Why ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ Was Used at the End of *Cruel Intentions*

Roger Kumble wrote *Cruel Intentions*’ ending with “Bittersweet Symphony” in mind. Its rising strings and the moment its main section begins were built into the scene’s timing; when rights issues made the song costly to clear, the filmmakers tried alternatives but, producer Neal H. Moritz recalled, none came close.

Why the song fit the ending

Kumble described the film as “a tale of redemption and love,” adding that without that dimension it would be “a nasty little movie.” The final sequence gives that idea a musical shape: Annette breaks down at the podium, then the film cuts to her drive as the song kicks in.

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In a 2014 interview with Cosmopolitan, Kumble said the strings arrive as Annette is breaking down and the cut outside lands when the song’s main section begins. He said that combination “accomplished everything.” In a 2019 interview with TheWrap, he likewise said he wrote the ending to the song.

The song’s bittersweet quality can be read as echoing the scene’s mixture of loss and closure. That is an interpretation of the sequence, rather than a specific symbolic explanation Kumble gave. His stated frame was redemption and love.

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Why they kept it despite the rights problem

Kumble said he wrote while listening to music and did not realize The Verve did not control the relevant rights; the Rolling Stones did. He credited Lia Vollack at Sony and Virgin Records with helping clear the track, and said the process became exceedingly expensive. In a separate interview, he recalled that the studio asked the filmmakers to try another song, but they continued pursuing the original and ultimately paid to use it.

Moritz recalled that the production tested about 200 songs against the scene and found no replacement that came close. As he told VICE in 2019, the team eventually persuaded the rights holders through payment and their passion for the choice. The number is his recollection of the production’s search, not a formal count or a list of identified finalist songs.

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What the song says about the film’s soundtrack

The ending’s song was part of a broader late-1990s alternative-pop soundtrack, which also included music by Blur, Placebo and Fatboy Slim, among others. A 2024 Independent retrospective reports that the Rolling Stones’ side received royalties until 2019, when the rights were handed back to Richard Ashcroft and collaborators. That account does not establish today’s licensing terms.

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