>> Speaker 1: What makes a great scene?
Is it in the performance?
The writing? The cinematography?
Is it in the boldness of the film making or the fearlessness of the theme?
Is it in how directly it grapples with the human condition?
We watch a metric buttload of favorites and made a list to find out.
These are our picks for the top ten movie scenes of all time.
>> [MUSIC]
>> Speaker 1: Kicking this off at number ten,
let's look at some of the scenes showcasing the explosive talents of actors
plumbing the very extremes of the human range of emotions.
We're talking about scenes like Tom Cruise's final confrontation with his
dying father in Magnolia.
Al Pacino's violent outburst about his lost child in the Godfather 2.
And his court scene from Scent of a Woman.
The secret about the son from Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe.
The beating of Patsy from 12 Years a Slave.
Discovery of dead samurai armor from Seventh Samurai.
And of course our number 10, the russian roulette scene from Deer Hunter.
>> [FOREIGN] [LAUGH] [FOREIGN] >> Speaker 2: Okay.
>> [LAUGH] [SOUND] [FOREIGN] [SOUND] >> Speaker 1: It's
a simple master, a couple close-ups, and
a few different over-the-shoulders for each important relationship.
But what most of those over-the-shoulders are highlighting,
is De Niro's incredible dynamic with his captor.
I'm not sure if there's ever been a better example of genuine hate and
rage on screen than his performance here as he marches up and
down the spectrum of expression from fear and hatred to manic support.
The stakes are life and death, but
the potential pay off is three chambers of salvation.
And De Niro's character perfectly channels his madness into destabilizing
the situation just enough to take control and bring the two of them to freedom.
Next up at number nine, we're thinking funny.
But not just in terms of most laughs per minute, we're looking for
some artistry, vision, and standout creativity with our humor.
And that's probably something like All About Eve's party scene.
Some Like it Hots final boat getaway.
When Harry Met Sally's diner scenej.
Dr. Strangelove's phone call with Dimitri.
Or, Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Black Knight.
But our favourite funny scene is actually Modern Times's automatic feeding machine.
>> [MUSIC]
>> Speaker 1: This is a brilliant showcase of visual comedy and pacing.
It pairs the hysterical reactions of Chaplin's tramp with the inanimate comic
timing of a feeding robot gone haywire.
Brilliantly in view with different personalities for each of its functions.
One of the funniest moment is watching Chaplin stare down at the demonic
corn feeder with a look of abject terror only to be
greeted by the gentle dabbing of the serene face swiper.
Of course, when that's all said and done and
it seems like the scene is over, the engineer tells us.
>> [MUSIC]
>> Speaker 1: Following up at number eight,
we're going to spend some time marvelling at some of the one of a kind set pieces
that deliver on the promise of their premise so specifically, and
with such immaculate marriage of craft and storytelling that you can't help but
see the unique potential of cinema realized in a single scene.
Children of Men's car ride one-r combined fever pitched tension with unparalleled
choreography.
500 Days of Summer's reality versus expectations is one of the best examples
of the power of juxtaposition ever shot.
The Conversation's introduction builds a mysterious piecemeal narrative around
sound and the lack thereof.
Whiplash's finale was visual jazz, and Amadeus's transcription of Computatus
brought Mozart's creative process out of his head and onto the screen.
But for our number eight,
we think that Hitchcock's opening of Rear Window takes the proverbial cake.
>> [MUSIC]
>> Speaker 1: Quickly established the personalities, dynamics and
conflicts of all LB Jeffery's neighbors in a few brief beautiful shots, and you've
got one of the best examples of efficiency in visual storytelling ever shot.
But follow up with a quick tour of his apartment,
delivering every bit of relevant exposition under a minute.
All without any clunky lines like hey Jeffries,
remember when you broke your leg?
Why yes, Lisa, I was there when it happened.
And you've got the makings of a world class clinic.
But, this is more than just a well staged tour through a beautiful city block set.
Hitchcock's use of camera angles and movements immediately establishes
the voyeuristic, limited perspective of the film.
Less than four minutes later without a single word spoken,
we are intimately familiar with the world our story is about to take us through.
At number seven,
we've got some superlative scenes that aim to absolutely wrench your heart out.
Scenes like the Bicycle Thieves' final theft.
The passion of Joan of Arc's ending.
Goodwill Hunting's it's not your fault.
