Iconic movie scenes

Being a film fan I’ve come to realise that there are certain scene in movies that stand out in one’s mind as being representative of what the film stands for. Many times that picture is imprinted in your mind long after you’ve forgotten the film’s name. With this in mind I though I’d list a few of the scenes that stand out in my mind with a short description of each.

Blade Runner LA cityscape

When you first enter the world of Blade Runner you’re greeted with a site that looks anything but futuristic. The Los Angeles cityscape is polluted and drenched in rain and manages to convey the idea that Earth is a desolate place with blimps floating overhead proclaiming that a better life awaits people off world. It’s no wonder that Rick Deckard is determined to quit the police force.

Blade Runner city scape

Up close the city in Blade Runner looks even worse and seems to look strikingly like modern-day Tokyo with gigantic neon advertising boards and crowded sidewalks all winding their way through the film’s future version of Los Angeles. It’s unlike any other film noir setting out there but it manages to fit the characters and plot as perfect as a glove.Futurist Syd Mead’s vision of a futuristic LA has to be applauded and many modern-day director’s have paid homage to it from music videos through to animé.

The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

Most of the scenes and settings from the Lord of the Rings movies are superlative to say the least but it was really the Battle of Pelennor Fields that stands out in my mind as the defining scene from the film. Bringing to a head all the film’s separate plots and characters to battle it out in one huge battle between the forces of good and evil is always enough to get the adrenaline flowing but it is especially great when the special effects and computer generated wizardry all combine to create one of the most memorable big screen battles in recent memory.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Mexican standoff

At the end of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Sergio Leone makes use of a widescreen shot to capture all three the film’s protagonists as the face off in a duel to see who walks away with the treasure they have hunted for the whole film. Where this scene excels is that it lingers over the fighters and carries on for several minutes intercut with extreme close-ups of the characters’ eyes as they look at each other to see who will draw firs, all the time upping the anxiety levels of both viewer and character.  Add in a track from Ennio Morricone that perfectly matches the tempo and feel of the scene and this is one of the best 5 minutes in cinema.

Related posts:

1. Iconic film scenes revisited
2. Phillip K. Dick on Blade Runner
3. Blade Runner Final Cut
4. Blade Runner – My Passion
5. Death & Glory