Category Archives: Scenes I Love

Scenes That I Love: Senator Smith Tells Off The Establishment In Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Frank Capra’s birthday!  Capra was born 126 years ago, on this date, in Sicily.

Now, if you’ve been reading this site for a while, you should know that my favorite Capra film is It’s A Wonderful Life.  However, a close second is 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.  In today’s scene that I love, Sen. Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) holds the Senate floor as he denounces the corruption that he sees all around him in Washington.  There’s a reason why Senator Smith is still held up as the ideal public servant.  It’s just a shame that he was a fictional character.

Scenes That I Love: The Airport Chase and Shootout From John Woo’s Face/Off

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 77th birthday to director John Woo, the man who did the most to popularize the idea of the slo mo of doom!

Today’s scene that I love comes from Woo’s 1997 film, Face/Off.  In this scene, John Travolta pursues Nicolas Cage by both car and helicopter.  While Cage’s criminal has the time of his life, Travolta’s no-nonsense federal agent reveals just how obsessed he is with capturing his prey.  No one has switched faces yet but the action is already wonderfully over-the-top.  Cage and Travolta both do what they do best in this scene and so does John Woo.

Scenes That I Love: Prewitt Fights Back In From Here To Eternity

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In honor of what would have been Fred Zinnemann’s 116th birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from 1953’s From Here To Eternity, one of the two Zinnemann-directed films to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

In this scene, Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) proves that he’s still a skilled boxer.  That’s not something that Prewitt wants the world to know because he’s still guilt-stricken over accidentally blinding one of his sparring partners.  Captain Holmes wants Prewitt to fight on the regimental team.  Prewitt would rather just play the bugle but, as he shows in this scene, he can still throw a punch if he’s forced to.  It leads to a lot of drama, the majority of which is forgotten in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Scenes That I Love: Michael Corleone Visits Las Vegas In The Godfather

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to the great Al Pacino.

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1972’s The Godfather, in which Al Pacino plays Michael Corleone.  In this scene, Michael, having just taken over the Corleone family, pays a visit to Vegas.  He meets his brother Fredo (John Cazale), who has certainly changed from being the meek person that he was in New York.  He meets the singer Johnny Fontana (Al Martino), who owes a favor to the Corleones.  And he meets Moe Greene (Alex Rocco), who soon discovers that the Corleones cannot be intimidated.  Most importantly, Michael proves that he is now in charge of the family.  At the end of the scene, Michael gives Fredo an important warning and sets up the tragic ending of the The Godfather Part II.

Scenes I Love: “Avenge Me!” from Red Dawn

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to a true Hollywood iconoclast, John Milius!  In honor of Milius and his career and his legacy, today’s scene that I love comes from Milius’s 1984 film, Red Dawn.

After their small town is taken over by a combination of Cuban and Russian soldiers, a group of teenagers flee to the hills.  After a few months, they sneak back into town.  In this scene, two brothers (Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen) discover that their father (Harry Dean Stanton) is one of the many townspeople who have been sentenced to a reeducation camp.  Their dad says a few final words to them, knowing that he’ll probably never see them again.  He leaves them with one final instruction: “AVENGE ME!”  Not even the propaganda film playing in the background can cover the sound of their father demanding vengeance.

And, of course, they do get their revenge, sacrificing their lives so that America might once again be free.  It’s a classic John Milius moment and an appropriate scene with which to celebrate his birthday.

The Easter Beagle Is Here Again!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Are you feeling down this Easter?

Is everyone happier than you are?

Are you feeling like everything has just passed you by?

Do you feel like the world has just changed too much?

Don’t worry!

The Easter Beagle is here again!

I s till believe that, someday, Charlie Brown will get an Easter egg. And he’ll also kick that football and he’ll talk to the little redheaded girl and he’ll even finish War and Peace. And I definitely still believe that Linus will see The Great Pumpkin! I still believe in them and, even more importantly, I still believe in the Easter Beagle.

Happy Easter!

Scenes I Love: The Beginning of The Fifth Chapter of Inglourious Basterds

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is, without a doubt, one of the best sequences that Quentin Tarantino has ever directed.  Along with the perfect visuals of Shoshanna getting ready for the premiere, Tarantino makes perfect use of Theme From Cat People, reinventing the song from a somewhat silly horror theme to an anthem of revolution and revenge.

Scenes That I Love: The Match-to-Desert Cut In Lawrence of Arabia

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

The great British director David Lean was born 115 years ago today.

In honor of his films and his legacy, here is a scene that I love from Lawrence of Arabia.  In this scene, Peter O’Toole blowing out a flame transports us straight to a sunrise in the desert.  Though Lean started out his career directing small-scale but emotionally rich films like Brief Encounter and Great Expectations, he ultimately became best-known for directing historical epics and cinematic spectacles.  This scene shows us why.  Even to this day, it seems as if any epic film is destined to be compared to the work of David Lean.

Scenes That I Love: George Smiley Confronts Bill Haydon In Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Gary Oldman’s 65th birthday and, in honor of the occasion, here’s a scene from one of my favorite Oldman films, 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

In this scene, British intelligence officer George Smiley (Gary Oldman) confronts his colleague and Russian mole Bill Haydon (Colin Firth).  This scene is a masterclass of good acting, put on by both Firth and Oldman.  As Haydon tries to justify his behavior, Smiley listens with deceptive calmness.  When I first saw this film, Oldman suddenly raising his voice made the entire audience jump.