Royal Tenenbaums' needle in the hay.
Short Term 12's Marcus rap,
and our pick for this slot,
Persona's repeated scene.
>> [FOREIGN] [MUSIC] [FOREIGN] >> Speaker 1: Watching Elizabeth
listen to her nurse tell her the story of her failure with her son gradually
dissolving closer and closer to Liv Ullmann's listening.
And I mean really, brutally listening to a heartbreaking rendition of her own
personal failings is immensely difficult.
But just as soon as you think it's over, we jump back to the start and
see the whole thing from an entirely different perspective.
Allowing us to see the two separate stories in each women's personal journey.
Each one immensely rattling in it's own beautiful right.
And while this might be dull and repetitive in a lesser director's hands,
it never feels like we're re-treading the same ground.
The monologue seems completely changed, which is why we love it.
At number six, this slot is all about tension.
And the scenes we think did suspense most beautifully are those like GoodFella's
funny how, Heat's dinner parlay, and Rififi's incredible silent heist.
There's Clarice meeting Dr. Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.
Dennis Hopper provoking Christopher Walken in True Romance.
And both the farmhouse scene and the pub scene from Inglorious Basterds.
Taken on their own, these scenes are enough to keep you anxious for days.
But, we think that No Country for
Old Men's coin toss stands just a bit above them all.
>> Speaker 3: What's the most you ever lost in a coin toss?
>> Speaker 4: Sir?
>> Speaker 3: The most you ever lost in a coin toss?
>> Speaker 4: I don't know, I couldn't say.
>> Speaker 3: Call it.
>> Speaker 1: One thing we like about a really good scene is how sometimes
they can almost stand alone.
They're like a drama in and of themselves, and
you can just feel the essence of the film oozing from every cut.
And that's what's happening here as Anton Chigurh and
a gas station proprietor spur over a wager only one of them really understands.
>> Speaker 4: Look, I need to know what I stand to win.
>> Speaker 3: Everything. >> Speaker 4: How's that?
>> Speaker 3: You stand to win everything.
Call it.
>> Speaker 1: Again, the camera work is hardly flashy,
you probably won't even notice the subtle push in once Chigurh flips the coin.
But, that's because the cat and
mouse conflict of their conversation is completely absorbing,
with Bardem cutting off Gene Jones' escape attempts at every pass.
There's probably no better example of how effective this scene is than the moment
when Chigurh tosses his wrapper on the counter and we hang on it, staring.
Feeling threatened like the clerk by a simple piece of trash.
[SOUND] Of course, not all suspense needs to simmer like this one does.
Sometimes, scenes explode, and God, is it glorious.
The best of the best build a cacophonous crescendo of deadly frenzy until
long after we think we can't take anymore of it,
they resolve in a moment of pure terror and exhilaration.
These are scenes like Reservoir Dogs's ear scene.
The Thing's blood test, influential showdown.
The Third Man's discovery of Harry Lime and
Lawrence of Arabia's shimmering introduction of Omar Shareef.
We love The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly's Sad Hill Cemetery standoff.
But it's going to be Leone, and spoiler alert, it is,
we think it's hard to beat our number five, Once Upon A Time In The West's train
station arrival >> Speaker 1: [SOUND] No one else besides
Sergio Leone has made boredom more gripping.
>From the dripping of a water leak, to the creak of a rocking chair, to the incessant
buzzing of a fly, Leone works his audience up to a violent impatience.
By the time the train comes screeching to a halt, we're thirsting for
action in the best possible way.
Follow that up with on of cinema's greatest reveals,
one of cinemas greatest verbal exchanges, and one of cinemas greatest shootouts, and
you've got yourself one hell of a scene and two too many horses.
[SOUND] At number 4, we've got a handful
of hauntingly beautiful scenes that
give us a serious case of [FOREIGN].
Scenes like Schindler's List's girl in the red coat, Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind's crumbling beach house, the Truman Show's final bow.
And quite a few Tarkovsky scenes like Andre Rublev's
installation of the finish bell.
Nostalgia's candle in an empty pool.
And our pick for number four, The Mirror's burning house.
>> [FOREIGN] [NOISE]
>> Speaker 1: We have trouble breaking
down exactly why it works.
In theory, it's a relatively simple scene with a couple nice camera moves and
a few beautiful moments.
But in practice, there's something almost transcendent about it.
