Memorable Movie Quotes

Movies come alive with language. A well written movie can make the audience laugh, cry or cringe with fear. It is the dialogue between the characters or the funny line that the audience remembers when they leave the theatre.

Ever so often, a phrase from a movie lives on forever, well past the movie itself. The following is a list of memorable movie quotes.

The Godfather was released in 1972 and featured an all star cast of Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton and Al Pacino. The Godfather won three Oscars and five Golden Globe Awards.

The Godfather tells the story of the Powerful New York mafia family, the Corleone Family. The Family is run by Don Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, who tries to hold on to his family's power against forces outside his control.

The Godfather provides many famous lines and scenes, but the most famous and the one used most in popular culture occurs when Don Corleone is talking to his Godson, Johnny Fontaine. Fontaine is a middle aged singer who is getting past his prime who needs a movie part to resurrect his career but the producer of the movie will not give him the roll. When asked how the Godfather is going to convince the movie producer to give him the movie roll, The Godfather responds:

I'M GONNA MAKE HIM AN OFFER HE CAN'T REFUSE.

Gone With The Wind was released in 1939. It was directed by Victor Fleming and was set in the South during the Civil War. Gone With The Wind stared Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland.Gone With The Wind tells the story of the Civil War from a Southern Prospective. It was awarded ten Academy Awards, a record that stood for twenty years.

The memorable quote comes at the very end of the film. Rhett Butler, who has pursued Scarlett O'hara throughout the movie finally gives up on her. When she asks "Where shall I go, What shall I Do?", Butler responds:

Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give A Damn.

The Wizard of Oz was released in 1939 and was directed by Victor Fleming. The movie starred, Judy Garland as Dorothy, who lives in Kansas and during a tornado gets swept away to the magical world of Oz. There she meets the scarecrow, the tin man and the Lion and they follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Land of Oz.

The memorable quote comes when Dorothy awakes after the tornado and goes outside. To her, and the audiences' surprise, she looks around and sees she is no longer at her home but in a new magical place. Dorothy looks down at her dog and says:

TOTO, I'VE A FEELING WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE

Taxi Driver was released in 1976 and directed by Marin Scorsese. The film stared Robert De Niro who plays Travis Bickle, a disturbed War Veteran who drives a taxi cab at night. After being rejected by his love interest, played by Cybil Shepard, Bickle turns to violence and plans to kill the boss of this love interest who is running for President. However, one night working he picks up a twelve year old child prostitute, played by Jodie Foster, and decides to save her instead. Bickle then kills her pimp and trick. Taxi Driver was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Taxi Driver was one of the movies that gave Robert De Niro legendary status among Actors. The memorable line comes in a scene where De Niro is standing in front of the mirror before he goes on a planned murder rampage and simply says:

Are You Talking To Me?

The Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991 and starred Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glenn and Brooke Smith. Hopkins played Hannibal Lecter, a famed psychiatrist and serial killer. Lecter would kill his victims and then eat them. Foster played Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who seeks Lecter's advice on catching another serial killer.

The memorable quote comes when Starling is interviewing Lecter and upsets him. Lecter very calmly looks at her at states:

A CENSUS TAKER ONCE TRIED TO TEST ME. I ATE HIS LIVER WITH SOME FAVA BEANS AND A NICE CHIANTI.

When Harry Met Sally was released in 1989 and starred Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.  The story follows Harry and Sally, who met on a drive to New York City and at first do not like each other and then are best friends.  The two help each other through bad relationships until the end when they realize they are in love and get married.

The memorable quote comes in a scene where Harry and Sally are having lunch at Katz's deli.  They are arguing over whether a man can tell if a woman is faking an orgasm.  Harry insists that he would be able to tell.  To prove her point, Sally begins to moan and groan and reaches a fake orgasm at the table, then calmly goes back to eating her salad.  The camera then pans to an elderly customer, who happens to be Rob Reiner's mother, and she states:

I'LL HAVE WHAT SHE IS HAVING