In a recent column from The Guardian, a Film Club survey ranks E.T.‘s finale, when the alien bids farewell to Elliott and sets off for home, as The Most Powerful Cinematic Moment.
Um, ever? In the history of cinema? I don’t think so.
Well, that was my initial reaction. Then, I learned that the survey, apparently directed toward elementary, middle-school, and high-school kids, offered only the following ten choices:
1. E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial (PG, 1982): E.T. says goodbye to his young friends and heads home in a spaceship, leaving a rainbow trailing across the sky.
2. Toy Story 3 (U, 2010): The toys hold hands and face their fate.
3. Rocky (PG, 1976): The emotionally-charged climactic fight.
4. Bambi (U, 1942): The moment when tragedy touches the young life of Bambi in the shape of his mother’s death.
5. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (PG, 1969): The scene in which the besieged cowboys leap out of their bunker, all guns blazing.
6. The Wizard of Oz (U, 1939): When Dorothy opens the door of her grey house to behold a world filled with colour.
7. Battleship Potemkin (PG, 1925): The influential “Odessa steps” massacre scene.
8. Mr Smith Goes to Washington (U, 1939): The filibuster scene makes a powerful case for justice: “I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause.”
9. Network (15, 1976): When news anchor Howard Beale announces: “I’m as mad as hell.”
10. Miracle in Milan (U, 1951): Final scene when Toto and his friends rise into the sky on brooms.
Sure, the conclusion of E.T. is powerful and memorable, but I wouldn’t rank it at the top of the heap. Given the list above, I’d go with The Wizard of Oz or Battleship Potemkin. In any event, if I were forced to choose one scene from E.T. (that’s a world I don’t wanna live in!), it would be the flying bicycle scene. I haven’t seen the film in its entirety since probably the fourth grade, but I still remember vividly the surprised look on Elliott’s face when his bike began to fly as well as E.T.’s wide eyes as he happily controlled the action from that basket in the front and John Williams’s score, which soared in volume and tempo as the two unlikely friends made their way into the air.
But enough about E.T.
In no particular order (well, with the exception of the first perhaps), here are the cinematic moments I would’ve placed on the list above. In brief, they make me happy, giddy, excited, joyful, and lustful; they also make me scared, irate, and sad. And finally, they make me glad to be a film professor who gets to watch and analyze such powerful and memorable cinematic texts for a living.
No surprises here. (Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
Noooooooo, Ricky! (Boyz n the Hood, 1991)
Yeah, you try taking communion like that. (Flesh and the Devil, 1926)
George (Colin Firth) learns his partner has just been killed in a car wreck.
I wanted to crawl into that frame and comfort him. (A Single Man, 2010)
“The poor dope, he always wanted a pool.” (Sunset Boulevard, 1950)
The hills are alive. (The Sound of Music, 1965)
Hitchhiking in It Happened One Night. (1934)
“Wait, nice guys don’t kiss like that…” (Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001)
A perfect ambiguous ending. (The 400 Blows, 1959)
“Shake it up, baby, now. Shake it up, baby.” (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986)
“A boy’s best friend is his mother.” (Psycho, 1960)
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers…” (Henry V, 1989) — VIDEO
“You ain’t never met no Martin Luther, the King.”
(Barbershop scenes from Coming to America, 1988)
Bruno, learning that his dad is a thief.
The sadness. Oh, the sadness. (The Bicycle Thieves, 1948)
The end of Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
The “Age of Aquarius” number that closes out The 40-Year-Old Virgin. (2005)
“There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff…” (Double Indemnity, 1944)
Joe (Gene Kelly) splitting that newspaper with his feet. (Summer Stock, 1950)
Spotless crosscutting between the “creation” and the
rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet. (Shakespeare in Love, 1998)
The first 20 minutes of Pixar’s mature, brilliant Up (2009). So incredibly heart to watch.
Meeting the new Sheriff of Rock Ridge. (Blazing Saddles, 1974)
“Have the lambs stopped screaming, Clarice?” (Silence of the Lambs, 1991)
That initial encounter in the kitchen. Oh my. (Fatal Attraction, 1987)
(Admit it: you thought I’d include the bunny scene, didn’t you?)
Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton) saving his train. (The General, 1926)
The horror of a broken, handless Lavinia standing
on a tree stump in the middle of a barren bayou. (Titus, 1999)
“It doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people
don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world…” (Casablanca, 1941)
“Oh, captain, my captain.” (Dead Poets’ Society, 1989)
Again, these are scenes, shots, and characters that will likely be etched in my mind until the day I die. There are certainly many more that affect me this way, but this is a good start. What about you? What cinematic scenes are most memorable to you?
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I'm not surprised that your list is good, but I am surprised by how unbelievably lame the *Guardian* list is. Yikes. I'd put the *Singing in the Rain* scene first, probably the one from *Bicycle Thieves* second. Probably something from *Magnificent Ambersons* in there somewhere. "I couda been a contenda." I always expect to laugh because that scene has been parodied so many times, but it still gets me (more when he says, "It was you"). I'm sure I'll think of more.
Yeah, I just realized The Guardian list was apparently created for elementary, middle-school, and high-school students, which explains things a bit more. Well, a little bit. =)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Great list. I'd raise my hand for SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and UP especially.
I'd also add a few of my own [spoilers]:
• I've always found Clooney's retreat into the shadows at the end of THE PERFECT STORM to be the sort of homosocial answer to the end of TITANIC. For those of us who don't mind reveling in the homosocial for a while, it's quite powerful.
• The death of the giraffe in SANS SOLEIL gets me every time. Am I the only one?
• It's not a religious thing for me, but the moment of Christ's final epiphany—Is that the official term? Is there one?—in THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST is a very moving ending to a very intense story.
Hey, Devan — I've not seen Sans Soleil. I've always meant to, but your statement about the giraffe just about guarantees that I will NOT be seeing it. You know how I feel about movies with animals. =(
Yes, the end of The Perfect Storm is a good one. That is, in fact, the only part of that movie that I remember. Well, and Clooney's scruffy beard.
Haha. But no! Don't let that keep you from Sans Soleil, if you can help it. The giraffe is only in one scene—not at all a "character," if such things exist in that film. But neither is that scene exploitative or anything. Hard to explain as the film is so lyric.
Ah, if not a true "character," then I can probably handle it. I did make it through True Grit after all (noooooo, Little Blackie!!). To be honest though, my eyes were closed during that part, and I knew it was coming. Yeah, that's right; I researched that scene before I left the house and walked into the theatre. =)
Are we restricted as to number? Here are the ones that come to mind for me. These might seem rather obvious choices, but I don't like many movies made after cinema's golden age.
In Stagecoach, when John Wayne gets his introduction to the big time by John Ford. There’s that incredible gradual zoom to his face. The shot blurs, building our sense of expectation and wonder, then crystallizes and BAM – there’s Duke, seemingly larger than the monuments in Monument Valley. (I know that particular scene wasn’t actually filmed there, but it doesn’t matter.) I can watch it over and over again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pu9V85Njg8
The Third Man. The movie is filled with high impact moments, but the biggest and best one comes at the end. The greatest snub ever captured on film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnrYBq0SONI The first time I saw it, I’m sure my jaw dropped, and it still knocks me flat. Every single time. There’s such stark beauty in the music, the graceful falling of the leaves, the narrowness of the street framed by the barren trees, and the lone figure slowly drawing nearer nearer nearer… and then she’s gone without so much as a glance in his or our direction. Holly Martins lights a cigarette of resignation, his hopes extinguished along with the match he throws to the ground. Enough words. It must be seen.
In Notorious, when Hitchcock zooms from the top of the grand staircase in Claude Rains’ mansion alllll the way down to the tiny UNICA key in Ingrid Bergman’s hand. Later in this film – the look of abject terror on Rains’ face when he’s left to his fate and walks back up the steps to face Nazis who are even more despicable than he is. The fact that we feel sorry for him is a testimony to his gifts as an actor.
