Anna Karina’s dance in Vivre sa vie
Katherine Ross and Paul Newman riding a bicycle while “Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” is playing in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Scene is my favorite scene ever.
Other Great Scenes:
The Ending of The Graduate
The sisters dancing in Cria Cuervos
The final scene of There Will be Blood
the long dialogue scene in EYES WIDE SHUT between nicole kidman and tom cruise where she confesses to him about how she would’ve done anything to sleep with the man that she saw at the hotel.
the dance sequence of the imprisoned instruments in THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T.
the scene before the blackout in SHORTBUS, when james and his stalker are on his bed and the stalker tries to kiss him and james keeps repeating, “i can’t feel it,” before shouting, “don’t you see that i don’t want to be this.” (and then everything following that until the end of the film).
the opening credits of KIDS.
the last scene in INNOCENCE, with the girl and the boy in the water fountain (honestly, how the hell did they shoot that? it physically doesn’t make any sense.)
the long shot in GERRY of both men walking side-by-side with the sound of their feet crunching simultaneously and then going off-rhythm from one another.
the spitting scene in POISON is probably the most powerful and beautiful thing i have ever seen captured on the screen.
a million scenes (too many to name) in A ZED AND TWO NOUGHTS, but: when venus de milo sings “the teddy bear’s picnic,” the snails at the end, when the rhino gets loose, the entire opening sequence, the tracking shots through the decay-time-lapse rooms in the dark…
recently i saw a film called GIVE ME YOUR HAND, which wasn’t amazing but there was a shot of the two male identical brothers both at the side of the road taking a piss simulatenously; the shot composition is fantastic.
The Time of the Wolf: When a stranger lets Eva listen to his Beethoven cassette.
The last scene between Robert Ryan and Clark Gablein the Tall Men after Ryan’s double cross is one upped by Gable’s plan. “There goes the only man I ever respected. He’s what every boy wants to be when he grows up and what every man wishes he been when he gets old.”
The Josie Wales-Ten Bears meeting.
The White rabbit scene from Platoon, ’man you got to be rich to think like that."
I got a lot of favorite scenes.
The ending of Fight Club “You met me at a really strange time in my life.” Where is My Mind Explosions!!
The opening interrogation scene from Inglorious Basterds
The "Sicilians* scene from True Romance
The “face behind the diner” scene from Mulholland Drive
The wake scene from Ikiru
The ending in Lost In Translation
The last shot in The Passenger behind the window
I’m going to throw this one in there:
a scene from David Lynch’s under-appreciated Wild At Heart, in which Nicholas Cage faces off against a punk at a metal concert and follows it up with a surreal Elvis cover.
It may lack verisimilitude, but that’s not what we watch Lynch for.
1) “I was stepped over…” Godfather, Part II. John Cazale was brilliant, so weak, yet trying to show strength (special thanks to the Art Dept for the selection of the chair he was sitting in). Pacino was so cold, and Gordon Willis’ lighting fit the mood perfectly.
2) “Pardon them…” Schindler’s List. Just dialogue between Neeson and Fiennes on the balcony overlooking the camp. Great sound mix, stong performances, unobstrusive camerawork.
3) “She seems very nice…” Kissing Jessica Stein. Jennifer Westfeldt as Jessica is very good in the scene when she kind of let’s her mom know she is in love with a woman. Tovah Feldshuh is brilliant as her mom. Good writing, all the technical aspects are good, but the performances make the scene. I think that performance gets lost on occasion, film people just focus on filmmaking and forget about humanity, we watch films and do not allow them to touch us. These three scenes are about people and the performances are what make them.
4) “America” West Side Story. A perfect musical number. Great dancing, singing, fantastic camerawork and editing.
5) “Sales Meeting” Glengarry Glen Ross. Great acting by Alec Baldwin, but Mamet’s words are what make the scene.
1. Amores Perros – The wanderer burries his dogs after they were murdered by Octavio’s dog with that same dog by his side.
2. Raging Bull – You never got me down Ray, you never got me down.
3. Unglorious Basterds – Aldo Raine’s speech.
4. La haine – Last scene.
Off the top of my head… (they may be spoilers)
2001: A Space Odyssey - The entire “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” sequence. It’s also awesome when it’s synced up to “Echoes”, which I usually do if I intend to only watch just that section.
