# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/61 "2007-10-08T17:50:36Z")
In _Psycho_, there’s an early scene where Norman Bates is talking to Marion Crane (Janet Leigh’s character) outside the motel office. Behind him is a dark window, and you see his reflection, as if he’s two people. I think Hitchcock was too aware of all the visual elements of a scene for that not to be deliberate. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/62 "2007-10-08T18:08:53Z")
In the film **Gandhi** , when prime minister Nehru visits Gandhi during his second fast, someone from the crowd in the street shouts “Death to Gandhi!” Nehru is instantly angry and turns on the people, saying things like “Who said that?” and “Kill me first!” No one responds. They just stare back at him, silently. But among the crowd of people staring back is the man who later will assassinate Gandhi. Kind of creepy, and I didn’t notice it until the third or fourth viewing. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/63 "2007-10-08T18:19:30Z")
Probably mentioned before, but in the 2005 movie, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” the scene where Arthur Dent recalls his first encounter with Ford Prefect shows Arthur saving Ford from being run over by a Ford Prefect. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/64 "2007-10-08T20:09:34Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] It wasn’t until watching the **Wizard of Oz** hundreds of time that I finally noticed that in one scene, the Tin Man is carrying a gun. [/QUOTE] Which scene is that? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/65 "2007-10-08T20:26:46Z")
[QUOTE=RandMcnally] That wasn’t very subtle. You could tell it was him because he asks his wife, “Have I lived a good life?” Or something like that. That’s what Tom Hanks character tells him right before he dies, that he needs to earn those men dying to bring him home. [/QUOTE] Well that, and we see Matt Damon **CGI-morph into the old guy** in a tight close-up! ---
**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 8, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/66 "2007-10-08T20:29:51Z")
I have to say that this thread has lowered my opinion of the perceptiveness of the average Doper just a bit. I won’t name any names or point any fingers, but ISTM that quite a few of these things were not very subtle at all. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/67 "2007-10-08T20:46:10Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Well that, and we see Matt Damon **CGI-morph into the old guy** in a tight close-up! [/QUOTE] Really? How have I not noticed that before? ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_And_Candy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/68 "2007-10-08T20:50:21Z")
[QUOTE=Sitnam] [QUOTE=RealityChuck] It wasn’t until watching the Wizard of Oz hundreds of time that I finally noticed that in one scene, the Tin Man is carrying a gun. [/QUOTE] Which scene is that? [/QUOTE] It’s in the forest leading to the WWotE’s castle. And it’s the Scarecrow, not the Tin-Man who’s holding the gun. You can see him holding it up for a second in one of the shots. (There may be other scenes where it’s visible; I don’t know–that’s the only one I remember.) And thanks, **commasense** , for writing what I’ve been thinking since I began reading through this thread. Honestly, guys. :dubious: ---
**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 8, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/69 "2007-10-08T21:03:20Z")
[QUOTE=commasense] I have to say that this thread has lowered my opinion of the perceptiveness of the average Doper just a bit. I won’t name any names or point any fingers, but ISTM that quite a few of these things were not very subtle at all. [/QUOTE] I figure at least a couple of these posts have got to be whooshes. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/70 "2007-10-08T21:05:16Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] I just saw **Hot Fuzz** over the weekend for the first time. Everything that local cop Butterfield asks Top Cop Nick Angel (“Have you ever ahd to shoot two people at once?” to which Angel responds something like “No, that only happens in the movies”) actually gets done by the end of the film. [/QUOTE] Well, that’s not really subtle, since it’s the entire set-up and punchline of the movie. There are subtle touches in **Hot Fuzz** to be sure. The local Am-Dram production of Romeo and Juliet was _Baz Luhrman’s_ Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Treacher (the old man with the guns) is named after the book **Straw Dogs** is based on (“Seige at Treacher’s Farm” but I could be wrong about the exact title), and of course, a member of the NWA was an extra in **Straw Dogs**. They used blue Cornettos instead of the strawberry ones because police uniforms are blue. And my all time favorite, “Oh God, no.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/71 "2007-10-08T21:12:33Z")
