I can’t remember what got me to thinking about this the other day, but I did. And it somewhat amused me for a good hour until I realized I know absolutely nothing about movies. But I was trying to think of the Top Ten movie props of all time, but I ran out of ideas - so what follows is
Munch’s Very Abbreviated Top Ten List of Movie Props:
Darth Vader’s helmet
007’s PPK 9mm
the Maltese Falcon
Dorothy’s ruby slippers
Rosebud the sled
I have a feeling there are many more movie items out there that would be more impressive than those 5 that I’m completely blanking on, and would love to see what others think.
My criteria is a little muddled - deal with it. I didn’t care about how many versions of the prop are in existence or were used in the filming of the movie(s) (I believe there were several Maltese Falcons made, and I’m sure there have been multiple 9mm’s used in the Bond films). It’s entirely subjective and vague. If you have any suggestions on how to better nail down the definition, those are welcome as well.
I’d include Bond’s Astin Martin, The Delorian (Back to the Future), The one ring,
But Vader’s Helmet was the very first thing that came to mind on reading the title.
Most of what are widely considered “great” movies that I can think of don’t really have big, flashy, famous props. For instance, Rosebud is only seen for a brief second in Citizen Kane.
The big ones are gonna be the big summer smash-hit type movies IMO, as opposed to artsy (“great”, imo) movies like Kane.
Unfortunately it was real, so it probably rotted long before GF2.
*The dollhouse clock from Addams Family (the one in which a mini-Gomez kisses Morticia’s cleavage once for each hour)
*The title prop from The Ten Commandments (Heston version)
*The Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark (as a container for the above)
*The glowing contents briefcase from Pulp Fiction
*Scarlett’s “saw it in the window” gown from Gone With the Wind
The oscillation overthruster from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension probably should have some sort of mention in a thread about top movie props.
It depends, according to my acting professor. If they are used in a scene, or part of the story, yes. So by these rules - Dorothy’s slippers, yes. Vader’s helm, no.
Vader’s Helmet not part of the story??? :eek:
(actually I can accept that, in a way. But something tells me it is part of the story after Revenge of the Sith comes out)
Could an item made famous in one movie, and then redefined as a prop in a different movie count as a prop for this list?
The painting of the lady by the ocean in Barton Fink’s hotel room. Not to mention the package that John Goodman’s character entrusts to Fink (John Turturro) that may or may not contain a woman’s head.
The bliss-enducing “orb” from Sleeper.
Harry Potter’s wands (Haven’t seen any of the movies, but every trailer contains at least one action pose of Harry brandishing a wand.)
The “gallopIng horse-sound providing” coconuts from Monty Python’s Holy Grail
I don’t think the Bond guns are distinctive enough and there have been many over the years. Ditto the car, while taken as a collective they are cool, but I can’t say there’s one distinctive version that resonates with everyone.
The Vader costume is key. I’d put Dirty Harry’s .45 Magnum up there instead of Bond’s.
