# Best Subtle Moment in a Movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2007, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899 "2007-10-08T03:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/201 "2007-10-14T21:02:55Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] “See You Next Tuesday”, the word “Runt” rhymes with, is sometimes referred to as a good old classic Anglo-saxon word, mostly by people who do not consider it especially vulgar as compared to other terms for the female anatomy, merely vulgarified since the Normans looked down on Anglo-Saxon words. [/QUOTE] Actually, the word in question is Dutch in origin, entering English vernacular around the 17th century. There are plenty of other words of similar length that do in fact have Anglo-Saxon roots. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/202 "2007-10-15T03:10:26Z")
[QUOTE=Alessan] Actually, the word in question is Dutch in origin, entering English vernacular around the 17th century. [/QUOTE] The etymology is a bit obscure, but it is more likely latinate in origin. It has been part of the English language since at _least_ the early thirteenth century - in the seventeenth century it began to be considered vulgar. [/cunt enthusiast] ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/203 "2007-10-15T04:22:26Z")
I dunno; neither my husband nor I have ever heard of “See you next Tuesday” used to mean cunt. If you say it’s common slang, I’ll have to take your word for that. **DrDeth** , I remember hearing the radio announcer saying that the trophy was stolen. I wondered about that the first time I watched the movie. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/204 "2007-10-15T12:37:56Z")
If Vincent and Mia didn’t actually win the contest and stole the trophy, I’d like to see the winning contestants. Vincent’s and Mia’s dance was great. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/205 "2007-10-15T15:43:14Z")
If there were any serious dancers in the house, Vincent and Mia’s dance was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/206 "2007-10-15T17:32:47Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] I believe it is the dinosaur, and he’s talking about how great a guy Woody is. Mr. Potato Head is implying that Rex is being a kiss-ass, sucking up to Woody. [/QUOTE] No, it is Slinky Dog that is the kiss up to Woody. Saving Private Ryan, They all die and it is Ryan’s fault. They find Ryan and say “Let’s Go” and Ryan refuses to leave untill the unit he is with is relieved. So the squad sent to find him participates in the defense of the bridge. If Ryan had left, as ordered, Tom Hanks would still be alive. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/207 "2007-10-15T17:51:33Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] If there were any serious dancers in the house, Vincent and Mia’s dance was a joke. [/QUOTE] To a true dance enthusiast, maybe. But it was smoldering and enjoyable as hell to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/208 "2007-10-15T17:59:05Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] They all die and it is Ryan’s fault. They find Ryan and say “Let’s Go” and Ryan refuses to leave untill the unit he is with is relieved. So the squad sent to find him participates in the defense of the bridge. If Ryan had left, as ordered, Tom Hanks would still be alive. [/QUOTE] Of course, Ryan’s alternative is to leave his unit (and all of his friends) to defend the bridge by themselves, which would almost certainly get them killed, and significantly slow down the Allied advance, leading to even more deaths. No matter what he did, a lot of his fellow soldiers were going to die, so it’s a little unfair to blame him for taking the course of action that, in the long run, probably saved more Allied lives than were lost holding the bridge. I don’t think it’s particularly fair to blame Ryan for all the people who were killed at the end of the movie. Seems like it’s the Germans who should be on the hook for that one. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/209 "2007-10-15T23:49:32Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Of course, Ryan’s alternative is to leave his unit (and all of his friends) to defend the bridge by themselves, which would almost certainly get them killed, and significantly slow down the Allied advance, leading to even more deaths. No matter what he did, a lot of his fellow soldiers were going to die, so it’s a little unfair to blame him for taking the course of action that, in the long run, probably saved more Allied lives than were lost holding the bridge. I don’t think it’s particularly fair to blame Ryan for all the people who were killed at the end of the movie. Seems like it’s the Germans who should be on the hook for that one. [/QUOTE] Oh sure, it’s SO EASY to just blame the Germans for WWII :rolleyes: 😛 Also, “What If?” is a dangerous game. Would Tom Hanks’ character still be alive if they had taken Ryan and tried to get back to friendly lines? Maybe. Maybe he would have blundered into a German ambush. Maybe he would have been killed by friendly bombers during one of the large-scale air raids in close support of allied troops during the Normandy campaign. Maybe he would have contracted a deadly veneral disease in a cathouse while celebrating the mission’s success. One thing we can agree on is that Tom Hanks never dies in movies: He merely gets recast in later productions. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/210 "2007-10-16T15:00:20Z")
In Raising Arizona, the theme song is played every time there is music. It’s just in a different genre. My favorite is the muzac version in the grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/211 "2007-10-19T03:45:52Z")
There’s another subtle bit in **Harold and Maude** , which for years was often lost on people who only saw it on video. Maude is reminiscing to Harold about her husband courting her, or something like that. Something from many years earlier, is the point. She trails off and sighs, “But that was all…before,” and looks down. On DVD, the number tattooed on her arm in blue is much more clear. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/212 "2007-10-19T04:14:29Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] There’s another subtle bit in **Harold and Maude** , which for years was often lost on people who only saw it on video. Maude is reminiscing to Harold about her husband courting her, or something like that. Something from many years earlier, is the point. She trails off and sighs, “But that was all…before,” and looks down. On DVD, the number tattooed on her arm in blue is much more clear. [/QUOTE] Well, for those who first saw it in the theater, it was far from subtle, and I have always thought it was a really cheap and unnecessary gimmick in an otherwise wonderful film. ---
**Author:** ![ArschlochSaukerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@ArschlochSaukerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArschlochSaukerl)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/213 "2007-10-20T17:22:18Z")
[QUOTE=commasense] Near the end of the Huston/Bogart version of _The Maltese Falcon_, Gutman is explaining to Spade why Thursby was shot. As he says that Thursby “was quite determinedly loyal to Miss O’Shaughnessy,” a look of realization crosses Bogart’s face, and he looks at Mary Astor, whose eyes drop guiltily. It was only a couple of years ago, on watching the film for perhaps the 10,000th time, that I caught on to the fact that Spade has only just realized that Brigid had won Thursby’s loyalty by sleeping with him. Very significant in light of how Spade will deal with Brigid just a few minutes later. [/QUOTE] Oh wow, I too have seen that movie a lot and I didn’t catch on to that until…well, right now. Thanks for the enlightenment. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2007, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/214 "2007-10-20T23:12:53Z")
In **Falling Down,** right after the street dept. worker tells Michael Douglas he’s nuts, an airliner in the background looks like it’s flying in one of Douglas’s ears and out the other [(here at 1:20)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8b3963VRW4&mode=related&search=) I wonder if they noticed it in editing and decided to use that take on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/215 "2019-09-23T23:11:47Z")
> [@BlackKnight](#): > > The following may spoil **“Fight Club”**. It’s been a long time since it was released, but if you don’t want it (possibly) spoiled then skip the rest of this post. > > … > In one scene, Tyler is driving a car and Jack is in the passenger seat. Tyler lets go of the wheel and they veer off the road. The car crashes. We then see Tyler pull Jack from the driver’s seat. And of course “No outgoing calls” on the payphone. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2019, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/216 "2019-09-24T00:55:02Z")
By far the most ominous thing in “Clockwork Orange” for me was when Alex was getting some Ludovico “medicine” injected into his butt. When he asks the nurse if the treatment is like going to the movies, she just simply looks up\* from her ministrations and says “something like that”. \*uh, _quite mordantly_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899.md?page=10)