Posted on 12/12/2005 7:57:17 AM PST by pissant
Everyone knows by now that Pissant is not an expert, like MaximusofTexas, when it comes to movie reviews. The main problem of course is that Pissant has generally avoided anything that Hollywood has produced in the last 20 years. Fortuantely, most of the cinematic classics were made well before this self-imposed boycott started. So now, I will list the definitive "most powerful moments".
They may be sad, scary, heartwarming, patriotic, etc.
Top 7 Most Powerful Moments in Cinema History
7. The Deerhunter- Russian Roulette POW scene --The actors in the Deerhunter, particularly DeNiro and Cristopher Walken make it seem incredibly real. The intensity of that scene as POWs being forced to play Russian roulette and the subsequent escape is one for the ages.
6. Outlaw Josie Wales - Snoose on the Dead guy's head -- After a gunfight where Josie (Clint Eastwood) and his sidekick end up killing the bad guys, his young companion frets that they should at least bury the dead out of respect. Instead, Clint hocks a mouthful of tobacco juice onto a cadaver's forehead, and flatly states that "the buzzards gotta eat too"
5. Casablanca- Rick says goodbye -- Thinking that she would be staying with Rick (Humphrey Bogart) as her husband Lazlo gets on the plane to America, Bogie gives Ilsa (Ingrid) the bad news. The strength to be able to give up her love in the cause of patriotism is amazing.
4. Exorcist- The head spin -- If you grew up Catholic, you believe in the devil. And that's what makes the Exorcist SO real (plus it was based on a true story). If the head spin scene did not creep you out, nothing will.
3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being- Girls playing -- I know, not everyone's cup of tea. But seeing Thomas' wife (Juliette Binoche) meet his mistress (Lena Olin) and the two have a playful, flirtatious rendevous.....well it's powerful to me. It helps that both are very gorgeous!!
2. Patton- "the speech to the Third Army" -- This movie is near perfect all the way through, but is most powerful just listening to George C. Scott recite the (somewhat sanitized) speech to the troops. Hollywood is incapable anymore of treating our Generals and Soldiers as the heroes that they are.
1. It's a Wonderful Life - George sees the light -- The angel Clarence's hard work finally pays off. George Bailey realizes how important he is to his family, community and to God, and has a tearful reunion with his family. It chokes me up, no matter how many times I see it. Merry Christmas!
Me too. I received the box set years ago for Christmas. Mine are old school though--VHS tapes :)
I like "Goodfellas" too.
"Scarface" is good. I little overrated, IMO.
"I'll bet you wouldn't even have the decency to give a guy a reach-around"
"There's another one for the fire"
"You just don't lead'em as much"..I believe is the line
NO PING!
AGAIN!?
No whipping for you...
I liked 'Bridge' as well,.. and speaking of dramatic cenes,
it starts off with a train trying to run past some Allied
tanks and being blasted. That was pretty dramatic!
I've always loved the moment in The Searchers where the Duke and his nephew finally kill Scar and Duke chases Debbie over the hill. He has a good as said he'll kill her, and she knows it. When he does catch her, he lifts her at arm's length above his head, then hugs her. That gets my vote for the most dramatic, gratifying moment in the movies.
you know, when I saw The Color Purple, or read the book, I kept thinking, the timelines don't add up, the timelines don't add up. Bugged the heck out of me.
Mrs VS
I like Sam and his wife...long relationship for out there
shame he's a lib
Gone with the Wind, I never forgot Scarlett's comment: "I'll get him back, I'll think about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.”
Yeah, I agree about the Exorcist... the head spin is a spooky one, but to me it was the whole movie.. the voice, the green soup, the bed thingy, lol. I couldn't sleep well for a week after I saw the video.
The Godfather... the horse head in the bed was the strongest moment for me.
Rocky going up and down the steps of the museum of Art.
The Pianist... when the German soldier who saves the pianist gives him his coat and tells him, "You must survive. God wills it."
My favorite so far... Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella) with Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi. The way the father protects his son from the horrors of the war is very moving. The most powerful moment is the bittersweet end... when the father is taken by the Nazis and he tells his son not to worry because it's only a game.
Schindler's List
The Dresser with Albert Finney
Tony Manero's dance in Saturday Night Fever.
John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara embracing after fighting in "The Quiet Man."
The closing scene of the Conformist, when Marcello watches from his car as his mistress (Dominique Sanda) is killed against his car.
The closing of "On the Waterfront" where Terry Malloy climbs after standing up to the mob.
"Luke, I am your father." --- ESB, 'nuff said
"Val Kilmer was robbed of an Oscar."
He was truly robbed. The death scene he does is I think the finest piece of film acting I've ever seen. It gets me every single time.
Now that you've prompted me to reply I will say that one of the most powerful scenes in movies to me is the Scarlett O'Hara "I'll never be hungry again!" scene right before the intermission in Gone with the Wind. I think GWTW is one of the very best "translations" of a book to a movie, to me it was just as I pictured it in my mind. And that scene in particular was very strong. And I must say that even though all the leads were excellent Olivia DeHaviland made the movie, along with my beloved Leslie Howard.
For all time my favorite movie is "The Leopard", another excellent book to movie. A bit obscure, but finally available on dvd. Burt Lancaster and a truly excellent international cast, including Alain Delon for the gals and Claudia Cardinale for the guys. The best scene in that is the big party scene, which was filmed with Sicilian locals as the extras and truly conveys what a fun but exhausting experience an "all nighter" must have been in days gone bye.
And the great Jedi master turned out to be Grover? Yeah, right.
Victor Laslo: "Play La Marseillaise."
Band looks adown at their feet.
Victor Laslo: "I said play it!"
Band looks at Rick. Rick nods his head, once, to say OK.
Goose bumps and tears all around for the greatest single scene in movie history!
The first occurred right after the scene with Potter in the meeting of the board of directors after Peter Bailey's death. George was running out to catch a cab to the train station to go to college and start the rest of his life, when suddenly one of the directors runs out and tells all the employees that they voted to keep the Bailey Building & Loan open -- but only if George stays on as president. George freezes in his tracks and his face drops . . . and the camera zooms in on his face as he realizes that so many people are depending on him and he can't let them down.
The second occurred near the end of the movie, when George finally realizes that the "world" Clarence was showing to him was real. He runs out of the old house and down to the sidewalk, and for a moment he freezes in the darkness, staring at the camera with the wild-eyed look of a crazed man. This is the moment when it sunk in for him -- and he desperately needed to have Clarence tell him what had become of Mary in this world where he didn't exist.
In my opinion, those are the two most powerful moments in that film.
Good pick. And I'll add that what makes that scene a true classic is the background music. The song that plays during this scene is called "The Trio" from the movie soundtrack.
One of the best movie soundtracks of all time.
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