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A Mirror Floating in Water

50 Greatest Movie Moments of all Time

Rating: 3 votes, 5.00 average.
14 Comments
by
DanielBenoit
, 04-28-2010 at 06:58 PM (5316 Views)
I was bored so I decided to pay tribute by making a list of what I find to be the greatest moments in the history of cinema. Most of this list is just off the top of my head, but I have strong convictions about it lol.

The greatest cinema is a series of great moments or scenes, this is the greatest of cinema. Be aware, there may be some spoilers! (in order to make this list as spoiler-free as possible, I sometimes use euphemisms or suggestions of what scene or moment I am talking about.)

Here we go:

50. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Primates learn to use tools.

49. Persona (1966) - Opening



48. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1962) - Riding the bomb.

47. Citizen Kane (1940) - Kane trying to convince Susan not to go.

46. My Dinner with Andre (1981) - George recollects memories in taxi cab.

45. Amnacord (1973) - Peacock in the snow.

44. Psycho (1960) - Shower Scene.

43. October (1929) - Machine-gun fire into a crowd.

42. The Godfather Part II (1974) - Michael embraces Fredo.

41. Tarnation (2003) - Jonathan meets his father for the first time.



40. Schindler's List (1993) - Little girl in the red jacket.

39. The General (1928) - Keaton realizes that the front of the train has disappeared.

38. On the Waterfront (1954) - "I coulda been a contender!"

37. Midnight Cowboy (1969) - "I'm scared."

36. 8 1/2 (1960) - Dream of childhood.



35. Some Like it Hot (1959) -"Nobody's perfect"

34. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969) - Hal won't open the door.

33.Taxi Driver (1976) - Travis Bickle after the massacre.

32. The Godfather (1973) - Baptism scene.

31. The Birth of a Nation (1915) - Battle charge.

30. Chimes at Midnight (1966) - Long shot of Falstaff when he hears the news of Henry's crowning.

29. Raging Bull (1980) - LaMotta hits the wall.

28. 8 1/2 (1960) - Brothel dream.

27. The Night of the Hunter (1950) - Riverboat scene.

26. Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) - Final shot.

25. Vertigo (1959) - Neon-lit hotel scene.

24. Through a Glass Darkly (1961) - Spider monologue.

23. The 400 Blows (1959) - Freeze frame



22. Apocolaypse Now (1979) - "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

21. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - Ending.

20. 8 1/2 (1960) - Ending.

19. Gone with the Wind (1939) - "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn."

18. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) - Hospital riot.

17. Killer of Sheep (1977) - A friend is pregnant.

16. Citizen Kane (1940) - Ending.

15. Cries and Whispers (1975) - Karin and Maria after dinner.

14. Casablanca (1941) - Ending.

13. Singin' in the Rain (1954) - Gene Kelly singing in the rain.

12. The Third Man (1946) - Cukoo Clock speech.

11. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969) - Spaceships floating above earth.



10. Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) - House falling.

9. Cries and Whispers (1975) - Anna holds Agnes against her breast.

8. Jules et Jim (1962) - Catherine sings Le Tourbillon.



7. Ikiru (1952) - Watanabe on the snowy swing singing.

6. Hamlet (1946) - Graveyard scene.

5. Casablanca (1941) - Sam singing As Time Goes By.

4. It Happened One Night (1934) - Peter describes his dream-island.

3. City Lights (1931) - Final scene.

2. The Third Man (1946) - Orson Welles' enterance.



1. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - When Joan recollects who taught her the Lord's prayer.
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Comments

  1. The Comedian's Avatar
    Dan,

    Wow! Beautiful list and film selection. I admit that I've seen only a fraction of the films you represent here, but reading your work here makes me want to go to the video store.
  2. Virgil's Avatar
    Great list Daniel. Actually I would have included the ending of Schindler's List, but that's just one that grabs me by the throat.

    This is just a brilliant line: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."
  3. mtpspur's Avatar
    Looked in vain for the ending to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but there's room for the next 50 films. Runner up--most scenes from Alien.
  4. Virgil's Avatar
    I might also add the chariot scene from Ben-Hur somewhere in there.
  5. qimissung's Avatar
    Good list, Daniel. I've seen about half the movies. Maybe this summer I'll make up my own list, and maybe I'll watch a few more great movies.
  6. DanielBenoit's Avatar
    Very Honorable Mentions:

    Tokyo Story (1953) - Shukishi and Noriko's discussion after the funeral.

