Lost scenes

The alternative ending

The last scene of the film shows Larry climbing the Montmatre steps.

However, a completely different ending was shot and then abandoned. In it, Larry has not returned home to America but has stayed in Paris to work in a factory. The singing of 'Frere Jaques' links back to the scene in WW1 (and the beginnings of Larry's trauma) where he is told by Piedmont that they cannot stop to help the wounded soldiers in the back of their ambulance, but can only keep their spirits up by singing.

John Byrum says:

"The final scene set in a factory was actually shot. Not only did Bill get the whole factory singing Frere Jaques, but he did it in such a way that really was a kind of metaphor for what Bill did for audiences and still does, brings out their joy and humour in the face of austerity.

I loved that scene, it took all day to shoot and Peter Hannan's camera crew had invented their own hot-head, so the final shot dollied up from Bill's singing face to the very top of the factory in one camera move - almost a complete reversal on that famous shot Greg Toland did in Citizen Kane. But when Bill finally saw a rough cut of the movie, he wanted a different ending for some reason I no longer remember. So we went back to Paris nearly a year later and shot the new final shot of the film, him running up some stairs by the Seine. I'd made a deal with Bill when we made this movie - co-create it. He won that one, but that day in the factory in Paris was really a great shot and a great ending."

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167 A FACTORY

(© John Byrum and Bill Murray)

It is dark, poorly lit, damp and cold. All down the assembly line are CHILDREN, WOMEN, blank faced MEN, underpaid victims of the great depression. The line of faces are empty, anguished. The CAMERA FINDS LARRY, just another face buried in the mass of humanity. His gaze meets that of a TEN YEAR OLD GIRL. Dressed in rags, undernourished, she looks back at him across the assembly line. Larry smiles, she smiles back shyly. Larry winks. She winks back. He does a trick with his stomach. The little girl laughs. Larry remembers an incident from many years ago. He begins to hum, then to sing.

LARRY

FRERE JAQUES! FRERE JAQUES!
DORME-VOUS? DORME?
SONNET LES MATINNES! SONNET LES MATINNES!
DIN DIN DON! DINDIN DON!

He points at the little girl.

LARRY

Allez!

He resumes singing. The little girl starts singing with him. The other workers stare at them. Larry and the girl keep singing. One of the other chold workers joins in; then another. An adult joins them; then another. The song spreads down the line. The pace picks up. The voices rise. Larry's get lost in the crowd.