Vivre sa vie - The scene where Nana meets her first client. I find this scene to be one of the most powerful scenes ever created, particularly Karina’s during the “Why not on the mouth?” part; beautifully shot and executed.
Pierrot le fou - I have two for this one. The first one is that tracking shot that shows Belmondo and Karina killing those drug runners then escaping; one of my favorite tracking shots, if not my favorite. The other is the scene where they put on “The Vietnam” War for those Americans soldiers.
Barton Fink - The whole scene where the hotel goes down in flames, the best part being Goodman shouting “I’ll show you the life of the mind!”; classic Coen brothers.
Annie Hall - The scene when Allen and Keaton are waiting in line for a film, and Allen puts down the film snob behind him by bringing in Marshall McLuhan to stick it to ’im.
Notorious - The film’s ending, from the shot of Grant and Bergman descending the stares to Rains reentering the house to except his fate.
Eraserhead - The whole sequence where Henry literally loses his head.
Night on Earth - The whole Finnish part, particularly the last shot.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans - The trolley ride into the city after the Man backs out of murdering his wife on the boat; the way this scene if shot and framed. Easily one of the best shot scenes of all time in my opinion.
-Elevator to the Gallows
Forlorn Jeanne Moreau, thinking her lover has abandoned her, walks the rainswept Paris streets at night to the Miles Davis score.
-Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Slim Pickens, knowing he’s just been mortally wounded, turns and walks away toward the desolate Western landscape to Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”
-Harakiri.
After waiting all day and evening for her husband, Motome, to return with medicine for their deathly sick baby, Motome’s corpse is returned instead. Horrified with shock and grief, Miho screams and throws herself onto Motome’s dead body.
Some random ones:
Plainview’s conversion in There Will Be Blood.
The psycholgical test in Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?
Car wash in Cool Hand Luke.
When John McCabe first meets Constance Miller in McCabe & Mrs. Miller.
The interview between Steve Zissou and Jane Winslett-Richardson in The Life Aquatic. “Does this seem fake?”
The jailbreak attempt in Support Your Local Sheriff!
The “Relax” video right in the middle of Body Double.
When Joan Crawford’s daughter sees her on the soap opera in Mommie Dearest.
The ending of Dogville.
The opening of Faster, Pussycat! KILL! KILL!
“BASTARDS!” in Pieces.
“Pumpin’ and Blowin’” in The Pirate Movie.
The romance montage in The Mighty Peking Man.
Ann-Margret’s entrance in Viva Las Vegas.
Stella Steven’s cleavage in The Ballad of Cable Hogue.
“Nymphos!” in Shock Corridor.
The massacre in Commando.
The ending of The Rapture.
The dressing room scene in GOING SHOPPING where Victoria Foyt’s character freaks out.
The last scene of HOLLYWOOD DREAMS.
AIRPORT 75 when Karen Black’s character is flying the plane.
The scene in IREME IN TIME where Irene meets Helen.
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION when Andy Dufresne get beer for his buddies.
1. There Will Be Blood, final scene: “I drink your milkshake!”
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, final half hour: The Ecstasy of Gold
3. My Winnipeg, daughter crashes car scene: “Of course not! It only took him five minutes to find out what you are!”
In no order
When Kim Novak exits the bathroom in Vertigo
The beach scene in the 400 Blows
When the Millennium falcon hides under the great star destroyers belly in The Empire Strikes Back
Peter Finch speech in Network
Baptism scene in the Godfather
The breakdown of Citizen Kane
airport scene in Casablanca
opening shot of Touch of Evil
end of dr strangelove
Singin in the rain “singin in the rain”
Norma Desmond going down the stairs in Sunset Blvd.
Random scenes from the top of my head:
- Cement Garden – Jack follows the cracks in the cement where his mother is buried with his finger; while the voice over says “For let the shape of an object be as they may: light, shade and perspective will always make it beautiful.”
-In a Year with 13 Moons – Anton Saitz and his men are re-enacting a dance number from “You’re Never Too Young”
-Alexander Nevsky – The riders emerge looking a lot like a ghosts.
-The Littlle Prince – Bob Fosse as the snake… greatest dance number ever.
-Judex – Judex’s entrance with the bird-mask
-Manhattan – Woody’s face in the Last scene.
-Sins of the Fleshapoids – The toy Robot birth – better than any scene in 2001.
-Night of The Hunter – Mitchum sings outside the house
-Themroc – Piccoli watches as a builder tries to close the hole in his wall while stroking him.
