I know what you’re thinking: There’s hardly enough space to list all the wow! moments ever put to celluloid. And you’re right of course. What with surprise endings, nifty plot twists, stunning revelations and multitudes of audacious, if not scandalous, scenes there’s an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.
But this is my blog, so I get to decide.
The following (warning: spoilers abound) are the scenes that really got to me; the ones that had me staring at the screen in disbelief quietly murmuring mild oaths to myself.
I’ll start with an easy choice: Darth Vader’s assertion to Luke that “I am your father!” The filmmakers knew its impact would be huge so went as far as to have Vader utter the fake line “Obi-Wan killed your father” when filming. Only Mark Hamill knew the real dialogue (which was later looped in by James Earl Jones). Regrettably the moment is lost now. Thanks to the prequels subsequent generations of kids slough off as obvious that Anakin (Vader) begat Luke, and that’s a shame. However, that does not diminish its impact; it was—and depending on the order in which the Star Wars saga is watched—still is revelatory.
Night of the Living Dead had many OMG moments, not the least of which was simply employing a black man (Duane Jones) as lead actor—not exactly a common occurrence in 1968, especially if your name wasn’t Poitier. Despite the carnage & gore the scene that had me shattered to the core was Jones’ death. Director George Romero skillfully had audiences identifying with resourceful protagonist Ben (Jones), cheering him on, knowing that all would be OK in the morning when the vigilante posse arrived if he could simply make it through the night. And he does! But, from a distance, someone mistakes him for a zombie and shoots Ben in the head. Dead. Dead? Couldn’t be! Yes, dead. Story over. A crushing cinematic punch in the gut.
Another film ending that makes the cut is the Statue of Liberty scene that concludes The Planet of the Apes. It has been parodied mercilessly—most hilariously by Homer Simpson—over the years, but that is testament to its devastating impact. As Taylor and Nova ride along the beach into the sunset there is no hint of what’s to come. But gorgeous camera shots overlooking that happy couple are soon partially obscured by a rusty turret and an arch of spikes. This planet of apes is Earth! Fade to black.
Film deaths can be presented in a myriad of ways, from the disgusting hysterics of Pulp Fiction’s Vincent accidentally shooting Marvin in the face to the chilling Nazi Amon Goeth indiscriminately gunning down Jews in Schindler’s List. Yet perhaps the saddest death of all didn’t even happen on screen. And it was an animated movie to boot. How many kids (including myself) were emotionally scarred after Bambi and his mother had to make their way out of a meadow when hunters appeared? “We made it!” Bambi exclaims. “We made it, Mother! We …Mother?” Jesus.
The self-described “exercise in poor taste” Pink Flamingos is all that and more. Drug use, kidnappings, arson, murder, incest and general debauchery are all served up with glee by director John Waters. At least I could comfort myself by repeating “it’s only a movie” as Divine and the rest of the cast acted out one outrageous scene after the next. But I was in for a heavy dose of reality for the movie’s parting shot. Seems that Divine took her “filthiest person alive” moniker to heart when she squatted down next to some dog poo and plopped the plopper into her mouth. Oh no she didn’t! Yes. She really did.
In a movie that, like its lead character, “dares to be great” there are many terrific lines and soul-bearing moments in Say Anything. My favorite was the scene where Lloyd and Diane are in the backseat of his car. After making love it is Lloyd, not Diane, who has post-coital shivers:
Diane: Are you shaking?
Lloyd: No.
Diane: You’re shaking.
Lloyd: I don’t think so.
Diane: You’re cold.
Lloyd: I don’t think I am.
Diane: Then why are you shaking?
Lloyd: I don’t know. I think I’m happy.
I’m tempted to call it a refreshing role-reversal of sorts—which it is by Hollywood standards—but I know it is much more than that. Writer/director Cameron Crowe doesn’t put Lloyd down with snarky sarcasm nor does he play the scene up for cheap yuks. It’s more true to life than many would admit, and that honesty in film truly stunned me.
In The Crying Game, a straight-forward suspense flick about the IRA is soon transformed into something quite different midway through. While wooing Dil, a girlfriend of his former hostage who was killed, Fergus debates whether to tell her of that dark secret. Coincidentally, Dil has her own secret which she reveals to Fergus in an intimate moment: his penis. Dil is actually a man! Holy f**k! Did that just happen?
Funeral scenes are often overwrought and ham-fisted in terms of sentiment. One film that got it right was Four Weddings and a Funeral. Matthew’s brokenhearted eulogy for his deceased lover Gareth brings a tear to my eye every time, thanks to both John Hannah’s performance and W.H. Auden’s poem Funeral Blues. Anyone who’s lost a loved one can’t help but be touched by how true these words ring. I sure was.
(Actual poem starts roughly 2 minutes into the clip)
For the most part these powerful moments are exactly that: moments. Shocking, bewildering, happy/sad points during a film that catch us off guard. Saving Private Ryan’s opening scene had me—and countless others I’m sure—transfixed to the screen, mouth agape, for 25 minutes! A disturbingly realistic filming of the hellish Normandy landing brought home the horrors of war in a way hardly experienced by audiences before or since. Thank god.
Lastly, being a music lover, I’m naturally drawn to films that utilize songs/scores in conjunction with the tales they’re telling. The one that affected me the most (growing up in the ‘70s) was Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. After missing curfew the Lisbon sisters are forced by their oppressive parents to burn their records and be confined to their already stifling house. Their only lifeline is with the neighborhood boys who adore them from afar. By use of telephone conversations via popular songs of the day, the teens phone their thoughts & feelings to each other, alternating with the boys’ “Hello, It’s Me,” “Alone Again (Naturally),” “Run to Me” and “So Far Away.” It is achingly sweet and terribly sad.
Do you have any favorite movie moments that rocked your world? I’d love to hear about them. Type them into the comments section below.