Oh yes, and the scene where Will Sampson tears the sink off the wall.
Anyone else making a list? I haven’t seen a lot of the movies mentioned here.
I show that movie to everyone I can, and I am stunned every time. I’m stunned thinking about it now.
Oh, and the scene of all the kisses in Cinema Paradiso.
I’d go with the Simon Zealot scene in the video. That guy could sing.
The country bar scene in “Blues Brothers.” Rolling, rolling, rolling.
Agreed. In fact, that was an A cast all around. Judas had a kind of funny voice, but I liked it. Another great scene was the Superstar scene at the end. Bloody Jesus carrying the cross in a setting like a game show, with sexy angel backup singers. Weird, man, weird!
I’ve got lots. First that spring to mind:
“Zorba, teach me to dance” (just got chills again!) - Zorba the Greek
The ‘Shall We Dance’ scene with Yul Brenner in The King and I (yes, there is a theme here)
Pretty much all of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, but I love the song and scenery ‘On This Lovely Day’ - tied with the “We are so concerned with original sin, that we sometimes forget about original innocence” scene.
There are tons of films that have had impressive, poignant, meaningful scenes which I’ve also liked a lot, but my favourites are the ones that leave me feeling thrilled and joyful.
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Opening crawl/Chase and capture of the Tantive IV in Star Wars.
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Master swordsman Kyuzo confronts a challenger in Seven Samurai.
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A chestbusting Alien unexpectedly arrives during dinner.
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Trinity is chased by agents in The Matrix.
Not a movie but a good scene nonetheless:
- From the Earth to the Moon: The crew of Apollo 8 sees the first ever Earthrise over the Moon.
Some of my favorites have already been mentioned:
- The chariot race in Ben-Hur. The best 15 minutes ever put on film, IMHO.
- Fuck the odds, let’s kick some ass. Also known as “Upon St. Crispian’s Day” from Henry V.
- “Superman” from The Iron Giant. Damn, what a scene.
- Mozart does in a stretch in The Shawshank Redemption. Beautiful.
Okay, here’s my list of scenes that haven’t been mentioned (at last refresh, anyway):
- The last five minutes of The Dark Crystal.
- The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm from The Fellowship of the Ring.
- The charge of the Rohirrem from The Return of the King.
- The aftermath of the final battle in Master and Commander.
- The long-awaited fight scene in The Quiet Man.
- A game of questions in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, as well as…okay, the whole damned movie.
- “Puh ah da Riiiiiitz” from Young Frankenstein.
- “And now, a word from our sponsor” in Flushed Away.
- “Gee, Officer Krupke” from West Side Story.
- Opening night from A Midwinter’s Tale.
- “Dear Mr. Adams” from 1776.
I’d better quit while I’m ahead.
Lots of good ones already, so I’ll cheat and repeat them instead of using them for my own:
To which I’d add:
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The church scene in Sullivan’s Travels: all the way from the beginning, when the poor black congregation opens its doors to the prisoners, to Sullivan’s revelation as he watches the most miserable wretches in the world finding a moment’s escape in laughter.
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Near the end of Ugetsu, when Genjurô comes home to what seems to be an empty house, turns slowly, and discovers his wife kneeling before a blazing fire.
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When Charles Laughton, an Englishman, is the only person in the American saloon who knows the Gettysburg Address in Ruggles of Red Gap.
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When Irene Dunne pretends to be Cary Grant’s trashy sister in The Awful Truth. (Now THAT’S a hard movie to choose a favorite scene from.)
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The final courtroom scene in* Judge Priest*, when Will Rogers signals to Stepin Fetchit to begin playing “Dixie,” to accompany his final argument to the all-Confederate-veteran jury.
. . . and man, a million others . . .
. . . when Gene Tierney lets Darryl Hickman drown in Leave her to Heaven . . .
. . . the children floating down the river in Night of the Hunter, as the evil preacher’s shadow follows them, singing, through the night . . .
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In Moonstruck, when Nicholas Cage suddenly stands up, throws the kitchen table aside, then cooly and calmly smoothes down his hair before grabbing Cher and carrying her to the bedroom - and her reaction, of course.
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In Cinema Paradiso, the scene where the protagonist is lying back, smoking a cigarette and cursing the summer because his girlfriend will not return until the fall, and suddenly the rain falls gently on his face, and she’s there, and kisses him.
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Also from Cinema Paradiso, the scene at the end when he watches the reel that the old man left for him and it is all the passionate kisses and moments of the films that he was forced to censor out - it brings tears to my eyes.
