Trivia: Brooke Shields had to stand in a ditch in some parts of the movie because she was much taller than her co-star.
Trivia: Melissa Sue Anderson ("Mary Ingalls" in Little House on the Prairie) was initially given the offer to be Em, but she turned it down because she would have to do some nude scenes. Brooke Shields got the offer instead.
Answer: The ending is meant to be ambiguous, and is identical to the ending of the original novel on which the film is based. It is never answered whether they are alive or not.
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