# Best scene in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [August 30, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452 "2024-08-30T03:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/1 "2024-08-30T03:32:53Z")
Yes, this is VERY highly objective. And I have my own not so humble opinion on what is the best single scene in filmdom. Also, comparing movie scenes can be like comparing apples and oranges. So my very favorite scene from any movie ever is when the crowd in Rick’s place sings “La Marseillaise” to drown out the German officers singing “Watch on the Rhine” _Casablanca_ of course. I love the whole movie but that part is, I think, not just my favorite but the best. And to show how different my tastes can be #2 is just the tiniest bit behind. The eight minutes near the end of _Last of the Mohicans_ when no dialogue is spoken. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/2 "2024-08-30T03:41:19Z")
I couldn’t possibly narrow it down to one scene, but I can identify the _type_ of scene I really admire and give some examples: Lengthy, uncut tracking shots. The sort of scene that can’t be accomplished with edits or much trickery (at least, before CGI recently reached the stage of rendering just about anything realistically). It has to be choreographed and filmed in real time, often with a Steadicam. Examples: [The trenches in Paths of Glory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9RjZSX7irk) [Nightclub scene in Boogie Nights](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiXtFyZqvQQ) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/3 "2024-08-30T03:52:56Z")
I watched those now, they are good! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/4 "2024-08-30T03:54:16Z")
For others who are interested in this subject, after a hiatus of many years [Every Frame a Painting](https://m.youtube.com/@everyframeapainting/videos) has returned to YouTube. Although other channels like [Moviewise](https://m.youtube.com/@Moviewise/videos) took up the mantle, EFAP was the original item for film visual appreciation on the web. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/5 "2024-08-30T04:00:50Z")
Boromir’s death scene in The Fellowship of the Ring has stuck with me ever since I first saw it in the theater in 2001. “I would have followed you, my brother… my captain… my king.” ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/6 "2024-08-30T04:02:46Z")
I love the scene in _Goodfellas_ where Henry is taking Karen to dinner. I think it was done as a single shot which could not have been easy. - [Goodfellas](https://youtu.be/rfrpmF1GzC0?t=24) Also, and this is one few remember, the car chase scene in _To Live and Die in LA_. A sadly forgotten movie that was actually very good. The car chase scene is one of the best ever and loooong (as these things go). - [To Live and Die in LA](https://youtu.be/CzIju2TT95Q?t=11) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/7 "2024-08-30T04:04:31Z")
The racing scenes (pick one) in _Grand Prix_. The rest is rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/8 "2024-08-30T04:05:50Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > _To Live and Die in LA_. A sadly forgotten movie that was actually very good. Completely Agree. Very Underrated. Worth a watch. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/9 "2024-08-30T04:08:05Z")
The three-way showdown in _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_. I can watch that over and over without getting bored. Same for the scene of Tuco running through the cemetery. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Gordon\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_G)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/10 "2024-08-30T04:51:00Z")
“Lengthy, uncut tracking shots” are indeed impressive _when pointed out to me_ but I don’t even notice them by myself. I’m more focused on plot and dialog. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I love the scene in _Goodfellas_ where Henry is taking Karen to dinner. I think it was done as a single shot which could not have been easy. > > Also, and this is one few remember, the car chase scene in _To Live and Die in LA_. A sadly forgotten movie that was actually very good. The car chase scene is one of the best ever and loooong (as these things go). Yes, _Goodfellas_ is great. Henry taking Karen to dinner is excellent, and the only time I WAS specially impressed by a “single shot.” I agree that _To Live and Die in LA_ is hugely under-rated but it has several short snippets that linger in my memory, rather than the long car chase. Because of my focus on plot it’s often the _final_ scene of a movie that is especially memorable, even if nothing else about the scene is memorable. An example is the ending of _Godfather_ where Kay watches the capos kiss Michael’s hand. But it is the “Marseillaise” scene in _Casablanca_ which I have to agree is #1. Ilse’s expression has to combine pride and fear as she watches her husband sing. If I were forced to pick a #2 best scene and a #3, I’m afraid they would also come from _Casablanca_ ! ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/11 "2024-08-30T05:52:04Z")
When I first saw _Saving Private Ryan_ the scene that stayed with me forever was in the [Letter to Mrs. Bixby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_RS3oBFMjc) segment. After nearly 3 minutes of scene setting we are arriving at the Ryan home, and a couple of minutes without dialogue leads up to the most economical emotional moment ever. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/12 "2024-08-30T06:15:54Z")
The scene in Predator where the gang unloads every round they can at the predator and you watch the forest get destroyed branch by branch until the minigun runs out of ammo and Mac is still frozen on the trigger. The shot focuses on the minigun spinning away without firing. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK1B9b\_0Z2Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK1B9b_0Z2Y) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/13 "2024-08-30T06:18:23Z")
> [@Gordon\_G](#): > > I agree that _To Live and Die in LA_ is hugely under-rated but it has several short snippets that linger in my memory, rather than the long car chase. Me too but the car chase is what I use to sell it to others. And, the car chase is legit very good. I’d put it in the top three all time best movie car chases (maybe top five…there are several really great ones). ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/14 "2024-08-30T06:27:34Z")
That was a film that is superb but very hard to watch. The invasion scene, that included a soldier looking around, bending over, and picking up his own arm, was graphic enough that I had to pause for a while. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/15 "2024-08-30T07:42:05Z")
The “flagon with a dragon” from _The Court Jester_ Also the “tomorrow belongs to me” scene in _Cabaret_, highlighting the inevitability of what’s to come. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/16 "2024-08-30T09:34:44Z")
The soccer match between the True Blues and the Dirty Yellows in “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”, just ahead of the Ink and Paint Club scene from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/17 "2024-08-30T09:44:14Z")
The bit with Tic-Tac-Toe in _WarGames._ ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/18 "2024-08-30T09:59:26Z")
The scene in the Big Lebowski when the Dude first meets Jackie Treehorn. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/19 "2024-08-30T10:02:25Z")
The best single shot in film is the battle/birth scene in Children of Men. I’m not going to link it because you should view it in context if you haven’t seen the movie. It’s both technically impressive as an extremely long take involving dozens of people and lots of effects, and also extremely emotionally powerful. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2024, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452/20 "2024-08-30T10:21:22Z")
Little Bill telling the true story of how English Bob killed Two-Gun Corcoran at the Blue Bottle Club was to me the best scene in “Unforgiven.” Hackman kills it with the line, “Cuz he was drunk.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-scene-in-film/1006452.md?page=2)