Jaws- “We’re going to need a bigger boat”
Jeremiah Johnson - “Skin that Pilgrim”
Lawrence of Arabia has a number of scenes that stick out to me.
Sharif Ali’s looooooong entrance over the desert to the well.
Anthony Quinn’s ‘I am a river unto my people!’ speech.
The charge into Aqaba.
Lawrence telling Allenby that ‘The best of them won’t come for money. They’ll come for me.’
The ‘No Quarter’ train attack.
Just a movie filled with unforgettable moments.
I think for westerns, a long build-up to the one crescendo of a scene is great and Once Upon a Time in the West’s final showdown is a better build-up and pacing than The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly if you want one scene that is singularly memorable.
The final shoot-out in the bar in Unforgiven is also great. The whole movie builds up to Eastwood’s character suddenly reverting to his former drunken self and those few seconds of singularly memorable violence. The other violence in the move doesn’t even compare in intensity.
Oh man…how does one respond to a thread such as this?
All great choices so far, all very memorable scenes. I’ll break this down into two categories:
Stayed with me for horror and / or shock value:
- Silence of the Lambs. The entire scene with Clarice chasing Buffalo Bill through his torture dungeon/basement/sewing room/left over parts in the tub. Not a word said, yet still so suspenseful and horrific.
-Poltergeist. When the videographer goes to the kitchen for a snack and the steak comes to life, crawls across the counter and bursts into pieces. Then of course, the face tearing scene in the laundry room.
Stayed with me for great acting and / or great writing:
-Armageddon. When the little boy shows up on the runway and runs into his Daddy’s arms.
-Jaws. Quint’s speech about the USS Indianapolis. Riveting and amazing acting by Robert Shaw.
Hulk vs Loki
What do I win? 
The Ring: Finding Katie in the closet.
Some gimmicky or just plain odd scenes that stick in my memory:
The silent heist in Rififi.
The drive in the 1972 version of Solaris.
The eight minute tracking shot that opens The Player.
The astronaut’s new bedroom, 2001.
Wondering about the fish, Monty Python’s Meaning of Life.
The opening scene in Star Wars - the words scrolling up the screen and then the huge star ship rumbling overhead, seeming to go on forever. I remember my eyes going wide.
The crashing ocean waves in The Piano when Holly Hunter & her daughter get dropped off on the beach in New Zealand.
The reflecting pond scene (reuniting with Jenny) from “Forrest Gump”
(yes, I know a lot of people hate the movie, but you have to say that scene was memorable)
I’m probably committing movie sacrilege by referencing The Hunger Games, but the scene in which Prim’s name is called is particularly moving.
Also in Harvey, when Elwood and Dr. Sanderson and the nurse are in the alley by the bar, and Elwood is talking about how he came to befriend Harvey. Significant because Dr. Sanderson is talking with Elwood as with a person, not down at him like with a mindless patient. That talk seemed to rekindle Dr. Sanderson’s purpose in helping people and not just subduing them.
Non Nobis Domine from the Branaugh Henry V.
Boy, do I ever not agree.
The “Singing in the Rain” rape scene in A Clockwork Orange.
Once again, an example of an actor writing the best part of a scene. (and not getting a penny or credit for his contribution)
It’s a documentary, so I’m not sure it should count for this thread, but I’m going to mention it anyway.
The scene where Gene Sprague jumps (sort of) from the Golden Gate Bridge in the The Bridge. I just watched it for the second time a couple of weeks ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. I don’t remember it affecting me quite so strongly the first time I watched it, but it sure did this time.
The reveal in Shawshank Redemption, also when Andy is free and looking up to the sky while rain is pouring down.
The shot of the kid opening the door in Close Encounters, right before he’s abducted.
The revealing shot of Marty, next to Einstein, staring in awe at the Lone Pine Mall, as he sees the trailer open, revealing the DeLorean.
Not to mention the other memorable scene where we first meet the alien!
I was so glad that I got to see a 70mm print of this film in a theater. I don’t care HOW big your TV set is, you won’t get the full impact of this scene anywhere but in a theater.
So many of my favorite scenes have already been claimed, I’ll nominate this scene from the movie Topsy Turvy. Where it begins, Gilbert and Sullivan are at am impasse in their careers and are on the verge of breaking up their partnership. Gilbert has just been to an exhibition of Japanese art and culture. A sword he bought falls off the wall, he picks it up, plays with it and gets the inspiration for The Mikado. No words are spoken, but this is one of the few films I’ve ever seen where you can see the character thinking.
At the risk of sounding like James Lipton, this is my favorite example of the “craft” of an actor.
Another film that far too few have seen is the 1985 film Bliss. The last five minutes of that film make me an emotional wreck.
I’m pretty sure that’s from Flight of the Navigator, not The Last Starfighter.