They may not be cinematic masterpieces, but these scenes are the ones that I wait for when watching these movies again. They are in no particular order.
Mulholland Dr. – “The Cowboy and The Director”: In this scene the Director (of a film) is asked to meet the Cowboy at a remote location. Upon driving there, the Director finds an empty corral with a single lightbulb above it. It is night and the location is on the outskirts of Hollywood, somewhere in the mountains of California.
When the Cowboy arrives the lightbulb lights up and they have their conversation. When the Cowboy is done speaking and begins to walk away, the lightbulb dims again.
The first time I saw this movie, this scene fascinated me. It was all about taking someone out of their element and forcing a choice – the conversation they had dealt with was the cowboy dictating an actress that was to be used by the Director. It’s such a subtle scene that most people miss it and that’s probably one of the things I like about it most.
The Thomas Crown Affair – “Returning The Painting (Gentlemen in Bowlers)”: In the movie, Thomas Crown has all but admitted to stealing a priceless painting from a New York art gallery. He has all but agreed to return it – on his own terms. He arrives at the designated location with a dark coat and briefcase, at the designated time, with the police ready to snatch him up. He stands in the lobby of the art gallery and shows all those watching that it’s him. Then the fun begins.
He puts on a bowler and dives headlong into the gallery with Nina Simone’s “Sinner Man” playing in the background. As the police descend upon him to arrest, there is another gentleman in a bowler hat. Is that him? Then another gentleman in a bowler – then another.
The police watch the monitor as the number of gentlemen in bowlers wearing long dark coats and carrying briefcases multiply right before their eyes. They begin to stop the decoys in hopes of catching Thomas Crown but he is two steps ahead of them at all times.
The Untouchables – “Waiting At The Train Station”: This scene can be summed up in one word: tension. I remember watching this scene in the theater and not breathing the whole time.
Basically, Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is waiting for Al Capone’s accountant to arrive on a train so that he can take him into custody. Ness covers one entrance while George Stone (Andy Garcia) covers the other.
As one of the trains arrives, this woman must get herself, her luggage and her child up a set of stairs right in front of Ness. She’s trying to figure this puzzle out, the child is crying (adding to the tension) and Ness is trying to analyze every suspicious person that comes through the door. He eventually ends up helping the woman get the baby carrier up the stairs when – UH OH – the accountant arrives.
So here’s Eliot Ness with a shotgun hidden in his London Fog helping this woman with her child when the accountant comes up the stairs. At some point he lets go of the stroller and gunfire breaks out. The carrier goes bounding down the stairs and the bad guys start taking pot shots at the good guys.
Stone arrives to catch the stroller before it gets away and also hold focus on Capone’s henchman keeping the accountant hostage. Great film-making at the henchman buys it and Eliot Ness takes the accountant.
The Shawshank Redemption – “Red and Andy Meet On The Beach”: This one is a spoiler and I don’t care. If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it.
It’s the end of the movie. Andy has escaped. Red has been released though he doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. He remembers the place that Andy said he was going. The two old friends reunite on the beach in Mexico. The End.
Doesn’t sound like much but, WOW, it’s really powerful and I get a huge lump in my throat every time I see it. Not much more to say.
The Sound of Music – “The Von Trapps Hiding In The Abbey”: With the Nazi’s breathing down their necks, the Von Trapp family hides in the cemetary of the abbey where Maria was once a nun.
I get goose bumps every time I watch this scene. As the soldiers move their flashlights around the tombstones at the locked end of the abbey, the Von Trapp’s duck and cover, hoping not to be seen.
The only problem I have with this scene is that the German’s should have looked behind the tombstones at an angle – they merely shine their flashlights “head on”.
If you’ve seen this, you know what I’m talking about. And by the way – who HASN’T seen this movie? And by the way “No”, I’m not gay.
When Harry Met Sally – “The Orgasm In The Deli”: Again, a classic scene from a classic movie. Sally wonders how Harry knows that he’s pleasing the women he’s been with. “I just know” he says confidently.
Sally, unconvinced, proceeds to fake an orgasm right in the deli where they (and many others) are eating lunch. Of course the pivotal line in the scene comes from one of the bystanders who remarks “I’ll have what she’s having”.
I’m convinced the producers of the film put a musical number right after that so that theater-goers could enjoy the laugh for a long time.
Star Wars, Episode 3 – “Darth Vader Is Born”: Anakin has just gotten his ass kicked by Obi Wan and left on a volcanic planet to die.
The Emporer shows up and takes Anakin (a.k.a. Lord Vader) to the medical ward. Simultaneously, Padme is giving birth to Luke and Leia.
First of all, I love the way George Lucas intertwines these two medical stories. But the part that gets me every time is when the helmet is sealed on to Anakin’s head and “the breathing” starts… Vader is born. There’s a kind of vacuum sound as his head is encased and there’s a funny little feeling I get in the middle of my chest every time I see this scene.
Almost Famous – “Tiny Dancer”: Russell Hammond, lead guitarist for ‘Stillwater’ has ditched the band for the night. His naïve shadow, William Miller, has followed him to an average neighborhood party – and Russell has gotten completely smashed. At one point Russell proclaims himself God and jumps off the roof of the house into the swimming pool.
Needless to say, the band and its manager are not happy with Russell’s disappearance. There is already tension brewing in the band and this just makes it worse.
The next morning, the bus pulls up with the band, as well as the roadies and ‘band-aids’ aboard. They’ve come to collect Russell, who is still feeling the effects of the night before.
The bus pulls away to the next gig and there is an erie silence as the strains of Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ makes it way through the bus. One voice is heard, then another… and another, until the whole bus is singing aloud. The tension gives way to grins and laughter and all is right with the world again.
