I caught Sideways again over the weekend, right before my favorite scene of the movie. Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie had gone out to dinner, and Miles had too much to drink and got belligerant. Afterwards, they went to Stephanie’s place and she and Jack went off to get busy.
Miles and Maya were talking in the kitchen; she opened a bottle of wine which Miles tasted and liked, and he asked her what she thought. She felt the alchohol overwhelmed the grape; he agreed.
They moved to the living room and talked about his book, then Maya moved out to the porch. She asked him why he liked pinot so much, and he described his appreciation of the grape, its characteristics, its vulnerability, its personality and its weaknesses, all the while describing himself, although he doesn’t realize that (but Maya did). He asked her how she got into wine and she told him, culminating with an invitation so thinly veiled, even someone as clumsy as Miles knew what she was saying.
The whole scene- I guess three scenes- between the two of them- in the kitchen, then in the living room, then on the porch- was written, acted and shot so perfectly I can’t imagine how they could ever be improved upon. The scene on the porch itself is the high point- I think it’s one of the most perfect scenes I’ve ever witnessed.
Off the top of my head, the motorcycle battle between the Capsules and the Clowns at the beginning of Akira. Between the cinematography, music, and the actual content, it’s one of my favorite action set pieces of all time.
Some movies that weren’t thought of as special at the time they were made, now stand out as a collection of perfect scenes. For me the obvious example is Casablanca. Not a wasted minute in the picture, and every scene is a perfectly-executed set-piece. There’s not much point in even quoting it, because the whole damn movie is quotable.
In the short-lived tv show “E-Z Streets”, there was a scene that intercut between an assassination attempt of one vicious street lord on another, and a love scene between two damaged individuals both sunk deeply into moral ambiguity, overlaid by the song “Seeds of Love” sung by Loreena McKennitt. Just a brilliant scene, unlike anything else I’ve seen on tv; I backed up and watched it about six times on tape. (Wish they’d put out a DVD of the series.)
The scene in “Quigley Down Under,” where Tom Selleck (Quigley) has been forced into a quick-draw contest with(I think) Alan Rcikman (Marston), the villian who fancies himself quite a shootist.
Marston says something snide to Quigley, don’t remember exactly what, and Quigley just gives him “that look” and says:
“This ain’t Dodge City and you ain’t no Wyatt Earp…”
An obscure fav of mine, The Best of Times. Robin Williams, Kurt Russell. Good stuff.
The whole movie revolves around how he “dropped the damn ball”. So many years ago. He goes thru all the pain/trouble/subterfuge/vandalism/flat out lying of getting the game played again. Comes down to the last play (a little like The Longest Yard). The last play/Hail Mary, Robin Williams bobbles it, and finally catches it. In the end zone. He’s on his knees, clutching the ball. He looks down at it… like a long lost friend that deserted him. Like, “finally, you are home, where you belong.”
OOOO! Another. I think it’s from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. Lee Van Cleef and Clint are out in the street at night. Almost a gunfight. Clint shoots the hat off Lee’s head. Lee goes to pick it up. Clint shoots it out of his hand. He goes to pick it up again. Clint shoots it again. Picks it up, shoots it. This action sets the distance between the two.
Lee Van Cleef shoots the hat off Clint’s head, up into the air. As it floats down he shoots it up again. Floats down, shoots it up.
This is the best part*! Lee Van Cleef then flips his gun in his hand, in a very unique way, then down into his holster. Close up of Clint’s face, he gives about 1% of this :dubious: look with a very slight knowing grin. Closeup on Van Cleef. He raises the corner of his smile, like 1/64 of an inch, also KNOWING.
Like two and a half minutes of film, not one word, and SO much is exchanged between the two. Each one knows his place with the other. Perfect.
*Glengarry Glen Ross * is a good choice- my “perfect scene” from the movie is the exchange between Kevin Spacey and Jack Lemmon, when Lemmon was ridiculing Spacey for screwing up the deal with Pacino’s character, then Spacey picks up on Lemmon’s comment about how he hadn’t really deposited the check, and we see Lemmon’s character slowly crumble. I could watch that scene over and over.