    Floating Weeds (1959) - Ending

    Russian Ark (2003) - Ballroom scene

    The Seven Samuria (1957) - Every time Kambei runs his hand over his head.

    Yojimbo (1961) - Final shootout.

    A Christmas Story (1983) - Christmas morning.

    Apocolaypse Now (1979) - Ending.

    North by Northwest (1958) - Crop-duster scene.

    53. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - George prays to live again.

    Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - Cloud passes over meadow

    F for Fake (1973) - Welles' pondering the Chartres Cathederal.

    2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - First appearence of the monolith.

    Pyscho (1960) - Bates watches Marion get undressed.

    Citizen Kane (1940) - Jedidiah's soliliquey about the young girl

    2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Baby in space

    Stroszeck (1977) - Dancing chicken

    Citizen Kane (1940) - No Trespassing sign

    Do the Right Thing (1989) - Opening Titles

    The Graduate (1967) - Sex with Mrs. Robinson and laying around in the pool sequence

    Wings of Desire (1987) - Angel pondering Berlin

    Ordet (1955) - Wife rises from the dead

    Sunrise (1929) - Riverside tracking shot

    A Women under the Influence (1977) - Mabel returns home

    A Hard Days Night (1964) - The Beatles sing on a train.

    Pulp Fiction (1994) - Jules and Vernon discuss Quarter Pounders

    Une Chien Andau (1926) - Eye cut open.

    The Seventh Seal (1957) - The dance of death

    The Man with the Movie Camera (1929) - Preface Titles

    Barry Lyndon (1976) - Candlelight scene

    L'Avventura (1960) - Church bells ringing

    Mulholland Drive (2001) - Singer faints

    Bande a Part (1964) - Dancing scene

    M (1931) - The murderer whistling.

    Battleship Potemkini (1924) - Mother begs for her son's life.

    M*A*S*H (1970) - Burns attacks Hawkeye.

    A Clockwork Orange (1973) - Gang fight set to Rossini's The Thieving Magpie

    Breathless (1960) - First jump-cuts.

    The Rules of the Game (1939) - Octave is drunk.

    The Mirror (1975) - Ending

    Snoopy Come Home (1972) - Snoopy comes home.

    L'Age d'or (1930) - "40 years later"

    Blue Velvet (1986) - Candy-Colored Clown scene

    84. Notorious (1944) - Key in Ingrid Bergman's hand

    Elephant (2003) - First shootings

    The African Queen (1951) - Hepburn calls Bogart "darling"

    United 93 (2006) - Plane flies into the WTC on CNN

    Barry Lyndon (1975) - Barry attacks Bullington.

    Ben-Hur (1955) - Chariot Scene

    Butch Cassady and the Sundance Kid (1967) - Freeze frame.

    Annie Hall (1977) - Woody Allen addresses the camera.

    Schindler's List (1993) - Ending.

    Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1962) - "Precious bodily fluids."

    Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Normandy battle.

    The Thin Red Line (1998) - Encounter with a one-legged soldier sitting on a hill.

    Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Boulder chasing Indy.

    Star Wars (1977) - R2D2 and CP30 quarreling.

    The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - "I am your father."
    Updated 04-29-2010 at 12:03 AM by DanielBenoit
  7. BienvenuJDC's Avatar
    Iron Man (2008) - "He's all yours!"
  8. prendrelemick's Avatar
    No David Lean?
  9. The Comedian's Avatar
    My personal favorite is Star Wars (1977): Luke looking over the desert with the two suns behind him, pondering his choice to live an uneventful life or a heroic one.
  10. 1n50mn14's Avatar
    I thought this should have been on the original list '
    The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - "I am your father." haha, but excellent list! I am going to have to go and re watch some classics.
  11. qimissung's Avatar
    I'm just glad you mentioned "m", that's a favorite of mine.
  12. L.M. The Third's Avatar
    And I've only seen one - but your number one, at that! So, what's my problem, eh?
  13. Buh4Bee's Avatar
    This is another wonderful list with more movies I need to see.

    I love Ordinary People- ending with the father and son standing there. The mother is gone- the two seem to feel much relief and some confusion as what to do next. I hope I remember the ending correctly.
  14. Niamh's Avatar
    Glad to see Night of the Hunter on that list. Great movie. The scene with the pram in Battleship Potempkin has been branded into my memory. Fantastic scene.
    Updated 05-24-2010 at 05:14 PM by Niamh