Hello, oh great and powerful Internet. I need your help again.
Last year I asked people to help me come up with a list of movie posters for an exercise I wanted to do in my Spring class. I did the exercise and it worked really well. So thank you.
But I was thinking of something I wanted to do in my Spring class next year. Now what I need is for people to help me come up with a list of iconic movie scenes. I don’t care if they movie is good or bad or popular or not. What I’m really looking for is short clips that tell a whole story in like one to five minutes. It doesn’t even have to be the story of the whole movie. In particular I’m thinking like fight scenes or romantic scenes… something where there’s two characters and with no backstory whatsoever, you can look at the scene and get a sense of what’s going on: “This is the good guy, that’s the bad guy, and they’re fighting over that.” “This boy and this girl don’t particular like each other, but you can tell they’re going to fall in love.” Whatever. The key is that they should be relatively short and give no real context to the rest of the film nor require any. They need to stand alone.
The final minute of the original Karate Kid is a perfect example:
And this one from Mask of Zorro is another good one:
They don’t NEED to be fight or love scenes, and they don’t need to be super famous (it might be more fun if they aren’t), but they do need to be standalone and tell a story. Knowing nothing else, you should be able to watch those couple minutes and not be lost at all. Does that makes sense?
So… hit me up with some links, yo!
The Captain Quint Jaws monologue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9S41Kplsbs
Link for my reference later.
The “You can’t handle the truth” speech from A FEW GOOD MEN is great. The unfortunate truth of what he says mixed with the RAH RAH arrogance with which he says it are pretty fantastic.
That’s actually a perfect one. So perfect that we are actually reading it later in the semester and watching the film, so I can’t use it for this because SPOILERS! 🙂
There’s a bit in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang where RDJ’s character walks into a room where a man is molesting a sleeping woman, challenges him to a fight, and gets his ass kicked. and then sexual predator walks off with the woman. it’s EPIC.
this scene is hard as fuck to find on youtube because there’s also a Torchwood episode by that name with a great bar fight in it…
yeah, I haven’t watched the movie in a long time so I’m trying to remember the scene in order to find it.
i feel like it’s fairly early on
This youtube clip cuts off about 10 seconds too early, but what about the bureaucracy montage from Brazil? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xNnRBksvOU
The Battleship Potempkin-esque stair scene in UNTOUCHABLES.
another good one… it was also already on my list. Clearly you need to stop watching all my movies:
🙂
and the original Odessa Steps scene from Battleship Potemkin, just because:
The car pile-up in the Blues Brothers
for later reference:
The parade scene from Animal House would also be great.
The final firefight scene or the courtroom scene from Boondock Saints.
i assume you meant this one:
and this one:
This one rather than the first, though that one is ok too!
“I love you.” “I know.”
hmmm…. I wonder if you need context for that. I mean, it’s funny without it. But is it a self-contained scene….
This adds a bit more context- he demonstrates his care and willingness for self-sacrifice, but now the line shows off more of his (and her) character.
ugh…. a 3 minute unstoppable commercial?!?!? Fuck you youtube!!!
Lloyd holding up the boom box in “Say Anything”
that’s another one like the star wars one Tony mentioned…. Is that scene meaningful without seeing the rest of the movie around it.
I mean, it is to anyone who grew up in the 80s, because we have context and the whole movie is encapsulated in that scene. But if you haven’t seen it does it make sense?
Harrison ford and rutger hauer on the roof in blade runner.
I actually thought of this one… but then I dismissed it as “not self contained…” but now I’m thinking about it again, and maybe it is…
it definitely has a good guy and a bad guy, clearly at odds… there’s definitely a story to it.
What about the Voight-Kampf test from the beginning of Blade Runner? Self-contained scene and you don’t need the other context.
What about some good ol Back to the Future?:)
The mickey mouse sing-along at the end of Full Metal Jacket
I would say the very first scene of Jaws.
“What’s your name?”… “Chrisy!” … “Where are we going?” … “Swimming?”
However I don’t really understand your requirement of “give no real context to the rest of the film nor require any.” It does give context to the rest of the movie, but it doesn’t require any. It can stand alone.
yeah, it’s ok if it DOES give context to the rest of the film. it just doesn’t have to. What’s more important is that you don’t need to know anything about the film to understand the scene.
