It goes without saying that I am an aficionado of great movies. The dearth of quality cinema in the era of CGI, rampant sex, and fascination with werewolves & vampires is regrettable. At any rate, there are many components that comprise a good film, and while oftentimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, occasionally there are parts that are noteworthy. Within good movies there are sometimes memorable scenes that stand out. I suppose there are individual scenes that are the only thing anyone ever remembers about a particular film, although the examples I have chosen to highlight all happen to be from movies that were in my 100 Favorites list. I tried to find the best available videos for each selection, but a few are somewhat truncated beyond what I’d prefer. In the process of compiling this entry it became immediately apparent that a sequel (how fitting) will be necessary, so be on the lookout for that. But in the meantime, first & foremost, I humbly present…..

 

 

 

from the home office in Rosebud, NM…..

 

 

 

The Superfluous 7 Great Movie Scenes:

 

 

 

7 The Motivational Speech in Glengarry Glen Ross

I can’t stand Alec Baldwin. Out of all the smug, emptyheaded, obnoxiously liberal celebrities in Hollywood he is among the most irritating. However, in this one scene he absolutely nails it…hits it out of the ballpark. The cast amassed for this film…Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Jack Lemmon…is sublime, but Baldwin manages to outshine them all and two decades later this is the scene everyone remembers and still talks about. The language is pretty harsh, but within the context of the scene I can forgive the indiscretion.

 

6 The Prologue in Halloween

Brilliant. From the tracking shot to the visual of seeing the scene thru the killer’s eyes to the revelation that the knife wielding murderer is a little boy…sheer perfection. No scene in any other horror film can even hope to compare. We expect a twist at the end of a movie, not at the beginning…but this may be one of the most shocking twists in film history.

 

5 The Parade in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…lots of people play hooky, but I doubt if anyone has ever done it quite like Ferris Bueller. I have a feeling that in real life…especially in 21^st century America…if anyone attempted to commandeer a parade float like Ferris they’d be wrestled to the ground and be thrown in the pokey. During the scene he sings both Wayne Newton’s Danke Schoen and The Beatles Twist & Shout, although this clip doesn’t show all of the former.

 

4 The Re-Entry in Apollo 13

This movie is based on a real event. We know what happens. But despite that fact the tension in this scene is incredible. One is on the edge of the seat the entire 3 minutes. And when those parachutes open & the astronauts announce their presence…wow. The music swells and the crew at mission control erupts with joy & relief…and we erupt right along with them. Well done Lil Opie Cunningham…well done.

 

 

3 The Soliloquy in Scent of a Woman

Al Pacino is amongst the finest actors that have ever graced the silver screen, and this is his shining moment. The Godfather was a better film, but this is Pacino’s best performance.

 

 

2 The Baptism in The Godfather

Widely considered to be one of the best movie scenes ever. The imagery of a child’s baptism interspersed with multiple violent murders is stunning. The organ music & the voiceover of the priest speaking in Latin while men are shot to death takes the scene to a whole other level.

 

 

1 “Dad” in Field of Dreams

I may be in the minority, but I consider this to be the single most beautiful 10 minutes I’ve ever witnessed in a movie theater. I cry every single time…still. When Costner says “It was you” and Shoeless Joe replies “No…it was you”, it has quite the psychological connotation. Suddenly we realize that this story was never about baseball…it was about something much deeper. And then when Costner…almost reluctantly…says ‘Hey…Dad…wanna have a catch??”…..my God what a moment. I am fighting back tears just writing about it.

 

 

 

Related articles

• Filmmakers and Actors Discuss Their Favorite Holiday Movies (nytimes.com)
• Al Pacino Love 🙂 (wishfulthinkingkr.wordpress.com)
• Oscar’s Bad Side (mrmovietimes.com)
• Report: Al Pacino to play Joe Paterno in movie (tracking.si.com)
• Scent of a Woman (stupidamigo.wordpress.com)
• The Coolest Actors Over 40 (dangerouslee.biz)
• 20 Years of Alec Baldwin ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Parodies (theatlanticwire.com)
• Al Pacino is ready for ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ (nydailynews.com)
• Lessons on Morality from Shakespeare and Ferris Bueller (thwordinc.blogspot.com)
• Ferris Bueller’s Chicago (googlesightseeing.com)