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Aliens. “Get away from her, you BITCH!”
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Gone With the Wind “As god is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!” That scene kills me because it is where Scarlett falls - she has lost her innocence and resolves to do whatever it takes to survive and suffers for it ever after.
and to cheat:
6. 12 Monkeys - basically every scene in the insane asylum with Brad Pitt.
- Delicatessen - the infamous scene where the entire apartment building is moving in time to the rhythm of a couple making love.
I think you are mistaken. I’m 100% sure this scene does not exist.
To add some not mentioned
The “36 blowjobs” conversation in Clerks
The metal detector scene (among others) in Spinal Tap
Maybe it’s just me, but the song Easy To Be Hard from Hair always sends chills up my spine.
I thought about the game of questions, too, but would have to go with a montage of the scenes in Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead where scientific epiphanies are denied.
There has to be a scene from Almost Famous, but I can’t decide which one.
Oh, forgot one. In Last of the Mohicans, in the first battle, when Nathaniel spots Mogwa (sp?) aiming his rifle at one of the Munro girls, brings up his own gun in one smooth motion, never taking his eyes off his target. Mogwa sees this and immediately swings around, aims at Nathaniel and fires; Nathaniel drops to one knee to avoid the bullet and waits just a moment for the smoke to clear so he can get a good shot - and Mogwa has disappeared. Just great gunplay - two experienced fighters, both doing everything just right. You know that Mogwa is seriously dangerous after that scene.
There have been some excellent ones listed, but here’s my pick:
[ul]
[li]The opening sequence to Blade Runner, going from the darkened, polluted exterior of Los Angeles, A.D. 2019, through the Tyrell Building, and into the eye of Holden. (The killing of Zora and the dead of Roy Batty are also runner ups.)[/li][li]The opening sequence to Raiders of the Lost Ark, which just edges out the shooting of the Cairo swordsman and the fight for the truck. (“Truck? What truck?”)[/li][li]The Mexican Standoff scene in Mapache’s compound in The Wild Bunch, edging out blowing the bridge and the opening shootout in the town.[/li][li]The “Lisa in Thorwald’s Apartment” scene in Rear Window. [/li][li]The final interrogation scene in Brazil.[/li][/ul]
Some also-rans[ul]
[li]Welles’ entry in The Third Man (just over the chase through the sewers, the ferris wheel, and the depressing final shot.)[/li][li]The extended single shot opening sequence in Touch of Evil.[/li][li]The post-bank heist shootout scene in Heat.[/li][li]The final scene in Roman Holiday[/li][li]Alec Baldwin’s monologue in Glengarry Glen Ross[/li][li]The fight between Bond and Oddjob in the vault at Ft. Knox in Goldfinger.[/li][li]The “machete fight down the stairs” sequence in Casino Royale, along with the post-credit freerunning sequence.[/li][li]The opening shot of the accounting floor in The Apartment.[/li][li]The pentultimate chase scene in Some Like It Hot, culimating in escape via boat.[/li][li]The Nice car interception in Ronin.[/li][li]The Copacabana Club kitchen entrance, and the virtuoso “finding dead bodies all over New Jersey” sequence in Goodfellas, the latter set to the strains of Derek Allman’s extended coda on Layla.[/li][li]The bookending “I couda been a condender” speech in Raging Bull.[/li][li]Dave Bowman’s entry and his lobotomy of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey[/li][li]The Sermon on Temple Mount, “Romans go home” grammar lesson, and “You are all individuals” from Monty Python’s The Life of Brian[/li][/ul]
Stranger
Some of mine :
The Balrog scenes in FOTR. From it scaring off the goblins, it’s pursuit of the Fellowship, and of course Gandalf at the bridge. “You cannot pass !”
The final gunfight in Unforgiven, where Clint kills everyone.
Smaug’s boasting speech in The Hobbit; "I am strong, strong, STRONG ! My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!”
The scene in Dark Crystal, where the girl gelfling catches the male, and he says “Wings ?! I don’t have wings ?!”, and she replies in perfect female-superior tones, “Of course not; you’re a boy.”
The “Get away from her you bitch !” scene in Aliens.
The “Welcome to Earth !” < punch > scene in Independence Day.
The scene in The War of the Worlds ( classic version ), when the Martians rise out of the pit and open fire.
Saruman’s speech to the Uruk-Hai; “You do not know pain you do not know fear . . . you shall taste Man-flesh ! !”
From Ruthless People, the fake torture phone call with the sizzling tofu; “They made me say that !”