In _The Rocketeer_ gangster Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino) joins forces with the FBI to battle the Nazis. During the ensuing gunfight Valentine looks at the FBI agent standing next to him and flashes a brief grin, as if to say “Look ma, I’m working with the feds!” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/72 "2007-10-08T21:12:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, that’s not really subtle, since it’s the entire set-up and punchline of the movie. I dunno. I think it’s a subtlety that he ends up doing _exactly_ the feats of derring-do that Frost’s character asks him sbout (except for the one that Frost does). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/73 "2007-10-08T21:18:04Z")
Wasn’t there one in _Star Wars_? (Or maybe more than one) Han Solo brags about how fast he made the Kessel Run, and Obi-Wan narrows his eyes at him, like he knows he’s a bullshit artist but time is short and they don’t have time to look for another pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/74 "2007-10-08T21:22:39Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] I figure at least a couple of these posts have got to be whooshes. [/QUOTE] Mine is **not** a whoosh! Until somebody explained it to me, I had assumed that the old guy crying in the graveyard at the end of _Saving Private Ryan_ was just some random dude, totally unconnected to the flashback plot, who was moved because he’d heard about this story one time. It’s just that Spielberg is such a subtle director, I totally missed all the hidden clues that connect one part of the movie to the other part. ---
**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 8, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/75 "2007-10-08T21:32:23Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Mine is **not** a whoosh! Until somebody explained it to me, I had assumed that the old guy crying in the graveyard at the end of _Saving Private Ryan_ was just some random dude, totally unconnected to the flashback plot, who was moved because he’d heard about this story one time. It’s just that Spielberg is such a subtle director, I totally missed all the hidden clues that connect one part of the movie to the other part. [/QUOTE] I wasn’t talking about you, obviously. That was a really good catch! I’d never noticed it before. Here’s one you might not have picked up on: In the movie _Speed_, if you pay attention, there’s some off-hand mentions of a bomb being on the bus. Then, at the end of the movie, the bus explodes! I had to see the film, like, five times before I made that connection. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/76 "2007-10-08T21:37:59Z")
[QUOTE=Unintentionally Blank] Could be, could be. All the symbolism in the Matrix has been beaten to death (and it’s _11_ years old. ugh.) [/QUOTE] In my timeline The Matrix was realeased just 8 years ago, in 1999. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/77 "2007-10-08T21:42:14Z")
[QUOTE=riker1384] In my timeline The Matrix was realeased just 8 years ago, in 1999. [/QUOTE] And in my personal, much happier timeline, there were never any sequels. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/78 "2007-10-08T21:44:44Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] I wasn’t talking about you, obviously. That was a really good catch! I’d never noticed it before. Here’s one you might not have picked up on: In the movie _Speed_, if you pay attention, there’s some off-hand mentions of a bomb being on the bus. Then, at the end of the movie, the bus explodes! I had to see the film, like, five times before I made that connection. [/QUOTE] The sarcasm!..it Bu-u-u-u-u-u-urns!!! ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/79 "2007-10-08T21:47:53Z")
> [@Unintentionally Blank](#): > > All the symbolism in the Matrix has been beaten to death (and it’s _11_ years old. ugh.) [QUOTE=riker1384] In my timeline The Matrix was realeased just 8 years ago, in 1999. [/QUOTE] It was a subtle 3 years. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899/80 "2007-10-08T22:00:45Z")
I just watched a DVD of _Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan_. Okay, there’s not a lot of subtlety in the movie (and a lot of legitimate beefs about it that have been discussed previously on the SDMB). But here’s one of the few times it made me laugh: Setup: Early in the movie, while Borat and his incredibly obese producer, Azamat, are driving across the U.S. to California in an ice cream truck, Borat decides to purchase an animal for protection. He gets a bear. Later, he and Azamat have a falling-out, and Azamat abandons Borat, taking the bear with him. Later: Borat, after a series of misadventures, makes it to L.A. and encounters Azamat, who is working as an Oliver Hardy impersonator. They make up, and Azamat takes Borat to the hotel room where he’s living. Azamat opens the refrigerator to get a beverage, and you get a brief glimpse that shows a bear’s head in the fridge. Sadly, that made me laugh. (This movie also showed me that, just like in the cartoon “Family Guy”, a naked man may be so fat that you can’t see his penis.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-subtle-moment-in-a-movie/421899.md?page=5)