Reds–Diane Keaton goes to the train station to meet a very ill Warren Beatty. She sees them carrying a sheet covered body off the train, turns around, her eyes closed in anguish, then opens them and sees Warren standing there just looking at her. She wordlessly walks over to him and he takes her in his arms.
McNew. . .that’s a great scene. It’s also perfectly closed. . .after the blatant come on, Miles freezes up and then completely DESTROYS the moment with some line like, “but I also like Cabernet too. Cabernet is good.”
Skin that smokewagon!
My nomination: I could fill it with Coen brother’s references. One that jumps to mind. . .when William H Macy realizes he’s not going to get the 700,000 from his father in law, he walks across the desolate parking lot and starts scraping ice off his windshield. And then just flips out with the ice-scraper, completely out of ideas and options. Short, but perfect.
Seems this question has come up before (not that there’s anything really wrong with that), but I always enjoy the answers & they often helpfully point me to movies I should see.
The scene I’ll mention this time is the back of the car scene in “On the Waterfront” between Brando and Steiger. It may be cliche now, but I think it’s perfect. So much emotion in such a small space. (The scene I usually mention is the last section of “LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring”. From the moment Frodo leaves Aragorn to the last frame, it’s perfect to me.)
Oh - & I so agree with that mention of that “Reds” scene at the train station.
By the way - what is it that makes a scene “perfect” for you? For me it’s the combination of an important moment, great acting, and music. When it all comes together it provides the magic that makes us love movies, I guess.
And - can comedies have “perfect” moments? I think “POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl” had its share.
Just about any scene in Robert Bolt’s a Man for All Seasons. Thomas More is the perfect rational herop and self-controlled man. Put him in a room with the practical , self-assured, but vebnal Thomas Cromwell and you have a wonderful scene as they try to out-maneuver each other. More always wins, exceopt when Cromwell cheats.
Bolt tried to direct his own script in Lady Caroline Lamb, but it wasn’t really good. Except for the Debate in Parliament scene, which is wonderful.
Another one I love for its tenderness- which is odd, considering it comes from Se7en- is the scene between Morgan Freeman & Gwynneth Paltrow in the diner, in which she asks him why he isn’t married. He explains that he was in a relationship once, it was a lot like a marriage. They discuss the job, the crappiness of the city, and how she’s not really happy. She confides in him things that she can’t tell her husband, his partner. She tells him that she’s pregnant and doesn’t know what to do about it. He says that if she decides not to keep it, she can never tell her husband about it. But if she decides to have it, she has to spoil that baby every chance she gets. Paltrow cries a little bit at this comment, and it always makes me sad, the idea of raising a child in that shit hole of a city, but at the same time filled with happiness- Paltrow’s reaction seems to say that she already loves her unborn child so much it hurts. And with that, her decision to keep the child has been made.
And now to completely change gears, on preview- yes, as far as I’m concerned, comedies can definately have perfect scenes:
Caddyshack- I will always laugh myself silly when I see Dangerfield turn on the radio in his golf bag and do his goofy little dance. Now that’s comedy.
On board the Orca in Jaws. Quint, Brody and Hooper know they’re looking for one huge shark, but they’re still getting drunk and singing. Quint and Hooper trade scars and stories and begin to appreciate and respect one another.
And then Quint has a chilling monologue about his time on the USS Indianapolis. Gets me every time. I don’t know how many takes it took for that monologue, but one or one thousand, they got the perfect one. Robert Shaw nailed it.
In **Vampire’s Kiss **, Nicolas Cage gives his best acting performance, IMHO.
There’s a bit of ambiguity on whether he is insane. But one scene clears it up: When he recites the alphabet. This is my favorite scene of all time. Amazing performance that he’s tries to replicate in later movies, but really can’t be matched.
Robin Williams, Kurt Russell. Good stuff.