Limiting myself to movies not yet mentioned (darn you, Stranger on a Train! I swear vengeance!)
[ul][li]The revelation scene in Tootsie[/li][li]“When I think of the number of years she is going to have to live with the memory of this moment of savagery…I just go BERSERK!” from Billy Jack[/li][li]The closing scene of Psycho[/li][li]War, in Duck Soup[/li][li]The entire cartoon Duck Amuck, for its perfect depiction of existentialism[/ul][/li]
Regards,
Shodan
The swordfight between Wesley and Inigo in The Princess Bride
The scene where Will Ferrell’s character brings Maggie’s character “Flours” in Stranger than Fiction
The final scene of **Army of Darkness ** where Ash kills the Zombie in the store.
Where the UrUu sing in The Dark Crystal
Kermit the frog singing “Rainbow Connection” in The Muppet Movie
Like most of the later comers to the thread, many of mine have already been mentioned. A few that weren’t:
[ul]The Sister Christian scene from Boogie Nights.[/ul]
[ul]The last scene in Aguirre: The Wrath of God, with Kinski on the raft with the monkeys.[/ul]
[ul]From Apocalypse Now, I’ll take Duvall’s last scene as he storms around the beach.[/ul]
[ul]Because I’m a complete loser, I’ll admit that I still love the final scene in It’s A Wonderful Life.[/ul]
How about the Tiny Dancer scene?
Lots of great ones listed already.
- True Grit when Rooster Cogburn goes one on four with Ned Pepper and his cronies on the canyon floor:
Ned Pepper: What’s your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?
Rooster Cogburn: I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker’s convenience. Which’ll it be?
Ned Pepper: I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.
Rooster Cogburn: Fill your hands, you son of a bitch.
2. The pitcher’s mound conference from “Bull Durham”:
Coach: Excuse me, but what the hell’s going on out here?
Crash Davis: Well, Nuke’s scared because his eyelids are jammed and his old man’s here. We need a live… is it a live rooster?
[Jose nods]
Crash Davis: . We need a live rooster to take the curse off Jose’s glove and nobody seems to know what to get Millie or Jimmy for their wedding present.
[to the players]
Crash Davis: Is that about right?
[the players nod]
Crash Davis: We’re dealing with a lot of shit.
Coach: Okay, well, uh… candlesticks always make a nice gift, and uh, maybe you could find out where she’s registered and maybe a place-setting or maybe a silverware pattern. Okay, let’s get two! Go get 'em.
- From Monty Python’s the Life of Brian the graffiti scene:
Centurion: What’s this, then? “Romanes eunt domus”? People called Romanes, they go, the house?
Brian: It says, "Romans go home. "
Centurion: No it doesn’t ! What’s the latin for “Roman”? Come on, come on!
Brian: Er, “Romanus” !
Centurion: Vocative plural of “Romanus” is?
Brian: Er, er, “Romani” !
Centurion: [Writes “Romani” over Brian’s graffiti] “Eunt”? What is “eunt”? Conjugate the verb, “to go” !
Brian: Er, “Ire”. Er, “eo”, “is”, “it”, “imus”, “itis”, “eunt”.
Centurion: So, “eunt” is…?
Brian: Third person plural present indicative, “they go”.
Centurion: But, “Romans, go home” is an order. So you must use…?
[He twists Brian’s ear harshly]
Brian: Aaagh ! The imperative !
Centurion: Which is…?
Brian: Aaaagh ! Er, er, “i” !
Centurion: How many Romans?
Brian: Aaaaagh ! Plural, plural, er, “ite” !
Centurion: [Writes “ite”] “Domus”? Nominative? “Go home” is motion towards, isn’t it?
Brian: Dative !
[the Centurion holds a sword to his throat]
Brian: Aaagh ! Not the dative, not the dative ! Er, er, accusative, “Domum” !
Centurion: But “Domus” takes the locative, which is…?
Brian: Er, “Domum” !
Centurion: [Writes “Domum”] Understand? Now, write it out a hundred times.
Brian: Yes sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar, sir.
Centurion: Hail Caesar ! And if it’s not done by sunrise, I’ll cut your balls off.
4. From The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad the opening scene when Frank Dreben takes on every enemy leader, “America is a paper tiger.”
The scene where Louis finds the charred remains of Claudia, **Interview with the Vampire
**
The courtroom summary scene from A Time to Kill
The ending of Shrek
The bit where Evey is in prison and reading the secret letter in V for Vendetta
The music montage from the end of Donnie Darko