Some great stuff here. I’m loving this thread; I’ll try to mention some that haven’t gotten a nod yet.
The scene in the airport control tower early in Close Encounters of the Third Kind: in a movie filled with visual spectacle, perhaps the most spooky and effective scene of all consists simply of an air traffic controller calmly exchanging radio transmissions with an increasing jittery commercial pilot describing the UFO buzzing his plane.
Kelly’s Heroes: the cat-and-mouse sequence where Kelly’s platoon sneaks Oddball’s Sherman into a tiny village without alerting the unit of Tiger tanks assigned to defend it.
Marathon Man: the scene just prior to the infamous “Is it safe?” sequence; Dustin Hoffman’s character, having just seen his brother die on his apartment floor, and having been warned that someone may be after him as well, is taking a bath when he suddenly hears whispering in the parlor outside. Then the lights start going out…
The Train: the gang of resistance fighters led by LaBiche (Burt Lancaster) immobilize the train of stolen art by first derailing a locomotive in front of it, crashing the train into the derailed locomotive, then smashing a third locomotive into the passenger carriage containing the German guards at the back of the train. All done for real, and absolutely jaw-dropping.
Dark City: the moment when John Murdoch and Detective Bumstead bash down the brick wall with hammers and discover that Shell Beach is decidedly not what’s behind it.
It has been more than 40 years since I saw the picture, but the scene was certainly in the picture when I saw it. Audrey’s boyfriend then goes to her and she explains that she was a child bride forced by her family to marry a much older man. She says that she eventually ran away, moved to New York, and got a divorce, but her ex-husband refuses to accept it.
The scene in Fargo right after Marge arrests Gaear. The two are sitting in the police car and Marge gives her little speech about how it’s only money.
The last scene in Fargo when Marge is in bed with her husband. This scene is exactly why it is my favorite movie.
The scene in Sense and Sensibility where Elinor and Marianne are laying in bed. Marianne has just found out that Edward is engaged to someone else and that Elinor knew all along.
The scene in Millions with Damian and his mother.
The scene in Before Sunset where Celine sings the song to Jesse.
I don’t have five that other people haven’t already mentioned. One scene that sticks with me is from Titus when the camera pulls in from a great distance on the recently raped and mutilated Lavinia. I’ve only ever seen the movie once, but I can still see that scene.
The “wah-wah” scene from The Miracle Worker. The Ann Bancroft/Patty Duke version.
“It’s all in the family.” Bogie on the tennis court with Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina.
“Nobody leaves a star. That’s what makes one a star.” Norma Desmond going 'round the bend in Sunset Boulevard.
“New York, New York” - the production number in Gremlins 2. All the little gremlins cheerfully screeching, “Da da dadada, da da dadada!” cracks me up every time.
Frith’s blessing of El-ahrairah in Watership Down. “If they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you…”
The part of her husband was played by Buddy Ebson (yes, the Buddy Ebson who starred in The Berverly Hillbillies). Both the Wikipedia article on the film and the Wikipedia article on Ebson mention his playing Audrey’s husband in the movie.
The Great Escape - the entire movie
Quiz Show - the entire movie, but especially the scenes with John Turturro
Weird Science - Anthony Michael Hall in the blue’s bar
Fletch Lives - Ben Dover scene
Ben Dover: Take your pants off.
Fletch: I don’t even know your name.
Ben Dover: Bend over.
Fletch: Ben? Nice to meet you, Victor Hugo.
I would say pretty much every lesbian make out scene in any movie should qualify for this list. Which, if you think about it, would make “Strap On Sisters 7” the best movie ever made.
The laser scene in “Goldfinger” (which narrowly beats out the pre-title sequence in the same film)
An odd one - there’s a scene inthe dreadful remake of the Manchurian Cantidate where Merryl Streep is talking to Denzel Washington and she has a mouthful of ice from her drink - I can’t explain it, there’s something about the shape of Streep’s mouth and the way her words come out all muffled and scrambled, it is unaccountably sexy. And I had never seem Merryl Streep as sexy before.
Michael and Fredo’s confrontation in “The Godfather 2”
and not so much as scene as a shot, but the tracking shot of LeeLee Sobierksi in her skimpies backing away from Tom Cruise in “Eyes Wide Shut”. Magnificent.
mm
Many, many great entries here. Here are three that I don’t think anyone’s mentioned yet:
[ul]
[li]The execution scene in Paths of Glory.[/li][li]The opening few minutes of Shadow of a Doubt, with Joseph Cotten lying in his room in the boarding house as two scary-looking dudes stand across the street, staring at his window. So tense, but so low-key. [/li][li]Near the end of The Scent of Green Papaya, there’s about a twenty-minute sequence with no dialogue at all as the girl and the guy chase each other around the house during a pounding rainstorm. It’s slightly edgy, and kinda fun, and incredibly romantic all at once. And the film’s closing scene, directly afterward, closes the story perfectly.[/li][/ul]
