# Movie moments that caused genuine shock **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 17, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807 "2020-09-17T03:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/161 "2020-09-24T19:04:37Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > I was actually unspoiled going into that movie but when the big reveal happened I was all “Well, duh, yeah.” Apparently my transdar is really on point because I spotted her as a not bio her almost from the jump. But even if you knew what the “secret” was, the way it was revealed was still shockingly in-your-face, with Dil’s penis suddenly right in front of Fergus when he was expecting something else, and Fergus then hitting her and getting sick. Showing male genitals, especially close up, was very rare in those days, and shocking in and of itself. And while movies had shown female full-frontal, and occasionally male full-frontal, I don’t think any mainstream movie had shown a transgender individual like that. ---
**Author:** ![Dadtheinhaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dadtheinhaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dadtheinhaler)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/162 "2020-09-24T19:05:41Z")
Mine would be in Bridge to Terabithia when Leslie dies. I was like ‘no, wait a minute…’ I didn’t think the movie was going to be like that. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/163 "2020-09-24T19:30:09Z")
Well, I’m a woman so getting surprise dicks shoved in my face isn’t nearly as shocking as it might be to some. 😉 For me, this just wasn’t an especially jarring reveal. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/164 "2020-09-24T19:52:53Z")
Oh, man. My husband and I watched _Bridge to Terabethia_ while on a relaxing cruise. We were expecting whimsical fantasy. Instead we got devestating reality. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/165 "2020-09-25T02:25:51Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > For me, it’s the scene in Casino, when Joe’s Pesci’s character (Nicky) and his brother are beaten half-to-death via baseball bats. > > The sound alone still makes me shudder. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Everything I’ve heard about that movie is horrifying. > [@TheCuse](#): > > ^^Yeah, it’s pretty violent. > > Same thing with Goodfellas. and 98 percent of it was true …all they did was change the names … ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/166 "2020-09-25T03:12:54Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > The filmmakers understood that most people wouldn’t notice or care if they simply ignored the whole issue. Rather like _The Hunt for Red October_ where the crew of the boat spoke subtitled Russian for a few minutes, then switched to Russian-accented English for the rest of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/167 "2020-09-25T04:03:12Z")
There’s often a moment of transition to make the switch to English less jarring in such movies, like when the Colombian drug lord whacked a baseball in _ **Clear and Present Danger** _. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/168 "2020-09-25T04:15:39Z")
Truth be told, neither Connery’s nor Neill’s Russian was really worth dragging out. One of the worst things about the mini-series _ **Ameяika** _ was Neill’s faltering attempts to speak Russian. They were really painful to the ear. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2020, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/169 "2020-09-25T04:56:21Z")
I’m not sure if it was used in _The Hunt for Red October_, but there’s a cinematic device for alerting the audience that the filmmakers are turning on the “universal translator”. They slowly zoom into the foreign language speaker’s mouth and as soon as they zoom out, he’s speaking English. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/170 "2020-09-25T17:00:26Z")
> [@](#): > > For me, it’s the scene in Casino, when Joe’s Pesci’s character (Nicky) and his brother are beaten half-to-death via baseball bats. > > The sound alone still makes me shudder. I actually rewatch the movie often whenever I catch it on TV. But I have to look away during that scene, every time. Ooh! Just made me remember the scene where the guy gets curb stomped in American History X. That totally shocked me. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/171 "2020-09-25T17:01:25Z")
They use exactly that technique while a Soviet officer is reading a religious passage out loud and use the word “Armageddon” as the switch since it’s the same in both languages. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/172 "2020-09-25T17:02:19Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I’m not sure if it was used in _The Hunt for Red October_ , but there’s a cinematic device for alerting the audience that the filmmakers are turning on the “universal translator”. They slowly zoom into the foreign language speaker’s mouth and as soon as they zoom out, he’s speaking English. I was under the impression that THfRO invented that technique, but I’m probably wrong. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/173 "2020-09-25T17:15:51Z")
I liked what they did in Jackie Chan’s ‘Rumble in the Bronx’ when the uncle picks him up at the airport - they start talking in chinese and the uncle says “We’re in america - we should talk in english now” ---
**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:** [September 25, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/174 "2020-09-25T18:13:25Z")
**Planet of the Apes** was ruined for me when one of my friends blabbed the twist ending. But it probably wouldn’t have worked, anyway. Analytical me, even at that age, would’ve been saying “_That_ doesn’t make any sense…” **Psycho** was also spoiled for me. I probably would’ve liked that one. I think the best shocks were from movies with real twists in them. I had no idea what was coming when I first saw **The Sting** , which had several such mini-twists, and at least two major ones. Similarly, **The Last of Sheila** had multiple little twists, followed by two big ones. And I was also taken in, pleasantly, by **The Sixth Sense**. Although, unfortunately, not by any of Shyamalan’s later films. **Charade** was filled with multiple reversals, and one big reveal at the end. I also give credit to **Body Heat** and **The Flight of the Phoenix** for their twists. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/175 "2020-09-25T18:22:39Z")
In _ **36 Hours** _, Rod Taylor gets himself (and all the other Nazis) out of having to speak German by insisting they stay in character and speak only English. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/176 "2020-09-25T18:58:07Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > I’m not sure if it was used in _The Hunt for Red October_ , but there’s a cinematic device for alerting the audience that the filmmakers are turning on the “universal translator”. They slowly zoom into the foreign language speaker’s mouth and as soon as they zoom out, he’s speaking English. > > I was under the impression that THfRO invented that technique, but I’m probably wrong. Mel Brooks did it in _To Be or Not to Be_ several years earlier: Brooks and Bancroft sing “Sweet Georgia Brown” in Polish and after they’re done a narrator says they’re going to switch to English to avoid driving the audience mad. ---
**Author:** ![GreaterZamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@GreaterZamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreaterZamboni)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/177 "2020-09-25T19:58:31Z")
[quote=“terentii, post:142, topic:920807”] How this was possible after having had no contact with Earth for 100 years was not explained. Neither was how the rest of the Romulan crew apparently knew English as well. [/qu As we all know, television signals from Earth are transmitted throughout the galaxy. The Romulans, Klingons, etc., learned English by watching old American TV reruns. Easy peasy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/178 "2020-09-25T20:14:29Z")
> [@GreaterZamboni](#): > > As we all know, television signals from Earth are transmitted throughout the galaxy. The Romulans, Klingons, etc., learned English by watching old American TV reruns. Easy peasy. Ahh - the ‘historical documents’ - those poor people. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/179 "2020-09-26T19:16:52Z")
> [@GreaterZamboni](#): > > As we all know, television signals from Earth are transmitted throughout the galaxy. The Romulans, Klingons, etc., learned English by watching old American TV reruns. Easy peasy. 😉 Which is why when a Klingon superior officer banishes a subordinate from a combat role he snarls: _ **“vavlI’ Qu’ vIDelmeH jIghoSchoHmo’!”** _ Which is a loose translation of: _“Now Lucy, you can’t be in my show, and that’s final!”_ ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807/180 "2020-09-28T11:31:12Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > I’m not sure if it was used in _The Hunt for Red October_ , but there’s a cinematic device for alerting the audience that the filmmakers are turning on the “universal translator”. They slowly zoom into the foreign language speaker’s mouth and as soon as they zoom out, he’s speaking English. > > I was under the impression that THfRO invented that technique, but I’m probably wrong. _Judgment at Nuremburg_ (1961) did something like that while Maximilian Schell was speaking German. When they zoomed back out, everyone in the film was speaking English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-moments-that-caused-genuine-shock/920807.md?page=10)