Outstanding Cinematic Moments

A great film by all standards. Meryl Streep and Robert Redford board a biplane and fly over gorgeous African landscapes, with John Barry's sweeping dramatic musical score in the background, and when she reaches out for his hand, they are, literally and metaphorically, in heaven....a truly mesmerizing scene.

An enduring masterpiece. At the end of the first part of the film, Eliza, Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering are ready to go to the Queen's Ball. Professor Higgins is tense, but he hides it (we know he is tense because he secretly drinks a shot of brandy..) and then he heads for the door. Suddenly he stops and remembers that, as a Gentleman ought to, he returns to properly escort Eliza to the door. The music we hear in the background is the instrumental version of "I could have danced all night". What a grand moment !

Referring of course to the 1968 film version, and if there ever was a perfect chemistry between the lead couple of a film it was between Faye Dunaway and Steve Mcqueen. The chess game in the film is a work of art -an animated museum grand master tableau- and most probably will never be matched.

So many spellbinding scenes in Alfred Hitchcock films. In "North by Northwest" Eva Marie Saint is led against her will to the airplane and she is walking and looking over her shoulder to see why Cary Grant hadn't shown up yet...so many emotions -anxiety, fear, expectation- all conveyed in the few seconds that took to walk between the house and the runway, a bit of genious film making.

Harry and Hermione are hiding, alone in a big tent, not knowing exactly how and where to look for the next clues in their pursuit, when a song is heard over the small transistor radio, and then Harry takes Hermione's hand and they simply dance. Two young people in distress, and the song comes as a relief for both. No wizardry, no special effects, just a humane and spontaneous initiative and such a great scene.

On a riverboat Debbie Reynolds is singing to an audience "A home in the meadow" -a beautiful song performed magnificently by Debbie Reynolds- when Gregory Peck overhears her while gambling on the same boat (she's an old flame of his in the film). He leaves his table, and after she finishes her song, proposes to her saying something like "How do you like to hook up with a no-good gambler...and go to San Francisco which burns down every five minutes..." and the scene closes with a shot of the riverboat sailing with the closing musical notes of the song ("Greensleeves" theme). Absolute magic.

Some films never age, or better, like good wine, when they age one appreciates them even more. The scene where Terence Stamp plays horse rider with a sword dazzling Julie Christie is remarkable, but one quieter and extremely evocative scene is after Julie Christie meets Mr. Boldwood (Peter Finch) on the estate and she leaves promising to study his marriage proposal. She walks along a sheltered alley (by trees) and we see her leaving from the point of view of Mr. Boldwood, her head covered by a lady's hat. The pinnacle of the moving image art.

The character played by Whoopi Golberg eagerly waits over days and weeks to receive news from her sister, but her sister's letters never arrive (because they are hidden from Whoopi). In one extraordinary sweeping shot, the camera moves slowly towards the rudimentary mailbox in the courtyard, and we discover it is empty again. Such a powerful scene, no people, no conversation.

As we are taken by the plot, with the return of Michael Douglas, trying to reach to his daughter after many years, and Shia LaBeouf's ambitious ascendance in financial circles, we suddenly see several views of Manhattan buildings, the actual Wall Street, and New York generally, to the tune of a brief musical segment taken from Bizet's "Carmen" opera: This music, in the opera (as later in the film) presages the tragedy to come, and indeed what follows in the film is the Wall street financial crisis of 2008 and the crumbling of financial empires deeply impacting all people (and of course the protagonists in the film). In very few shots and the right choice of music an extraordinay event was expertly summarized, fortelling the drama about to unfold.

A difficult film to sit through, and has strong violent scenes warranting its 18 rating. At about the last third of the film, the young tribesman is running away from his captors in the Central American forest when he is faced with the dilemma of either jumping a huge waterfall or being captured again. He jumps ( I wish I could put "jumps" in bold and italic characters..) in a breathtaking scene, and then emerges downstream, standing and defying the posse watching him from above; when he shouts at them something like "This is my forest !" there couldn't be a prouder man before or after him, ever ! Five stars !

The word "photogenic" was surely invented to describe Greta Garbo's face. In "Queen Christina", and after spending a night with the Spanish ambassador with whom she fell in love at the inn isolated by snow, Greta Garbo wanders in their room, slowly, looking around, touching furniture, almost caressing objects and things; her lover asks what is she doing, and she says, her face glowing, that she wants to memorize everything of the place because she is so happy at this moment. The serene music, the soft lighting, the delicate photography of the scene and, again, Greta Garbo's magic make it all indeed a moment of bliss for us enchanted spectators.

There is a huge fire in the historical library of the medieval abbey and Sean Connery (in the uncommon role of an enlightened monk) is trying to save the books. The fire is overwhelming and in a desperate move, he hugs a few books he is trying to save. The expression on his face is unforgettable.

