Scenes That I Love: Michael J. Fox Invents Rock and Roll in Back To The Future


Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a very happy birthday to the great Robert Zemeckis.  Today’s scene that I love comes from Zemeckis’s 1985 film, Back to the Future.

Did you know that rock and roll was invented by a time traveler?  Well, let’s not overthink things.  Let’s just enjoy the scene.

Scenes That I Love: Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart in The Philadelphia Story


On this date, 118 years ago, Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut.  She would go one to become a cultural icon, a performer who survived being labeled box office to poison to eventually become one of our most acclaimed actresses.  Hepburn was a total of four acting Oscars over the course of her career, a record that has yet to be topped.

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1940’s The Philadelphia Story and it features Katharine Hepburn acting opposite another one of my favorite performers, the great James Stewart.

Scenes I Love: Norman Bates Talks About His Mother In Psycho


Norman Bates, now there’s someone who probably made a big deal out of every Mother’s Day.  Today’s scene that I love comes from 1960’s Psycho and features Hitchcock, Janet Leigh, and Anthony Perkins at their absolute best,

Scenes That I Love: Albert Finney Hates People In Scrooge


Today would have been the 89th birthday of the great British actor, Albert Finney!

And today’s scene that I love features Albert Finney in the role of history’s most famous miser.  In 1970’s Scrooge, Finney played the title role and, early on, his worldview was perfectly captured by a song called I Hate People.  Finny was only 34 when he played Ebenezer Scrooge but he does a wonderful job of bringing the character to life and he’s just as convincing when he’s being good as he is when he’s being bad.  Finney is the main reason why Scrooge is my personal favorite of all of the versions of A Christmas Carol.

Scenes That I Love: A Conversation From Roberto Rossellini’s Rome, Open City


Today’s scene that I love comes from Rome, Open City:

Filmed in 1945, Roberto Rossellini’s Rome, Open City was one of the first films to be made about life under the Nazis.  What set this film apart from others is that the majority of the cast actually had lived under the occupation.  While there were a few professional amongst the cast, Rossellini also used many nonprofessional actors, who brought a weary authenticity to their roles and their portrayal of life in occupied Rome.

Scenes That I Love: The First Two Minutes of Fast Times At Ridgemont High


Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to director Amy Heckerling!

Today’s scene that I love comes from Amy Heckerling’s feature debut, 1982’s Fast Times At Ridgemont High.  In just two minutes, Heckerling introduces us to almost all of the major characters, establishes the mall as the center of Ridgemont High culture, and leaves us with little doubt that we’ve entered a time machine and found ourselves in the 80s.  Look at all the future stars.  Look at Mike Damone, future mobster.  My heart always breaks for Stacy and her brother Brad.  They have no idea what’s waiting for them this year.

Here is today’s scene that I love:

Scenes That I Love: The Opening Tracking Shot from Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil


Since today is Orson Welles’s birthday, I wanted to share at least one scene that I love from his films.  The famous tracking shot from 1958’s Touch of Evil, which begins in America and ends in Mexico, truly shows Orson Welles at his visionary best.

It’s also Welles at his most clever.  Knowing that he wouldn’t be given control over the editing of the footage he shot, Welles included as many long shots as possible to make it more difficult for an editor to chop up or alter his vision.

Scenes I Love: Simon and The Devil Go To The Future In Simon Of The Desert


From Luis Bunuel’s 1965 short film, Simon of the Desert, the faithful Simon (Claudio Brook) finds himself transported from 6th Century Syria to the 1960s by the Devil (Silvia Pinal).  The song playing at the club is called Radioactive Flesh.  Simon wants to go home.  The Devil wants to dance.

Scene That I Love: The Meteor Hits Hong Kong


Today’s scene that I love is a chaotic scene in which a fragments of a meteor cause a tidal wave to crash over Hong Kong.  It’s chaos on a budget in 1979’s Meteor!  This scene was actually filmed in Los Angeles and featured cardboard cut-outs of buildings in a big water tank.