William: "I need to go home"
Penny Lane: "You are home"
Mulholland Dr. – “The Cowboy and The Director”: In this scene the Director (of a film) is asked to meet the Cowboy at a remote location. Upon driving there, the Director finds an empty corral with a single lightbulb above it. It is night and the location is on the outskirts of Hollywood, somewhere in the mountains of California.
When the Cowboy arrives the lightbulb lights up and they have their conversation. When the Cowboy is done speaking and begins to walk away, the lightbulb dims again.
The first time I saw this movie, this scene fascinated me. It was all about taking someone out of their element and forcing a choice – the conversation they had dealt with was the cowboy dictating an actress that was to be used by the Director. It’s such a subtle scene that most people miss it and that’s probably one of the things I like about it most.
The Thomas Crown Affair – “Returning The Painting (Gentlemen in Bowlers)”: In the movie, Thomas Crown has all but admitted to stealing a priceless painting from a New York art gallery. He has all but agreed to return it – on his own terms. He arrives at the designated location with a dark coat and briefcase, at the designated time, with the police ready to snatch him up. He stands in the lobby of the art gallery and shows all those watching that it’s him. Then the fun begins.
He puts on a bowler and dives headlong into the gallery with Nina Simone’s “Sinner Man” playing in the background. As the police descend upon him to arrest, there is another gentleman in a bowler hat. Is that him? Then another gentleman in a bowler – then another.
The police watch the monitor as the number of gentlemen in bowlers wearing long dark coats and carrying briefcases multiply right before their eyes. They begin to stop the decoys in hopes of catching Thomas Crown but he is two steps ahead of them at all times.
The Untouchables – “Waiting At The Train Station”: This scene can be summed up in one word: tension. I remember watching this scene in the theater and not breathing the whole time.
Basically, Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is waiting for Al Capone’s accountant to arrive on a train so that he can take him into custody. Ness covers one entrance while George Stone (Andy Garcia) covers the other.
As one of the trains arrives, this woman must get herself, her luggage and her child up a set of stairs right in front of Ness. She’s trying to figure this puzzle out, the child is crying (adding to the tension) and Ness is trying to analyze every suspicious person that comes through the door. He eventually ends up helping the woman get the baby carrier up the stairs when – UH OH – the accountant arrives.
So here’s Eliot Ness with a shotgun hidden in his London Fog helping this woman with her child when the accountant comes up the stairs. At some point he lets go of the stroller and gunfire breaks out. The carrier goes bounding down the stairs and the bad guys start taking pot shots at the good guys.
Stone arrives to catch the stroller before it gets away and also hold focus on Capone’s henchman keeping the accountant hostage. Great film-making at the henchman buys it and Eliot Ness takes the accountant.
The Shawshank Redemption – “Red and Andy Meet On The Beach”: This one is a spoiler and I don’t care. If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it.
It’s the end of the movie. Andy has escaped. Red has been released though he doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. He remembers the place that Andy said he was going. The two old friends reunite on the beach in Mexico. The End.
Doesn’t sound like much but, WOW, it’s really powerful and I get a huge lump in my throat every time I see it. Not much more to say.
The Sound of Music – “The Von Trapps Hiding In The Abbey”: With the Nazi’s breathing down their necks, the Von Trapp family hides in the cemetary of the abbey where Maria was once a nun.
I get goose bumps every time I watch this scene. As the soldiers move their flashlights around the tombstones at the locked end of the abbey, the Von Trapp’s duck and cover, hoping not to be seen.
The only problem I have with this scene is that the German’s should have looked behind the tombstones at an angle – they merely shine their flashlights “head on”.
If you’ve seen this, you know what I’m talking about. And by the way – who HASN’T seen this movie? And by the way “No”, I’m not gay.
When Harry Met Sally – “The Orgasm In The Deli”: Again, a classic scene from a classic movie. Sally wonders how Harry knows that he’s pleasing the women he’s been with. “I just know” he says confidently.
Sally, unconvinced, proceeds to fake an orgasm right in the deli where they (and many others) are eating lunch. Of course the pivotal line in the scene comes from one of the bystanders who remarks “I’ll have what she’s having”.
I’m convinced the producers of the film put a musical number right after that so that theater-goers could enjoy the laugh for a long time.
Star Wars, Episode 3 – “Darth Vader Is Born”: Anakin has just gotten his ass kicked by Obi Wan and left on a volcanic planet to die.
The Emporer shows up and takes Anakin (a.k.a. Lord Vader) to the medical ward. Simultaneously, Padme is giving birth to Luke and Leia.First of all, I love the way George Lucas intertwines these two medical stories. But the part that gets me every time is when the helmet is sealed on to Anakin’s head and “the breathing” starts… Vader is born. There’s a kind of vacuum sound as his head is encased and there’s a funny little feeling I get in the middle of my chest every time I see this scene.
Almost Famous – “Tiny Dancer”: Russell Hammond, lead guitarist for ‘Stillwater’ has ditched the band for the night. His naïve shadow, William Miller, has followed him to an average neighborhood party – and Russell has gotten completely smashed. At one point Russell proclaims himself God and jumps off the roof of the house into the swimming pool.
Needless to say, the band and its manager are not happy with Russell’s disappearance. There is already tension brewing in the band and this just makes it worse.
The next morning, the bus pulls up with the band, as well as the roadies and ‘band-aids’ aboard. They’ve come to collect Russell, who is still feeling the effects of the night before.
The bus pulls away to the next gig and there is an erie silence as the strains of Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer’ makes it way through the bus. One voice is heard, then another… and another, until the whole bus is singing aloud. The tension gives way to grins and laughter and all is right with the world again.
William: "I need to go home"
Penny Lane: "You are home"