The opening sequence of the film starts slowly but as the few musical notes announcing "Aquarius" start hitting we are caught by the fantastically energetic lady performer of the song (with flowers in her hair, of course..) especially with the sweeping camera work circling her, and with a superb choreography literally built in to match the structure of the song (ballet of the police horses in the park, elsewhere a couple moving their bodies in perfect harmony), and the lighting (sunshine !), and the first look between two main characters of the film; it is an entrancing scene involving all senses, a dazzling work of visual orchestration and therefore a masterpiece of a motion picture moment.

ِA one of a kind film directed by the great François Truffaut who also plays the part of an early nineteenth century professor in rural France educating a "wild child" found in the wilderness where he was left since birth. Among many captivating scenes, and with Vivaldi's music in the background, we see Victor –the name given to the child- standing by a window, drinking water and contemplating the countryside, with the professor's off voice commenting how Victor, in such moments, seems in communion with nature. These few fleeting seconds are sublime.

There is something absolutely epic about the last scene of the film, where the bomb disposal expert masterfully played by Jeremy Renner is heading for his next assignment (another bomb to disarm). In a few preceding sequences we get to know about what really drives that man; he finds himself in willingly defying fate each time, and in this last scene he is almost trotting joyfully to his "next" bomb site, like if it was the most exhilarating of all extreme sports, only this time the setting is modern day warfare. In reality it is men's secret desire to challenge their destiny time and again, and that scene is worthy of all the great classic tragedies. It deserves a standing ovation. The musical score composed by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders has one overwhelmingly haunting track, "The Way I Am", music for the ages.

Very rarely, and perhaps in one in a thousand film, a scene catches the viewer off guard as so gratifying. One such scene is towards the end of this film where Kathryn Grayson, a fine actress and a superb soprano, is called for a screen test which was initially planned as a hoax. She sings in this audition "From the heart of a lonely poet", words put to a Tchaikovsky Serenade, with such grace and charm: Watching this scene is experiencing a puff of happiness… The editing of the scene highlights how initially indifferent technicians in the studio start turning their heads to see who is behind this fantastic voice. The song has a Disney like feel, and Ms. Grayson lovingly reminds of Snow White and Aurora. It is such scenes that truly qualify film making as the seventh art.

As few world monuments and archeological sites are designated by UNESCO as "World Cultural Heritage", certain films merit no lesser honor. "West Side Story" should be on top of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage" list: it ranks high up there with the finest artistic achievements in contemporary times, and remains so modern and fresh today almost six decades after its release. Among many truly beautiful song settings, "I like to be in America" scene on the roof is so brilliantly executed it is a model of total spectacle in the noblest sense, and the purple dress of Rita Moreno should be on display at the Smithsonian Museum!

The second film by Steven Spielberg to be mentioned in this list ("The Color Purple" is listed earlier); How can one overlook the riveting scene which could be entitled "The abduction of four-year-old Barry by the UFO", with self-opening air-vents, electrical appliances going berserk, intense luminous lights filtering through key holes and window shutters, Barry's eyes shining with joy (in an earlier scene he refers to flying saucers as "Toys !") … This "house visited by unseen aliens" scene is a distilled marvel...

"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain" … Words of the "replicant" Rutger Hauer near the end of the film; deeply moving and stirring, this scene should be listed in a "Hall of Fame" for outstanding scenes in cinema history.

Sitting through some of David Lean's films is like reading a 700-page novel, which needs stamina to navigate between epochs and characters and events, not always easy, but then a scene comes up that touches us so profoundly. Near the end of "Doctor Zhivago", Omar Sharif is in a bus and sees Julie Christie walking and tries to call her and reach her but is unable to. This scene could have been excessively melodramatic but is not, thanks to the ingenuity of the film makers, the incredible craftsmanship of David Lean, and of Omar Sharif' sincere performance, yet it remains one of the most poignant ever.

Ran is the master Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's adaptation of Shakespeare's "King Lear", transposed to Japan in the sixteenth century with three brothers (instead of sisters) dealing with their father and his kingdom. The film is an esthetic masterpiece, in the tradition of beautiful Japanese paintings and their clear colors and ethereal landscapes. In one dramatic scene Lord Ichimonji (the "king") is chased out of a wooden castle where he was residing; the castle is set on fire and the king walks slowly down a steep staircase with the fires raging not far behind him. He looks so haggard and heartbroken (how can he not be, his two ungrateful sons are dislodging him). The misery of man is depicted in this memorable scene.

One fact worth mentioning, and that is technically shooting this scene was quite extraordinary, as explained in the special features accompanying the DVD of the film, because the set (wooden castle) was literally set on fire and the technicians and actors had just one attempt to shoot the scene.

"Open the pod bay doors please, Hal"… an out of this world dialogue between the astronaut Dave (superbly played by Keir Dullea) and the spaceship computer Hal 9000 which has a deceivingly humane suave voice. No words exist to describe Dave's face expression during this ultimate encounter, locked out in outer space. Dave's composure is tested to the limit, in one of the greatest confrontational exchanges ever filmed.

