Archive for the ‘Great Movie Moments’ Category
December 10th, 2009
Over the next few months, I am going to take a departure from the normal tech and business musings to post some of my favorite moments in film. I love and am inspired by movies of all kinds. I am also very forgiving of imperfections, often ignoring myriads of faults because the movie does one thing perfectly.
It is rare to see a truly perfect film, and when it happens it never goes unnoticed. But films which are often not perfect sometimes hold the most remarkable gems, and I’ll be focusing on some that perhaps others have missed.
To me, a Great Movie Moment is not merely a “good scene”, but one that is pivotal to the entire purpose of the film. Not only that, to be a great moment for me, that pivotal moment has to work perfectly, even if the rest of the film may not. Many of my choices are turning points, or moments which are the culmination of the drama that has been crafted up until that time.
So, I hope you enjoy these and I’ll try to include as much commentary as I can. Note that lots of these are spoilers! So, if you haven’t seen the film, and want to see the moment for yourself, watch and come back later and see if you agree with me.
December 10th, 2009
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) is a stage play on the screen. The props are backdrops for a well-acted drama where the characters are thrust into a situation so we can see them wrestle with their emotions, convictions, and relationships.
Directed by Robert Aldrich, Phoenix starts with a plane crash in the desert. The survivors, lucky to be alive but stranded hundreds of miles from nowhere, can see no hope except an increasingly remote chance of rescue. Jimmy Stewart plays Frank Towns, the pilot, guilt-ridden about the crash but realizing that he has to remain a strong leader. Richard Attenborough is his co-pilot Lew Moran, and the two of them put forth such strong performances it is a marvel to watch.
Days after the crash, when hope is diminishing, Heinrich Dorfmann (played in the best performance ever by Hardy Kruger) proposes that they can rebuild the plane from parts and fly out of the desert. To Towns, this “proposal” is completely disregarded along with the many mad ravings of the survivors he is trying to keep under control. But, when Dorfmann reveals to Moran that he is an aircraft designer, Towns and Moran begin to consider that any cause, even a hopeless one, may lift the spirits of the desperate group.
The film is long. For two hours we watch this drama unfold as the survivors, under the harsh and critical leadership of Dorfmann, disassemble and reassemble a new plane. While it seems incredible at first, the film, though it’s strong characters, convinces us that it may just work. Dorfmann could not have been better cast. The film exploits every German stereotype that Americans prejudiced by World War II would have in their heads. Towns hates his arrogance, and feels sometimes they are wasting their time.
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When they are approaching the completion of the plane, there is a scene that is the turning point of the film. It is a quiet scene where Dorfmann, Towns and Moran are inside the cabin of the old plane. The scene is not only perfectly written and filmed, but it is the start of the ultimate test of the three main characters. Dorfmann reveals, only when he is asked, and almost as if it didn’t matter, that he is a model aircraft designer and has never designed a real plane. I am sure that you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre and it is worth 2 hours of watching for me to sit on the edge of my seat and watch this perfect moment of performance and storytelling.
(There is a horrible remake of this film starring Dennis Quaid. Please watch the original and don’t even consider the remake.)
December 8th, 2009
Joe Gideon is an obsessive and brilliant choreographer who takes life huge gulps and cares only about art and women and living life to the fullest no matter what the consequences. Is creative energy is intoxicating. We still love him, just like his women do, even as he heads for self-destruction. The film is All That Jazz, starring Roy Scheider. A quasi-auto-biographical masterpiece by director Bob Fosse.
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Two thirds of the way through the film. is wheeled into the operating room for open heart surgery, temporarily suspending work on his upcoming broadway musical. Meanwhile, investors and their insurance advisors calculate the investment so far in the show. They have already lost confidence in Gideon, believing that the musical has evolved into a sexually-charged piece that will alienate audiences. Larry Goldie, played by actor David Marguiles delivers a cold accounting of detailed figures invested so far, right down to the payroll taxes. As he reads, Fosse intercuts footage of actual open heart surgery, creating a jarring transition between the operating room and the boardroom.
At the end, it becomes obvious that Gideon’s death would likely yield more profit from the insurance payout than they expect the play to achieve.
The performances are unremarkable. Five people meeting in a boardroom discussing facts and figures. There are production flaws and imperfections. But in that 3 minutes of film, Fosse shows us the extremes of creativity and greed portrayed as polar and extreme opposites hitting one another head-on. It is a singular moment in film.