Some [FOREIGN] in the dance of the camera, the poetry of the Russian,
the glancing reflections of the fire light in the final tableau that makes us want
to stop analyzing and just feel.
Which is something we can't say about very many scenes,
which is why this one lands on our list.
[SOUND] Of course our scenes can't all be
slow and emotional.
There's no other artistic medium that does excitement and adrenaline like film.
Back in the day, Battleship Potemkin's Odessa steps changed the world and
most recently, Sicario's bridge sequence blew our minds.
While scene's like Heat's bank heist, Apocalypse Now's ride of the Valkyries,
and Psycho's shower murder have filled in the space between.
But it comes as no surprise that there's still nothing better
action wise than our number three, Saving Private Ryan's landing on Omaha Beach.
[SOUND] This scene is simultaneously massive and
incredibly intimate.
First, pay attention to its tempo and rhythm.
It's almost a visual symphony in how it's edited, composed, and sound design.
And second, notice the detail of every single shot.
There is hardly a beat where we're not introduced to a new aspect of
the horrors of war.
Finally, watch as Spielberg take that rhythm and those details and molds them
into a perfectly shaped art from nervous anticipation to chaos to gradual order.
All serving the greater plot, action and characters of the entire film.
[SOUND] Of course, we wouldn't be doing our jobs if we left our sex and romance.
We love Annie Hall's subtitled flirtation, E Tu Mama Tambien's steaming jukebox
sequence, City Lights' handheld moment of recognition, Before Sunrise's wonderfully
subtle music booth, Before Sunset's pitch perfect Nina Simone finale, and
Before Midnight's painful 20 minute long argument in the hotel room.
However, our number two romance pick actually goes to none other
than Barry Lyndon's card game seduction.
>> [FOREIGN]
[MUSIC]
[APPLAUSE] >> Speaker 1: This scene is so
intimate it's hard to even breathe.
Beautiful costuming, a master shot straight out of a painting, and
lit by actual candle light on repurposed spaceship lenses.
Kubrick does so much with just a look, it's extraordinary.
Notice how brilliantly the eyes are choreographed.
When Kubrick wants you to pay attention to a character,
he lets you see the whites of their eyes.
When he wants you to switch, they look down or away and
then the other character looks up.
It's a two shot with all the focus of the close up.
Every single movement of these three actors tells its part of the story
perfectly.
All without damaging the naturalism of the story, and what a story it is.
Desire, boldness, flirtation, suspicion and
betrayal, all without a word, what a mastery.
[SOUND] And finally at number one,
sometimes there's nothing better than a simple conversation.
Taking a page out of theater's book and focusing on simple human drama.
As for great scenes that do that, where do we start?
How about the Godfather's?
Or Psycho's parlor scene?
The Maltese Falcon's losing a son, Casa Blanca's beginning of a beautiful
friendship, and The Social Network's bar breakup.
Hunger's 24-minute long shot scene between Bobby Sands and
the priest is a stunning work of performance.
And Paris,
Texas's peep show reunion through one way glass is absolutely breathtaking.
But for our number one pick,
we haven't seen a scene in a very long time as gripping, as incredibly written,
directed, and acted, as the processing scene from The Master.
>> Speaker 5: Starting now, you are not to blink.
If you blink, we go back to the start.
Infringement.
You blinked.
[SOUND] Starting now, you are not to blink.
If you blink we go back to the start.
>> Speaker 1: The dialogue is so
astonishingly complex with each thread of questioning weaving in and out.
Sometimes breaking Freddy further down for the next one.
Sometimes providing the master more ammo with which to pry.
Sometimes lightening the tone when things get too serious.
Sometimes trapping Freddy with his own gradual honesty.
And PTA doesn't chop it up needlessly either, holding on each shot for
exactly the right amount of time.
Neither over covering nor losing pace.
But of course the real treat here is the acting.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman comes in under in a way that only he ever could.
Commanding a scene with the utmost subtly and just well enough hidden insecurity.
While Joaquin Phoenix excises some real demons.
These revelations seem to truly challenge him, hurt him, shock him, and enrage him.
It's an absolute masterpiece, which is why it's our pick for
the best movie scene of all time.
So, what do you think?
We watched hundreds of scenes preparing for this list but
we know you are excited to tell us which ones we forgot and got wrong.
So, have at it, and don't forget to like and subscribe for
more Cinefix movie lists.