Simply put, what are the greatest moments in a film with an ensemble cast? What frame of film has the greatest number of fine actors and actresses?
The greatest of films aren’t given to the vagaries of the lavish Hollywood films in this thread; nominating Falconetti or Janet Gaynor and George O’Brien wouldn’t really cut it. But there are some fine films with great casts, so what are they?
I nominate All About Eve. For a brief moment at Bill’s party, Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe, Celeste Holm and George Sanders share the screen.
What else?
final episode of Seinfeld. Just all the great one-offs, crazy characters all reunited for one last shot (except the 1-2 that passed on beforehand).
I know long unbroken shots are cliche now, but I really like the pool party scene in Boogie Nights.
The big cast is superb (even Mark Wahlberg) and Anderson moves the camera aound the party, catching bits of all the conversations they’re having…then follows the woman into the pool and underwater.
It’s a great scene with tons of energy and many great actors.
Of course when I think great movies and ensemle casts, Altman is the first name that comes to mind. Nashville and Gosford Park are two of of his films with big casts that I really like. I don’t tend to be wowwed by a particular scene in his movies though. More impressive is his ability to carry on multiple story lines with a multitude of actors.
I hope the Seinfeld thing was meant as a joke.
Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare films have all had impressive casts, but I think for strength of ensemble (and just in general) the best is Henry V, which features, besides Branagh himself of course, Derek Jacobi, Paul Scofield, Judi Dench, Robert Stephens, Brian Blessed, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Richard Briers, Robbie Coltrane, Alec McCowen, Michael Williams, and Christopher Ravenscroft – and, as you might expect from such a company, not a weak link in the cast…
Gotta be one of the library scenes from Breakfast Club. Michael Anthony Hall, Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald all on the same piece of celluloid. That is major star power.
All of those are good, but keep in mind I’m looking for times when the greatest number of stars are onscreen at the same time.
The “W” scene from It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World:
Buddy Hacket, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, “Rochester”, Ethel Merman, Terry Thomas, Milton Berle, Peter Falk, Spencer Tracey, Sid Ceaser and more who I can’t remember off the top of my head.
Do animated films count? Because the closing scene of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut includes pretty much every character that had ever appeared in the show or the movie.