Okay, so that.
Dialogue in this scene gives a lot of the who / what / where and is also iconic in the more classic sense.
Graduation scene from Stripes. Kids these days don’t know enough about 80s comedies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjr2W0wQvs0
Post Diner scene in Chasing Amy where Holden declares his love for Alyssa. http://youtu.be/Pg9XO9EqPXk
Love Actually the poster board scene. http://youtu.be/B7u6bMBlCXw
The opening conversation in the diner in Resevoir Dogs.
http://youtu.be/lBzj61KvTrk
Minus credits maybe…
It is longer than you wanted, but if you start at the 2:19 point or the 3:05 point, I think it still tells roughly the same story.
The opening steadicam shot from Boogie Nights? It establishes all the characters, and it terminates with the shot of Mark Wahlberg’s character as the outsider. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiXtFyZqvQQ
The training sequence early from Bride With White Hair, starting with Zhuo playing with a cricket, and then demonstrating his swordplay skills would be a good one.
Not sure this doesn’t require some context, but I think it can work without it.
https://youtu.be/6NEKzLiXfuc
And there’s my favorite movie scene of all time, featuring one of my favorite poems. The entire point of the movie Dead Poets Society, described in one scene.
https://youtu.be/omveFR-2hmg
Han going down into carbon freeze, Leia says, “I love you,” and he only replies “I know”.
When Burt Gummer and wife literally unload on the monster in their bunker in Tremors. With his famous one liner at the end.
When Roger Thornhill exains the aptness of his initials in NNW.
Josey Wales facing down the bounty hunter who comes back into the bar. “Dyin’ ain’t much of a living”, ” I had to come back”, “I know”. The circumstances pitted them against each other in a devastated post-war existence.
Any number of exchanges between Doc Holiday and any other character in Tombstone.
Fuck now I’m sitting here laughing to myself over doc Holliday lines from that. I’m your huckleberry.
The one I’m thinking of is the scene where Wyatt tells Doc it’s not his fight and they weren’t his brothers and Doc says “that’s a hell of a thing for you to say to me”
That or maybe “Wyatt Earp is my friend.” “I got lots of friends.” “I don’t”
Or even the OK Corral.
Really that whole movie is damn near perfect.
Everything you need to know about Mr. Blonde, that requires no knowledge of what’s happening elsewhere in the movie.
https://youtu.be/PGqB6JIUzBo
Haven’t looked at all of the comments so sorry if this was already mentioned, but the guitar/kiss scene from Stranger Than Fiction…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Zdz61iSLo
Spock’s death in Wrath of Khan?
John Travolta and Uma Thurman’s dinner chat in Pulp Fiction.
The speech at the end of The Great Dictator.
There are a few scenes at the end of Dr. Strangelove that may be worthy as well.
http://youtu.be/F2bk_9T482g
That’s what I was gonna suggest.
Of course, The Matrix’s “Bullet Time”.
the fight scene near the end of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn/Basil Rathbone), the fight scene on the beach in Captain Blood (Errol Flynn/Basil Rathbone)
Random scenes from The Shining. Like where Jack is staring out the window at the maze looking soo maniacal.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bUY48aQFcwA
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bUY48aQFcwA
Or the Death Star trench run in the original Star Wars 🙂
Or the Death Star trench run in the original Star Wars 🙂
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mPxTwqzr1sw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mPxTwqzr1sw
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=94wGndbOIPk
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=94wGndbOIPk
http://youtu.be/u9S41Kplsbs
Link for my reference later.
and the original Odessa Steps scene from Battleship Potemkin, just because: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps-v-kZzfec
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1LO6gGXcIhU
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1LO6gGXcIhU
for later reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMagP52BWG8
i assume you meant this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z68yZAIhNU
and this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBLgTBpW4zs
This one rather than the first, though that one is ok too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsuH1msEkvM
What about some good ol Back to the Future?:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psxktpxkc6o
I would say the very first scene of Jaws.
“What’s your name?”… “Chrisy!” … “Where are we going?” … “Swimming!”
