My Science School

A cliffhanger is a literacy device used to create an element of suspense in the story. When the plotline ends suddenly or is left unresolved. It leaves unanswered questions that make the reader or viewer want to come back to learn what will happen.

Origin

The phrase comes from the idea of “hanging off a cliff”. Cliffhangers were first popularized in the serials of the 1920s and 30s, and were often accompanied by the text “To be continued.”

Binge watching

Today, cliffhangers are widely used in television, web, and book series. They encourage people to come back for each new segment or episode. Usually, a cliffhanger doesn’t lend itself well to standalone films. But with the popularity of franchises and sequels, the use of cliffhanger endings in films has increased over the years.

The suspense maker

A cliffhanger is a great technique to use in a thriller because it builds up the action and then leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. Authors frequently build suspense throughout their stories to keep their reader’s attention and increase anticipation for what is to come.

Popular cliffhangers

• ‘Harry Potter’ series: Author J.K. Rowling is a master of cliffhangers, and she has employed them cleverly throughout all seven books in the “Harry Potter” series. One of the biggest cliffhangers in the series is the ending of the fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” – in the graveyard, Voldemort rises again with the help of peter Pettigrew, and summons his fearsome Death’s Eaters.


• “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018): The penultimate “Avengers” film packed quite a punch towards the end. Having acquired all six infinity Stones, Thanos uses his newfound powers to snap his fingers and wipe out half of all life in the universe. Half of their team turns to dust and vanishes from existence, including fan-favourite characters such as Drax, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. The last scene shows Thanos sitting peacefully on a rock with a satisfying look on his face as he has fulfilled his dream.


• “The Dark Knight” (2008): Though Batman defeats the Joker, he is unable to save Harvey Dent, who dies in the aftermath of his kidnapping of James Gordon’s family. Seeking to spare the people of Gotham City from learning the horrible truth about Dent’s crimes, Batman takes the fall for Dent and becomes a wanted fugitive, with the film’s final scene showing him on run from the police.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Black revolves around a deaf-blind girl, and her relationship with her teacher who himself later develops Alzheimer's disease. The film draws inspiration from the life of Helen Keller, the blind academic and activist. 

The film was screened at the Casablanca Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India. It won the Filmfare Award for best film. Time Magazine (Europe) selected the film as one of the 10 Best Movies of the Year 2005 from around the globe. The movie was positioned at number five. Indiatimes Movies ranks the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films. The film was premiered in the Marché du Film section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Amitabh Bachchan received his second National Film Award for Best Actor at the 53rd National Film Awards, his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actor and his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performance and Rani Mukerji won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress and her second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

Black was originally scheduled to be released on 10 December 2004, but Bhansali decided to postpone its release. Black was released on 4 February 2005 in 170 different towns in India, a small number compared to most large-budget Bollywood films. Black was also screened at several international film festivals like the Casablanca Film Festival. The film released in South Korea on 27 August 2009.

 

Picture Credit : Google