In the opening scene of the film and to the tune of the Doors’ majestic song “The End”, we see the Vietnamese jungle, with passing assault helicopters in a haze, suddenly the forest is ablaze, the Marines officer (Martin Sheen) is in deep thought half awake with a cigarette and an empty glass of Cognac in his bedroom, the sound of the ceiling fan is echoing the helicopters’ blades almost in slow motion… a fusion of images that announces the later “horror” he will be assigned to deal with. This scene (actually the whole motion picture) is a monumental landmark in the history of film making.

Many animated films, old and recent, have enthralling moments, but not many stand the test of time as the 1982 British animated film “The Snowman” (the film’s running time is less than half an hour! ) with its magical yet simple grainy drawings. The scene where the snowman takes the hand of the little boy and fly to the tune of the song “We’re walking in the air” still gives me shivers down the spine, with the first piano notes, and the beautiful and pure voice of the (then) choirboy performer Peter Auty, rolling the “R’s” in sentences like “Far across the world/ The villages go by like dreams/The rivers and the hills/The forests and the streams”... This scene –and the accompanying song- deserve infinite A stars rating.

The plot of the film is simple –one might even say simplistic- and the artwork in the film, including the lavish settings and ornate costumes, seem kitschy by today’s standards, but who cares when the great Lana Turner is here! One memorable scene is when she is crossed with Fernando Lamas but she is expected to dance with him at the king’s ball, so they dance, and dance… We are treated to a waltz lasting well over five minutes (I am referring to the second dance scene after they reconcile, as there is a shorter waltzing scene a few minutes before this last one) with Lana and Fernando in perfect synergy, gliding and whirling around, accompanied by a dozen other couples waltzing in the sumptuous halls and corridors of the king’s palace replete with chandeliers and crimson curtains and huge mirrors, but it is Lana who steals the spectacle with her beauty, her posture, her grace… it is a privilege today to watch this scene, as it is impossible to visualize anything similar in any film or in any royal court, a dream of a scene!

In the closing scene Johnny Depp (CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, of course...) is sort of saying a short goodbye speech before making an escape, so he first addresses Norrington (the English navy commander) telling him: "...need you to know I was rooting for you mate..." (as a consolation, Elizabeth having chosen to go with Will !), then Jack turns to Elizabeth (the wonderful Keira Knightley) and tells her: "..it would have never worked between us darling, I am sorry !!!".. and finally, as if having to say something to Will (Orlando Bloom) and finding difficulty to find anything to tell him, says to him: "nice hat !".... a scene with such immense comedic power, and rarely a hero's (or an anti-hero's) exit had such brio !

Four years later after the "Black Pearl", in "At World's End", it was Keira Knightley's turn to say to Jack "it would have never worked out between us !", and Jack replied, mischievous as ever, "Keep telling yourself that darling !" Tons of kudos to the scriptwriters !

The opening scene of the film - in space, with Earth in the background and the space station slowly approaching as we hear the astronauts and Houston’s chitchat and the following whirlwind "space ballet" between Sandra Bullock and George Clooney - lasts over 12 minutes and is an undeniable “tour de force”, CGI or not, and if seen on IMAX the audiences are treated to a new and unprecedented level of film making. As for the final scene, where Sandra Bullock gets up and walks to firm land, it is clearly a tribute to human ingenuity in the face of extraordinary hardships and a nod to the ascent of man. In the realm of serious space movies, "2001" has finally found a worthy successor.

Charles Chaplin’s “City Lights” ends with a touching delicate scene, that is when the tramp (Charles Chaplin) passes by the florist street window and sees the girl he once tried to help. When the florist sees him she steps out of the shop and hands him a flower to compensate for a flower he held and fell away, and as she touches his hand she immediately recognizes the benefactor who once helped her when she was blind. The accompanying music, the noble beauty of Virginia Cherrill (the florist) as she looks at him, and Charles Chaplin timid but joyful expression finding out that she can see him… such a magnificent moment: no other scene, anywhere, comes near !

Many scenes in Alfred Hitchcock's films command admiration (like the one described in "North by Northwest" above). In "Frenzy", one of the director's later films when he honed his art to perfection, inspector Tim Oxford (played by Alec McCowen) is discussing a case he is working on with his wife Mrs. Oxford (played by Vivien Merchant) over dinner at home. She is taking a French cooking course so she is serving her husband a "soupe aux poissons" (fish soup) in the first scene, and a ""pieds de porc" (pig's foot) in a later scene. The dialogue between the couple is a lesson in English politeness, understatement, humor... as the poor inspector has to eat and praise his wife cooking while at the same time looking -desperately- for ways not to eat and hint at what used to be ordinary food... a master study in characters served by top notch performances, and dinners to remember forever!