Now, Voyager. “Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars.” SOB! We talked about this one before, but I’ll link to it in case anyone else is curious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-KGiwGn1d8
In Brief Encounter, when Celia Johnson’s husband says that she’s been a long way away, and thanks her for coming back to him. He asks no questions. True grace and forgiveness are something we cannot earn.
The William Holden/Kim Novak dance in Picnic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNxtxfuZD6M
There isn’t really any one moment in the movie that is necessarily as powerful as the rest of the ones on my list, but I like it so much for how beautifully it captures the era that I can’t leave it off my list. Woody Allen’s Radio Days. I’ll choose the scene when little Seth Green sees Radio City Music Hall for the first time, underscored by Sinatra singing “If You Are But a Dream.” We see it as a child would see it, with wonder and awe. Another Woody Allen moment is the close-up of Mia Farrow’s teary face in The Purple Rose of Cairo when she realizes she chose the wrong Jeff Daniels.
Major agreement with you on Singin' in the Rain (the lamp post and when Gene spins those big circles in the street with his umbrella) and the splitting of the newspaper in Summer Stock.
Casablanca is also on my list, of course. Just so I'm not entirely parroting you, I'll mention the wonderful look of realization Rick gets on his face when Renault says to round up the usual suspects. It's such great acting by Bogart, the subtle way he reacts to the fact that Renault is on his side.
It Happened One Night is on my list, but for me it's the scene on the bus when everyone sings "The Man on the Flying Trapeze." That is a Purple Rose of Cairo moment for me; I want to step in to the screen and sing with them. Something about the sense of shared experience and the community that is created. Capra was soooo good at that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HthtckStCIo
Speaking of Capra, in It's a Wonderful Life, when George realizes that he's gotten back to his life and to Bedford Falls. He says, "Bert, do you know me?" and I start to well up. Then there's that exultant search for Zuzu's petals and the joyous run through the streets. My heart swells for him. At about 1:04. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2UxtyPpLlI
I could go on and on but I’ve already spent more time on this than I intended! There are lots of moments that are powerful in a creepy or scary way, but I’ve purposely left those off, since I tend to be an optimist and avoid dwelling on the unpleasant.
What a thoughtful response, Jennifer. And clips to boot!! Thanks.
It's funny you mention the sing-a-long from It Happened One Night. Oddly enough, that is one of my least favorite parts of that film. =) Such reactions Just reinforce the notion that the viewer is indeed the author/interpreter of the cinematic text.
I can't believe I didn't put the final shot from The Purple Rose of Cairo in there; thanks for reminding me of that film! Farrow is brilliant as she moves her character from anger/depression to comfort/escape within only 50 seconds or so of screen time — all while "Heaven, I'm in heaven" plays behind her.
Great list you have there. Thanks again for sharing with us!
Aah, good. I don't know if I could've felt responsible for turning anyone away from the film! It's one of my favorites.
There are so many great scenes to choose from! I posted on twitter the scene from Saving Private Ryan, when Mellish is killed by the German with the knife, still tough to watch to this day. The scene in Forrest Gump when Forrest is talking to Jenny at her grave. The finale to Menace II Society was as powerful a scene as I've seen, Kane's voice over pushing it over the top. The reveal of Mrs. Voorhees as the killer in the original Friday the 13th. THE gunfight in Tombstone. The interrogation of The Joker in The Dark Knight …
And every finale of each season of DEXTER!
I have tons more I could go through but im typing this on my Droid phone and its getting annoying!
EVERY finale of Dexter? I beg to differ, sir. I'll go with season 4 only (thank goodness for THAT finale — I was NOT a fan of Rita!). =)
Just a little overexaggeration since I love the show so much! Ha, 4 was by far the best cliffhanger on the show.
I also really enjoy watching the scene from "The sound of Music" where Maria is teaching the children how to dance and the Captain cuts in. So sweet and innocent, the way she blushes.
This one gets me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB0qd4-JkXk
This is a very inspired list. I especially give a big thumbs up to the inclusion of "Up".
RE: A Single Man, if you can handle another charming frolic through suicidal ideation and a bonus frolic through alcoholism, I'd highly recommend Louis Malle's The Fire Within/Le Feu Follet.
Thanks, John. Will add it to The List. =)