"Tis but a scratch!
The chase scene in The French Connection.
AOTC.
Two Jedi down, one Sith lord to go.
A shadow appears in the doorway, accompanied by the barely audible “tap-tap-tap” of a cane.
Cue goosebumps.
If I may be a nitpicking doorknow for a second, the movie is Unforgiven. The Unforgiven is a John Huston Movie starring Burt Lancaster.
My favorite scene is from Runaway Train when Eric Roberts is talking about pulling off some robbery after they comeplete their escape and Jon Voigt has this brilliant monologue describing the fine line between civility and man’s primal desires.
In " The Terminator":
Terminator is checking out Sara Connor’s adress book in the safety of his rented hotel room. Flies crawl on his pale skin…the small pump which circulates blood to his organic outer layer has been destroyed in the last gun battle, so his wounds aren’t healing.
He sees the entry for “Mom’s cabin in the woods”, picks up a carbine, and heads out with purpose in his stride.
Some dude seeing this shot-up pallored giant with a machine gun…he gets the hell out of the way, plastering himself against the wall, saying "Gawd-DAMN! "
The scene where Slim Pickens rides the bomb down in Dr. Strangelove
Just a few minutes ago before I read you OP, I asked my husband what he thought was the funniest scene ever. The first thing out of his mouth was “…the Christopher Walken/ Dennis Hopper scene.”
Primo!
How about another scene from the same movie.
The one I’m thinking of is when the terminator, driving a station wagon, runs over a child’s toy truck.
The station wagon wasn’t a cool car. The terminator doesn’t care.
The toy was precious to a child. The terminator doesn’t care.
It was a great scene for illustrating the absolute uncaring monster of a villian that the main characters had to defeat.
I would have to go with the survivors and their offspring topping the hill in Schindler’s List.
For me it was the most rousing though not the best technically.
Labdad, if you haven’t read Ebert’s essay on Citizen Kane, I think you would find it quite interesting.
Saving Private Ryan - The Normandy scene was so powerful, I wanted to leave the movie and hug a veteran. I think every high school kid should see that movie… maybe they won’t feel like their life sucks if they don’t get a car for their birthday. Watching those 18-year-olds on those landers get shot to pieces when the front gate dropped is one of the most sobering scenes of all time. What a waste. Those kids should have been thinking about the prom.
Reservoir Dogs - I still crack up every time when the crew is assigned their names. “Why am I Mr. Pink?” is a classic scene!
Blazing Saddles - I love when Slim Pickens and gang are going to Rock Ridge, and run into the toll booth. “Anybody got any dimes? Somebody’s going to have to go back and get a shitload of dimes!”
Another vote for Christopher Walken giving the watch to the kid in Pulp Fiction. Brilliantly acted.
Joe Pesci in Goodfellas: “Funny how?”. He was the scariest and most violent person in the movie, but he was also the shortest! Excellent acting, again.
Zulu (1964)
The “Men Of Harlech” scene. The building tension as Caine and Co. wait for the final assault, the eerie chanting of the Zulu warriors, the rich, Welsh voices of the soldiers as they sing “Men of Harlech”…I’m getting chills just thinking about it.
The Lion in Winter (it’s an oldie, but a goodie)
When Katharine Hepburn and ? (I forget the actor, but he’s playing Jeffrey) talk about being a “knowledgeable family:”
“I know you know. You know I know. We know Henry knows, and Henry knows we know it. We’re a very knowledgeable family.”
Another shout out for Unbreakable. I don’t think the movie was that good, but the cinematography was excellent. The scene I’m thinking of is right after the train wreck, Bruce Willis is safe and unharmed. The characters are speaking, but in the foreground is a nameless, faceless body on a gurney, covered with a white cloth. As the characters exchange dialog, the white cloth blooms with a few flowers of red, then the victim’s blood gradually soaks a large spot into the blameless cloth. It’s a really powerful scene about the tragedy that’s just occured and caught my attention so forcefully that the dialog is forgettable.
Snicks
Lot’s of really great scenes have come up.
SPOOFE
I broke out just reading that. I was a 8 year old all over again when Yoda walked in. I didn’t think it would matter to me but when he pulled the cloak back and his light saber flew into his hand I nearly had a stroke.
Another great scene, actually two, from a movie that should have been much bigger than it was. Glory Denzel Washington being whiped. His expression was so defiant and the tear was genius. The final scene where they knowingly marched to their almost certain death. That scene never fails to get me.
Oh and E.T coming back to life "ET phone home Et phone home ". When I first saw this in the cinema me and about 100 other kids jumped up out of our seats and just went apeshit. I just ran around screaming YES!!! YES!!! I think I was crying aswell.
That Yoda scene in AOTC had me just just about jumping up and down. Good call, yojimbo, I too was a kid all over again.
Tretiak, geat call on Runaway Train. That is a very powerful scene; Jon Voight really brought it home in that movie. However, my favorite scene of that movie, and on the all time list, is the final one. Jon Voight on top of that locomotive, the warden stuck inside, riding off to certain death. A nightmare for the warden, a welcome release for the convict; the eerie music, the final quote of Shakespeare… the snowstorm…
That movie made me feel very, very cold.
Many wonderful scenes!
Heat is one of my favorite movies; the central scene in it, when the cop talks with the chief crook, is fantastic.
Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood has many great scenes, the best of which may be Robin’s crashing of the Earl’s dinner party.
When the hero walks through the forest in Princess Mononoke, trailed by all the little forest spirits, I was shivering.
Daniel
Another to add:
In “Armagaeddon”. I didn’t think it was a stunning movie by any means, but there was one scene that always makes me feel like crying.
At the very end (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) when Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) shuts AJ in the chute, and it goes up, and he’s just standing there, knowing he’s going to die, while AJ (Ben Affleck) is screaming at him and crying and I just feel so bad. An excellent, completely forgotten scene.
My mom says when he calls his daughter (Liv Tyler) and says goodbye is the best scene, but I think my vote is the best.
Man…still gets me feeling sad…
Ha !
Opening scene of Star Wars IV. The gigantic effect of the star cruiser chasing princess Leias’ vessel !
In Independence Day, when the President makes that speech to the pilots, “Today will be, our Independence Day!”. It was a good speech, the music crescendos just right, and at that point of the film, the viewer’s emotional investment is enough to find the scene stirring.
Sure, it’s the epitome of a summer blockbuster type of film, but that scene was memorable.
The Ecstacy of Gold scene from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. From where Tuco is blasted off his horse by the cannon and rolls into the graveyard, to his search for the grave with money, to the final shootout. All one scene. Just the way the scene starts is great, with Tuco rolling into the grave. Then the way he runs around the circular graveyard - I’ve never seen running convey character like that. Then the final three-way shootout, which has got to be the best shootout in the history of movies. And the characters are so good, the music is so incredible, and all the story has been building to this. It truly astounds me how good this scene is.