However I don’t really understand your requirement of “give no real context to the rest of the film nor require any.” It does give context to the rest of the movie, but it doesn’t require any. It can stand alone.
What’s the class? what about music videos?
It’s just comp 102. We call it “imaginative and creative literature” but my specific version focuses on books and film.
And actually I use music videos when I’m teaching poetry.
I always love the use of music in general to teach poetry.
The very first poem I always read is “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” (Public Enemy)
When Harry met Sally fake orgasm in a diner scene
Lobby scene, The Matrix. Runner up: Opening scene when the cops try to pick up Trinity and she hangs in the air before kicking one in the head + the chase after.
Also this fight scene under a train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAY2LYoYCAU
https://youtu.be/k4R5wZs8cxI
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/k4R5wZs8cxI
https://youtu.be/QltlctqfY4E
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/QltlctqfY4E
https://youtu.be/XvuM3DjvYf0
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/XvuM3DjvYf0
https://youtu.be/R6OKLgLZHFk
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/R6OKLgLZHFk
https://youtu.be/qw03mtr6uOg
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/qw03mtr6uOg
https://youtu.be/Z1BG0IYnCS0
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/Z1BG0IYnCS0
https://youtu.be/N1KvgtEnABY
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/N1KvgtEnABY
https://youtu.be/SoE7B0Jf_eQ
Ugh. This is the only upload of this clip I could find with a one-man Beavis & Butthead…
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/SoE7B0Jf_eQ
Ugh. This is the only upload of this clip I could find with a one-man Beavis & Butthead…
https://youtu.be/KOhBlCuKSBQ
Mark Seeley commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
https://youtu.be/KOhBlCuKSBQ
Was reading this this morning and thought of your ask here. It’s about the opening of Wayne’s World (the Bohemian Rhapsody bit). http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-oral-history-of-the-wayne-s-world-bohemian-rhapsody-scene-20151130?page=6
You’ve assigned us a very difficult task.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aEhwIqmmEJY
The dueling banjos scene from Deliverance. Though it’s a classic, I doubt too many students today will be that familiar with it. On the down side, fashion has changed enough that it may be hard to spot some urban/rural signals, but it’s still really rich.
There has to be name for this sort of scene in the early part of a film, no?
Joe versus the Volcano (one of my favorite movies) is basically a whole movie made of these scenes. Especially the quitting scene, the LA overlook scene, maybe the luggage scene…
How about the opening of LA Story? This clip doesn’t go quite long enough, but is pretty close. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhEg79jSBz0
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’s final showdown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0BrdMi-oyc
Michael Ringenberg commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’s final showdown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0BrdMi-oyc
If you can find the full scene all the better, but this is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUZv6bn7Hwg
Starting at 1:37 – spoiler from Usual Suspects http://youtu.be/XYXXhn9fMYs
John Cusack holding a boom box over his head in Say Anything
Malcolm McDowell in Clockwork Orange with his eyes forced open.
Luke staring at the setting of the two Suns
Jimmy Stewart running from a plane in a field.
Bogie at the plane at the end of Casablanca
The priest entering the house in the exorcist
The twin girls in The Shining
The Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes
The presentation of the Lion King at the beginning of the film
The battle in the trees, Crouching Tiger
Totoro at the Bus Stop in the Rain
Metropolis the transformation
Singing in the Rain, Good Morning, 3 people flip the couch. Or the Singing in the Rain segment
Ghostbusters, the Stay Puft Marshmallow man
Andrei Freeman commented on ChrisMaverick dotcom:
John Cusack holding a boom box over his head in Say Anything
Malcolm McDowell in Clockwork Orange with his eyes forced open.
Luke staring at the setting of the two Suns
Jimmy Stewart running from a plane in a field.
Bogie at the plane at the end of Casablanca
The priest entering the house in the exorcist
The twin girls in The Shining
The Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes
The presentation of the Lion King at the beginning of the film
The battle in the trees, Crouching Tiger
Totoro at the Bus Stop in the Rain
Metropolis the transformation
Singing in the Rain, Good Morning, 3 people flip the couch. Or the Singing in the Rain segment
Ghostbusters, the Stay Puft Marshmallow man