The donkey in Au Hasard Balthazar
The mother/grandmother in Tokyo Story
Grandmother in Yi Yi
Harriet Andersson in Cries and Whispers
the father in A Time to Live, a Time to Die
Joan’s in The Passion of Joan of Arc
Kyozo’s in Seven Samurai (most of the deaths in this film are pretty powerful)
It’s all about the emotion behind the death, for me. I don’t really care how cool the deaths are in Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, or Blue Velvet, and so on.
Al Pacino’s Tony Montana getting his just desserts at end of “Scarface.”
James Cagney at end of “White Heat” ("Toppa the world, Ma!)
The dog at the end of Samuel Fuller’s “White Dog.”
Nicholas Cage in “Leaving Las Vegas.”
Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in “War of the Roses.”
Steve Buscemi getting the woodchipper treatment in “Fargo.”
Elijah Wood’s surprise electrocution in "The Ice Storm.’
Jake Gyllenhall’s tragic and ambiguous death in “Brokeback Mountain.”
Lester Burnham’s death in American Beauty hit me badly because of a certain state in my life..
Likewise Aunt Indira’s death in Pather Panchali, Granny in Yi Yi were heart breaking.
also Alain in Le Feu Follet was an act of desparation that is memorable in the context of the movie and the lines in his death note are just astounding.
Oscar’s death and the scene where Emilie rues his death at night in Fanny and Alexander was deep.
Ferdinand’s death at the end of Pierrot Le Fou.
also I found my pulse racing when I saw Sonny getting killed with a spray of bullets in The Godfather, felt relieved only after the baptism scenes at the end…
@Ryan, thanks for that choice…
that reminds me of another 2 deaths which I did not care that much but surely are memorable – Contempt and Breathless
Memorable deaths –
Chuck Tatum, bleeding to death in Ace in the Hole
McCluskey and Sollozzo shot by Michael in The Godfather
Washizu Taketori’s death by arrows in Throne of Blood
Bishop Vergerus and his sick sister torched in flames in Fanny and Alexander
The gang, ambushed by policemen after a set-up in Red Circle
Flyboy, shot in the head after he turned into one of ‘em ghouls in Dawn of the Dead
Pepe le Moko’s dramatic exit at the pier, in Pepe le Moko
The evil Queen, roasted (with apple in the mouth) in Desperate Living
Kitty March under the sheets in Scarlet Street
The bullies, in the swimming pool scene in Let The Right One In
I’m shocked that no one’s mentioned Psycho or Chinatown.
Robert Shaw in “Jaws”?
Well, this topic has been covered which would explain why a lot of films don’t get mentioned, but it’s nice to see some choices from newer members. I’ll add one that I don’t think was mentioned thus far in either thread;
Philip Seymour Hoffman and his flaming wheelchair in Red Dragon. ouch
Nick’s death in THE DEERHUNTER
Selma’s death in DANCER IN THE DARK
King Kong’s death in KING KONG
Damn I forgot there might be spoilers, and read people’s posts.
Kikuchiyo’s death in Seven Samurai
The wooden blade ronin’s death in Hara-Kiri
Thank you, Filmy Andy, for mentioning Le Feu Follet, and Col. Dax, for mentioning Balthazar.
Let’s add …
Meiko Harada’s in Ran
Geraldine Page’s in Interiors
Richard Jaekel’s in Sometimes a Great Notion
Meryl Streep’s in Ironweed
James Cagney’s in White Heat
Keenan Wynn’s unseen wife in Nashville
Spencer Tracy drowning in Captains Courageous (1937)
guys, good selection in “Kikuchiyo’s death in Seven Samurai” and “King Kong’s death in KING KONG” – both memorable and heart-wringing.
SPOILERS for Ordet and Vertigo!
Noel, That sequence in Fanny and Alexander is quite possibly the best scene in film ever. My mouth was just wide open and my eyes were glued to the screen.
I second the deaths in The Godfather.
Also I want to mention Dreyer. The death (but not really) in Ordet. That scene gives me the same feeling as watching a March Madness game where the score keeps changing, times 10. She is getting better! Nevermind she isn’t! Better, not, better, not, dead, revived! Whew it is an emotional roller coaster.
Judy’s death in Vertigo is just jaw-dropping unexpected!
The entire Wild Bunch’s deaths in the Wild Bunch.
dennis hopper in blue velvet, willem dafoe in wild at heart. i’m sure they would have come up before.
charlotte rampling and dirk bogarde at the end of the night porter
the end of la haine when the cops gun “accidentally” goes off and hubert retaliates
Jack Nicholson in The Passenger.
Claire Bloom in Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
I’ll second Sterling Hayden’s death in THE GODFATHER.
Klaus Maria Brandauer’s death in a little movie called THE LIGHTSHIP was impressive.
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter’s respective passings in SWEENEY TODD.
Marlon Brando and a certain animal in APOCALYPSE NOW.
Oh, that poor animal. Makes it hard to watch that film…
The children in GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES
The children in CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED
Normal Lloyd in SABOTEUR
Visually arresting death scenes (though not necessarily classic films):
Willem Dafoe takes a slug to the belly and then self-immolates at the satisfying climax of To Live and Die in L.A.
I’ll second Dennis Hopper’s death in Blue Velvet. On its original run, it seemd as though everyone in the theater heaved a sigh of relief when Hopper caught that bullet in the head.
Harry Lime in the Third Man — caught in the sewer like the rat that he was.
Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient. His suffering finally at an end.
The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz.
Pitt and DeCaprio’s deaths in Burn After Reading and The Departed, respectively. Never saw ’em coming.
Joe Pesci’s savage demise in Casino. I was queasy for an hour after that film.
The Moe Green character in The Godfather. Right thru the eyeglasses. Pow.
Alan Rickman looks surprised as hell when he takes the NesTea plunge at the end of Die Hard.
David Warner loses his head in The Omen — an amazing scene.
Saving Private Ryan — take your pick.
John Cassavetes in DePalma’s “The Fury.” He explodes when Amy Irving zaps him with her telekinetic powers.
“For Your Eyes Only”: Ernst Blofeld, the James Bond villian, wheelchair and all, getting dropped down a factory smokestack by Bond in a helicopter. Too cool.
Yong-ho in Peppermint Candy
Hornblende Domingez
A cynical topic perhaps, yet i think it would be interesting to see what you think are the greatest or most memorable “deaths” in cinema. For whatever reason the two that just came to my mind are Frank Booth getting shot in the head in “Blue Velvet” and Radio Raheem getting strangled in “Do The Right Thing”. What say you?