What is the greatest movie scene in history?

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   EJ Lambertposted 10 years ago

   What is the greatest movie scene in history?
   
   Was it Darth Vader telling Luke the truth?  Was it Rhett Butler finally giving up on Scarlett?  Cinema history is filled with iconic scenes that everybody remembers.  Which one sticks out to you the most?

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   jdw7979posted 10 years ago

   I am a big film buff and there are so many! The Vader reveal in Empire Strikes Back is obviously top notch, but my favorite overall scene from any film was in the movie JAWS!!
   
   Quint(Robert Shaw) giving his Indianapolis speech aboard the Orca to Brody(Roy Sheider) and Hooper(Richard Dreyfuss). It was a haunting speech and taking place while hunting the shark and at a very calm, yet spooky time of morning just before dawn was brilliant.
   
   Shaw nailed the speech, he filmed it drunk and bombed the night before, then came in hung over the next morning and hit it out of the park.. Plus, the Indianapolis and its origins are quite factual as told by Shaw- delivering one of the nuclear bombs during WW2 used on Japan, and then being sunk by a torpedo and surrounded by sharks is on the money! Many Americans lost their lives.
   
   That scene puts me on edge every time I hear it. Followed by an awesome sing along to "Show me the way to go home." I actually quite the room, any room whenever I come across that section of the movie. Iconic with great, great dialog. Great, great film too!!

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      The setup and mood of that scene is so underrated.  Shaw, to me, was the man who carried that movie to classic status, and it all began with that scene.  Wonderful choice.

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   bethperryposted 10 years ago

   There are so, so many great movie scenes. But the one that surpasses all others for me comes from "Gandhi". It occurs right after the rioter climbs to the roof where Gandhi is staying during his fast. The man has brought food for Gandhi and tells him to eat, because he doesn't want Gandhi's death on his hands, and goes on to confess he killed a child and believes his soul is damned. Gandhi tells the man a way to avoid this fate. It is such a well-portrayed scene, so deeply moving without a trace of cheese or saccharin..well, if art does have the power to do more than entertain, but to teach and empower us as human beings to do better by others (and ourselves), I believe this one scene exemplifies it.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds like a highly impactful scene filled with a terrific lesson.  Excellent choice.

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   Larry Wallposted 10 years ago

   It has to be the scene in Casablanca, where Rick, tells Elsa, the woman he loves, that she must go with her husband, because he needs her in his fight against the Germans and she cannot go to the places he is going.
   
   If you are looking for action movies, then the scene in Star Wars VI, Return of the Jedi, near the beginning of the movie, where Luke, now a Jedi Knight, is about to be executed, but manages to free his friends and destroy Jabba the Hut.
   
   I think I have covered both end of the spectrum.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Nicely done, Larry.  Two great scenes that embody cinema at its best.

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   kereeves3posted 10 years ago

   While it might not be the greatest movie scene in all of history, one specific scene that just came to my mind is from Forrest Gump.  It's the scene where Bubba dies in Forrest's arms.  I never fail to tear up when Bubba asks Forrest, "Why'd this happen?"  because he literally doesn't understand.  And then he says, "I wanna go home."  Bah!  Gets me every time!

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Certainly one where you get to see how the real world affects people in different ways.  Terrific scene from a better movie.

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   JThomp42posted 10 years ago

   Saving private Ryan. The scene at Normandy is so vivid and seems so real it actually almost puts you there.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Omaha Beach.  No question about it.  Iconic scene.

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      JThomp42posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely.

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   residentstoneposted 10 years ago

   Huge movie freak but, not really so much a scene, but Ray Liotta{Henry Hill}, commentary throughout Goodfellas.
   
   Michael Madsen cutting cops ear off and dancing to Steel Wheels song in Resevoir Dogs.
   
   The Alien stomach breakout scene from Alien. I was 8 when it was released and saw it in theatre, pretty intense for back then.
   
   I could do this all night, so I'll stop now :0) Cool question though

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No doubt these are three unbelievably memorable sequences.  People always forget the Reservoir Dogs scene, but how can you?

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      residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah so great! Everyones' answers. Again, I could have 50 pages. LOL.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hence the beauty of the question!

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   Iammattdoranposted 10 years ago

   I have 2 that spring to mind instantly (both powerful end scenes)...
   
   1. The final scene of 'Being There' where Peter Sellers' character wonders away from the funeral and walks on water.  Amazing end to a great movie!
   
   2. The scene towards the end of The Usual Suspects where Verbal Kint / Keyser Soze walks out of the police station and walks down the street.  Awesome!

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   Silverspeederposted 10 years ago

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXUz-Nntyks
   
   Not really a John Wayne fan and the film wasn't particularly brilliant but the end scene will stay with me forever, it used to make my father cry when he saw it.

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      EJ Lambertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      John Wayne was more than an icon.  He carried the Hollywood industry when it was still so young and deserves a spot on the Mount Rushmore of cinema.

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