Ten Best Movie Scenes, Part One

You recognize them instantly. They are the scenes that make a movie memorable, or ones that make you think, or even scenes that stick with you for some reason, regardless whether they’re the movie’s best or your favorite ones. Whatever the reason, certain scenes are what make a movie last in the minds of its audience, so here are my top ten (plus two others worthy of honorable mention):

10. Rear Window (1954) – Looking for Evidence

When Lisa (Grace Kelly) and Stella (Thelma Ritter) decide to dig up the flowers and whether Mr. Thorwald (Raymond Burr) buried any part of his missing wife, Jeff (Jimmy Stewart) can only sit from his window and watch. Finding nothing, Lisa takes it upon her herself to infiltrate Thorwald’s apartment and search for evidence. When Thorwald returns suddenly and finds her there, Jeff and Stella can only watch while Lisa first tries to reason with Thorwald, then with the police. And the look on Thorwald’s face when he sees Lisa pointing to Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring on her finger is priceless, as is the suspense that follows.

9. The Pink Panther (1963) – Madame Clouseau’s liaisons

Simone Clouseau (Capucine) is married to Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers), who is crazy about her, clumsy as he is, and is unaware that his wife has the hots for Sir Charles Litton (David Niven), suspected to be The Phantom thief he is pursuing. Then, while in Cortina D’ampezzo, Charles’s nephew George (Robert Wagner) unexpectedly enters the scene, and subsequently develops feelings for Madame Clouseau. The triangle comes to a hilariously head as George sends Inspector Clouseau off to chase The Phantom in order to spend time with Simone, who happens to already be entertaining Sir Charles–-and then Inspector Clouseau returns unexpectedly, and laughs abound as Simone has to somehow juggle all three, without her husband figuring out what’s going on.

8. Conspiracy Theory (1997) – Gravy for the Brain

Torture scenes are not a personal favorite, but in Conspiracy Theory, one of Jerry Fletcher’s (Mel Gibson) theories turn out to be frightfully true–-versus suspected paranoia-–and he’s kidnaped, taped to a wheelchair, and subsequently drugged by Dr. Jonas (Patrick Stewart). Still, while Jonas is interrogating him, Jerry manages to take hold of Jonas’s tie and bite his nose. A later scene managed to make light of Fletcher’s bite:

Alice (Julia Roberts): He said a dog bit his nose.
Jerry: Arf!

7. Yours, Mine, and Ours (1967) – Cable Car Confessions

Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball’s comedic stars never shone brighter than they did in this film, about Fonda’s Frank and Ball’s Helen, each widowed with a large brood of children collectively adding up to 18. On their first date, both try to work up the courage to tell the other about their enormous families, and finally Helen spits it out, while their riding on a cable car. Then, Frank tells her about his family, and the POV shot momentarily flips upside down–-a simple technical effect that effectively supplemented a humorous moment.

6. Se7en (1997) – Envy and Wrath

Detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) had finally found John Doe (Kevin Spacey), and with only two more of the seven deadly sins left, they set off to discover the identity of the final two victims. But the clincher, Doe’s satisfaction, came with Somerset’s grisly discovery of what was in the box and Mills playing right into the killer’s plan. Creepy yet highly effective.

5. Bullitt (1967) – Car Chase

In this film, Steve McQueen personified cool, and the car chase scene has clearly withstood the test of time to become one of the most memorable in film history. It may not be as flashy or full of amazing special effects as those shot today, but it had the adrenaline rush, POV shots from both cars, and the streets of San Francisco. Cool indeed!

4. Chinatown (1974) – Evelyn Mulwray’s Confession

From the instant Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson)–and the audience–meets Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), there’s a feeling that something is not quite right with her. When Jake finally confronts her about the “other woman,” the truth is even more shocking than anyone could have anticipated. And the best part is, Jake didn’t need to hear the sordid details to believe her; her startling admission was enough. (Check out Robert McKee’s Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and Principles of Screenwriting for an analysis of the original scene in Robert Towne’s script.)

3. The Last Waltz (1978) – “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”

Directed by Martin Scorsese and recorded at Winterland on Thanksgiving Day 1976, “The Last Waltz” was The Band’s swan song, and marked the end of their 16-year journey. Written by guitarist Robbie Robertson following the birth of his daughter, this tune had originally ended up as a mellow tune of sorts–well, until “The Last Waltz.” Drummer Levon Helm’s vocals were anything but mellow; he just belted it out, and the results were nothing short of magnificant.

 2. Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) – Final Duel

Henry Fonda played a total bad-ass in this film (killing a kid, framing Jason Robards’s Cheyanne for murder, sexually assaulting Claudia Cardinale’s widow), but his Frank was no match for Charles Bronson’s Harmonica. Like with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Sergio Leone set up the duel with anticipatory close-ups and long, wide-shots, which Gore Verbinski awesomely duped in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. And the anticipation of the Fonda versus Bronson duel made this one of the best western in film history, rivaling Leone’s other spaghetti westerns.

 1. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1967) – Cemetery Scenes

I’ve probably watched this film over 100 times, and I still get chills when Tuco (Eli Wallach) runs through the cemetery, desperate to find Arch Stanton’s grave, backed by Ennio Morricone’s haunting score. Then, the final duel between Tuco, Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), and Blondie (Clint Eastwood)–the score, the camera angles, the expressions on all their faces. The scenes, including when Tuco is digging up the graves, are all about anticipation, and director Sergio Leone utilized every technical convention to exploit that not only in the characters but the audience as well. And no one has duplicated the effort as well since.

Honorable Mentions:

Robin Hood (1973) – “Love”

It’s not easy to translate human emotions to cartoon characters, though the Walt Disney company has been trying since the late 1920s. But with Robin Hood, which uses animals as placeholders for their famous counterparts, the love scene between Robin and Marion is sweet and gets the point across in song, versus mushy dialogue.

Manhattan (1979) – Isaac’s Run to Tracy

When Isaac (Woody Allen) finally realizes that Tracy (Mariel Heminway) is the love of his live, he runs through the streets of Mahattan to her place, only to find her about to head off to London for acting school. While desperate for her to stay, she reassures him that she’ll only be gone six months, and that he’s gotta have faith in people–something Isaac clearly lacks, even in himself. Classic mismatched May to December romance that you end up longing for by the end of the film.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

Thanks for reading!
~Tal