaLiberal]

13. La Dolce Vita. No question, for me anyway.

Then:

Amarcord
Seven Samurai (penultimate scene)
400 Blows
Paths of Glory
Smiles of a Summer Night
The Seventh Seal (and as imitation: Love and Death)
The Bicycle Thief
Excalibur
2001
Dr. Strangelove

[enigmatic]

14. Nightmare Alley (1947)

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1644alle.html

[Blue_Tires]

16. Taxi Driver

[Courtesy Flush]

18. Stormy Weather -- if you like great dancing.

[Phillycat]

20. Cinema Paradiso's ending makes me cry every time.

Beautiful. :)

[sarge43]

21. Godfather II

That closeup of Michael's haunted eyes.

Another much the same - Dangerous Liaisons

Lawrence of Arabia - Lawrence's face seen thru the dusty windshield as the motorcycle blows by

[NNadir]

22. In my opinion, Chinatown.

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. The Wild Bunch has the best final scene ever

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

24. Caché (Hidden)

Not of all time, but certainly in recent years. The life of the film doesn't end when the credits roll because the final scene demands analysis and discussion, which is rather exciting. Different people will read it in different ways, which will potentially completely alter their understanding of the film and/or the relationships and motivations of the characters.

Dead or Alive is probably the coolest
(Obviously big SPOILER here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnKS1vpTOSk

Honorable mentions to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Irreversible and Even Dwarfs Started Small.

[MiniMandaRuth]

25. Gone With The Wind, dammit!

That always made my spine tingle.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. You might be right. I'll think about it tomorrow...

and get back with you. :hi:

[Guava Jelly]

26. Star wars

When Han Solo came out of he sunset shot Vader's fighter clearing Luke for the final shot to destroy the death star..
I know i am a total geek..But it still excites me to see that scene

[MiniMandaRuth]

30. Empire Strikes Back... that ending rocked, man.

And yes, I am evil like that.

[ScreamingMeemie]

28. The ending to "The Seventh Sign" with Demi Moore gets me

everytime. :hi:

[YankeyMCC]

29. I think I have to go with Casablanca as #1

But I also like:
"The Great Escape" - "It looks, after all, as if you will see Berlin before I do."
Actually "Tora! Tora! Tora!" also has a great ending - "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

[HeardOnTheHill]

31. Rudy

Yeah, it's cliche sports stuff, but I still get chill bumps at the end of Rudy.

[JVS]

32. I love Lebowski, but it's final scene was nothing special, it just...

tapered off. Das Boot's end was typical German war movie pap (they are uncomfortable with the war, so while we do the home-coming thing, they prefer to kill everyone off) I vote for Caddyshack.

[cemaphonic]

34. Lebowski ending...

I agree with you, but it is pretty neat that they were able to have a conversation, and then have a bowler roll a strike all in one take.