Female Trouble – Divine as a man rapes himself as a woman
I’m sure I’m forgetting MANY
ONe of my favorite scenes is when Al Pacino’s Michael hugs Sonny as he goes to kill Sollazo, they will never see each other again. They seem to know it.
the final scene between Henry Fonda and John Wayne in Fort Apache. “when your in command, Command, Any Questions?”
In the Wild Bunch the scene with the old man in the village as the old man tells them everyone wished to be a child again event the worse of us. And then Holden’s reply “and you” as they burst into laughter.
When Scout and Jem and their freind go into the boo’;s yard and they almost get caught Jem losing his pants on the fence. To Kill a Mockingbird
Bonnie and clyde’s picnic where clyde tell’s Bonnie’s mama he’ll move in close by, the mother quickly tells them they’ll get killed if htey move in close to her.
This cafe scene from The Fire Within
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyo67kdFr98
I Come With The Rain – (spoiler) Scene where Kline kills serial killer Hasford, cuts his head off, cries over how horrible and ugly existence can be, then while standing and holding Hasford’s head while looking at one of the pieces of “artwork” the killer made out of the flesh of his dead victims is able finally to understand the so-called “beauty of the sufferings of mankind” the killer spoke about, and then proceeds to gently touch the skin of the art work… This whole scene is just crazy to me. Amazing disturbing beautiful imagery.
The last scene in “The Life Aquatic” it was so well done and i love wes andersons trademark of making the shot in slow motion and it shows the whole crew together and it sums up the movie which is the team will always stick with each other no matter what.
The “Surfin Bird” scene from Pink Flamingos.
Apocolypse NOw, the whole movie really, but the scene where Sheen asks the black soldier “who’s in charge?” and the guy replies" Ain’t you".
The scene in 12 angry Men where the 11 jurors are all standing together at one end of the table looking at the 12th juror.
The Shawshank Redemption scene when Andy plays the Italian aria for the prisoners.
I have heard that one good scene is enough to elevate a film above the ordinary.
Just finished watching Peter Weir’s ‘Witness’, with Harrison Ford. There were at least two good scenes in that film worthy of mention.1/ Ford became ‘The cousin from Ohio’ in this one, destroying a local tough with the old one-two after the ill- informed guy had unwisely insulted a few Amish.
2/ The scene where the three FBI guys, filmed from behind, reached the crest in the road on their way to get John Book at the farm.
Above, PJJR’s mention of the family gathering on the hill . Bonnie’s mother said “you better keep runnin’, Clyde Barrow!” … as dramatic as it gets.
My favourite of all time may well be the Annie Hall scene as described by Colton Bose above, and the concept of the knight playing chess with Death in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal will never leave me either.
The last scene from City Lights..it always gives me a lump on my throat
Singin’ in the Rain – the “Moses Supposes” dance number inexplicably gives me a lump in the throat every time I see it – it’s the pure delirious joy of those two guys dancing.
Yikes, this is hard to even narrow down to a top 10!
In no particular order…
Denis Lavant freaking out to Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night” in Beau Travail
Silencio nightclub scene in Mulholland Drive
Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek hide out in the forest in Badlands
Elias Koteas and James Spader getting nasty in the 63 Lincoln in Crash
“I’ll hurt you if you stay” – The Fly
Viggo Mortensen’s sauna knife-fight in Eastern Promises
Julianne Moore alone in her “igloo” at the end of Safe
The puppet theatre in The Double Life of Véronique
The very last scene with Romy Schneider and Fabio Testi in L’important c’est d’aimer
Jennifer Jason Leigh singing Van Morrison’s “Take Me Back” off-key for nearly 9 minutes in Georgia
The final scene in Linday Anderson’s “If….”. (spoiler)
You can feel all the rage that has built up in the characters throughout the film and is now exploding out. The final shot of Mick firing at the camera has to be one of the greatest I’ve ever seen.
jack nicholson telling a roomful of patients in his phyciatrist’s office “What if this is as good as it gets?”
Tobin.
Any wes anderson scenes, particularly the end credits in life aquatic. Or the dinner scene in rushmore… haha.
On a more epic scale i’d say the end scene of 2001 or the opening scene of once upon a time in the west.
If I had to pick a favorite it’d be the last scene in either 8 1/2 or la dolce vita. I love them both!