Great Cinematic Moments

[Heather19]

After some talk in another thread, I got to thinking about what it is that draws me into some films. And I started thinking about those great scenes that while you're watching them you're just left breathless because they're so great.
So what are some of your favorite shots from films. Those that mesmerized you, those that pulled out emotions you never knew you had, or those that made you laugh harder than you ever knew you could.

I have so many but I'll start off with these few. This will come as no surprise to most of you but I absolutely love the opening to Citizen Kane. I just find it to be a truly beautiful piece of art.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r0b_XeRkG4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r0b_XeRkG4[/ame]

or how about that opening scene to Touch of Evil. There's so much action going on, and it's all done in 1 single shot.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg8MqjoFvy4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg8MqjoFvy4[/ame]

[turtlex]

Great idea!

The first thing that comes to mind is the "As God Is My Witness" scene in Gone With The Wind. It's beautifully shot and wonderfully acted. A real "moment".

And two on movie's we've talked about elsewhere :

There's nothing like the scene in Captain Blood when Errol Flynn leaps out onto the huge sail and using his knife - slides down the sail!

Cinematically, the big final sword fight between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham in The Adventure's of Robin Hood is beautiful to watch and just a great example of a swashbuckler!

[Heather19]

Great picks. I'm really looking forward to watching those now.

[obscurejude]

Heather, do you have classic movies in mind only, or are more contemporary films okay to comment about?

[Heather19]

Go ahead and post about any that you like. I'm curious to see what you've got in mind.

[William50]

The end of Saving private Ryan when Tom Hanks character dies and all of the planes are blowin shit up. yesssssssss

[obscurejude]

The most iconic image for me in Saving Private Ryan is when it shows the sunset over the french landscape as the soldiers cross the hill conversing.

Cool Heather, I'm going to think of it a little more and look forward to sharing them with you later. I will say that Slumdog had several images that standout regarding children and slums but it would be difficult to talk about them without spoiling anything and I know that you guys haven't seen it yet.

[William50]

I think this is going to be a very popular and successful thread.

[Sam]

The final scene of Sanjuro is stunning, shocking, and almost poetic.

The opening of Yojimbo sets the scene for the entire film. As the hero of the film walks into a town, a dog trots by with a hand held in its teeth.

[sarah]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se8TM696HRY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se8TM696HRY[/ame]

[fernandito]

Can it be images as well, or does it have to be videos?

[jayson]

I would think if one still shot works to show the memory of the full scene, it's that much more iconic an image.

You know, something like this..



Let's see what you've got in mind...

[Heather19]

That's a great one Jayson!

[turtlex]

One of my all time favorites is from Star Wars...

... the moment Han Solo comes back as Luke is making his run down the corridor in his X-Wing... and then of course, him taking that shot and pulling up and away and the Death Star blowing up!

Classic !

[jayson]

"Boxer's don't have an old timer's day." - Marsellus Wallace

[Heather19]

There's so many good Tarentino one's.
One of my favorites from Kill Bill is the scene in which Beatrix Kiddo fights the crazy 88. One of things I love about that scene is how at just the right moment he changes it from color to black and white. I understand he did it for the most part so he could avoid an NC17 rating, but I think it's really effective.

[turtlex]

How about that last scene in the original Planet of the Apes? Very cool.

Planet of the Apes

[jayson]

One of my favorites from Kill Bill is the scene in which Beatrix Kiddo fights the crazy 88. One of things I love about that scene is how at just the right moment he changes it from color to black and white. I understand he did it for the most part so he could avoid an NC17 rating, but I think it's really effective.

Nice. It's my understanding that the Japanese release stayed in color for that scene and I would love to see it play that way too just to see the contrast, but I remember seeing it the first time and went it went black & white, I thought "well that was cool". I also really like the back and red screens he used for some of the shots with Beatrix and Pai Mei in Volume 2.

How about that last scene in the original Planet of the Apes? Very cool.

Planet of the Apes

Yeah. That's the definition of iconic image, parodied so many times. Best ever by The Simpsons with Troy McLure in Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off, the musical Planet of the Apes.

Simpsons/Planet of the Apes

"Oh my gosh, I was wrong
It was Earth, all along..."

[Heather19]

One of my favorites from Kill Bill is the scene in which Beatrix Kiddo fights the crazy 88. One of things I love about that scene is how at just the right moment he changes it from color to black and white. I understand he did it for the most part so he could avoid an NC17 rating, but I think it's really effective.

Nice. It's my understanding that the Japanese release stayed in color for that scene and I would love to see it play that way too just to see the contrast, but I remember seeing it the first time and went it went black & white, I thought "well that was cool". I also really like the back and red screens he used for some of the shots with Beatrix and Pai Mei in Volume 2.

Check youtube, they've got the color version up there. I have to say I much prefer it in black & white.
I also love how near the end of the scene right when he brings it back into color, someone shuts the lights off, and everything turns blue, and you just see them fighting in silhouette.
One of the other things that I think Tarantino excels in, is his use of music. He always seems to come up with the right songs at the right moment. Halfway thru the battle he starts playing upbeat music, which you probably wouldn't normally think of putting into that scene, but it works really well.

[jayson]

One of the other things that I think Tarentino excels in, is his use of music. He always seems to come up with the right songs at the right moment. Halfway thru the battle he starts playing upbeat music, which you probably wouldn't normally think of putting into that scene, but it works really well.

Absolutely. What I liked most about the sudden switch in music in that sequence is that it shifted to that particular song, the Human Beinz cover of Nobody But Me which is a garage rock staple. It worked great to take the unfolding fight scene to it's next level. QT places music perfectly.

[Brice]

Thanks! I'd never seen the full color version before.

[Heather19]

"You're Tearing Me Apart"



or how about that famous chicken run scene

[fernandito]

[The Cosmic Geek]

There's a scene in The Crow where Brandon Lee is walking down the street and these trick or treatres run past him shining their flash lights on him. He smiles and they freeze frame and this always makes me smile but sadly due to his tragic death.

In Edward Scissorhands when Kim asks Edward to hold him and he says he can't. He walks to the window and she goes to him and wraps his arms around her.

Also in Edward Scissorhands at the end of the film when Kim kisses him and says she loves him and Edward closes his eyes.

In Raiders of the Lost Ark when they are digging on the top of the Well of Souls and the sun is setting and the sky is orange and you see them digging and Indy putting his hat on.

[Heather19]

I Edward Scissorhands

One of my favorite scenes is the one where Vincent Price is walking along watching the cookies being made and at the end he picks up the heart cookie and comes up with the idea to create Edward.