Great Scenes
An ongoing weekly series in which I analyze a memorable scene from a noteworthy movie, including script excerpt and often an accompanying video. When you boil it down, screenwriting is scene-writing. Hone your scene-writing ability by studying these scenes.
2001: A Space Odyssey: The dawn of man.
(500) Days of Summer: Tom’s greatest day ever.
A Christmas Story: Tongue meets frozen pole = stuck!
A Clockwork Orange: An assault by Alex leads to revenge against him.
A Few Good Men: A drunk Kaffee blows his top at Galloway’s suggestion.
A Quiet Place: Evelyn and Lee ask, “Who are we if we can’t protect them?”
A Serious Man: Danny meets Rabbi Marshak.
Ace in the Hole: The dramatic ending scene with memorable final shot.
Adaptation.: Kaufman seeks the advice of screenwriting guru Robert McKee.
Alien: Chestburster.
Aliens: “Get away from her, you bitch!”
All the President’s Men: “Follow the money.”
Almost Famous: Flying in a storm… and some truths emerge.
Amadeus: Mozart’s death bed composition dictated to Salieri.
Amélie: The wordless ending of the lovely fantasy romance.
American Beauty: The beauty of a dancing plastic bag.
American Graffiti: It’s Harrison Ford’s breakout role as Bob Falfa, a wise-cracking farm boy.
Annie Hall: Woody Allen spells out the subtext in this scene.
The Apartment: “Shut up and deal.”
Apocalpyse Now: The introduction of a dangerous, drunk Captain Benjamin Willard.
Arrival: The opening and ending scenes provide a bookend which reveal a remarkable truth… and upend our sense of time.
As Good As It Gets: Melvin gives Carol a kiss … then another kiss.
The Babadook: A nighttime visit … on the ceiling … in the dark.
Back to the Future: Marty ‘meets’ his father for the first time.
The Banshees of Inisherin: Dominic proposes to Siobahn.
Barbie: A quiet, reflective moment where Barbie experiences something of what it means to be a human.
Barton Fink: The movie’s Bathing Beauty motif and the enigmatic ending.
Being John Malkovich: Craig is introduced to the 7 1/2 floor of his future place of employment.
Being There: At the end, Chance “walks on water,” a scene not in the script.
Big: The piano scene in FAO Schwartz.
Big Fish: Roles reverse as Will becomes the storyteller to usher his father into death.
The Big Lebowski: Walter and The Dude bid farewell to Donny.
Big Night: Making breakfast the morning after a disaster.
The Big Short: Margot Robbie. A bubble bath. Champagne. And subprime loans.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): A contentious exchange between Riggan and his daughter Sam turns into a truth-telling moment.
Black Swan: The shocking finale when hallucinations become real … or do they?
Blade Runner: The dramatic final confrontation between Deckard and Batty.
Blood Simple: It’s Abby versus Visser in the movie’s bloody and ironic ending.
Blue Velvet: Frank’s interesting relationship with ‘Mommy’.
Bonnie and Clyde: Compare the bloody ending to the script… much different.
Boogie Nights: A drug deal goes south to the tune of “Jessie’s Girl”.
Bottle Rocket: A robbery gone awry.
The Breakfast Club: Bender attempts an escape, fails, and the others cover for the “ruckus”.
Broadcast News: Aaron’s flop sweat moment on national TV.
Bull Durham: Annie sets ground rules for tryst, but Crash has other ideas.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: The knife fight.
Caddyshack: Carl’s Dalai Lama monologue.
Casablanca: “Round up the usual suspects.”
Cast Away: Chuck returns to Kelly… but she needs to return home.
Children of Men: In the midst of a heated battle, Theo find Kee and the baby alive. Then a miracle happens…
Chinatown: “My sister. My daughter.”
Citizen Kane: “Rosebud.”
Citizen Kane: The downward spiral of Kane’s marriage told in a memorable series of shots.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Greenhouse’s first encounter with the alien space ship.
CODA: After watching Ruby perform at a high school concert, her father goes outside to think… and Ruby follows.
Collateral: A jazz club, conversation, Miles Davis… and murder.
The Conversation: Caul witnesses a murder.
The Dark Knight: Joker offers Harvey Dent a chance to embrace chaos.
Dead Poets Society: Keating is forced out at the school and his students respond with a fitting farewell.
The Deer Hunter: Russian roulette in Vietnam.
Die Hard: Explosion on the rooftop.
Dog Day Afternoon: “Attica! Attica! Attica!”
Double Indemnity: Neff flirts with Phyllis for the first time.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: Major Kong takes a ride on a nuclear bomb.
Duck Soup: Groucho and Harpo mirror scene.
The Elephant Man: John Merrick gets his final wish — to sleep lying down.
Everything Everywhere All At Once: The emotional climax of the story … Evelyn and Joy share an intimate, yet powerful mother-daughter moment.
The Exorcist: “The power of Christ compels you!”
Eyes Wide Shut: Compare two scripted versions of the movie’s final scene.
Fargo: Carl and Grimsrud are stopped by a state trooper. Things get out of hand.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: “Twist and Shout”.
The Fabulous Baker Boys: “Makin’ Whoopee”.
Fight Club: The opening scene where we meet Narrator and Tyler Durden.
Frost/Nixon: A late night phone call from a drunk ex-President.
Full Metal Jacket: Private Pyle goes full metal jacket.
The Full Monty: The guys meet in the unemployment line.
Get Out: Missy hypnotizes Chris and sends him down into the Sunken Place.
The Godfather: The final scene between Michael and Kay.
Goodfellas: “You think I’m funny?”
Good Morning, Vietnam!: Cronauer’s first radio session.
Good Will Hunting: Will takes down a Harvard student and meets Skylar.
The Graduate: The brilliant musical montage of Benjamin’s affair with Mrs. Robinson.
The Great Escape: Hilts attempts a motorcycle escape.
Halloween: Michael Myers shot dead… or is he?
Heat: Hanna and McCauley meet for a ‘casual’ dinner conversation.
Inception: Cobb wakes up. He’s home. Finally, home. But… is it real?
Inglourious Basterds: Col. Hans Landa ‘chats’ with a French farmer.
The Insider: An incendiary story. Corporate interests. The news. Something has to give.
It’s A Wonderful Life: The phone scene.
It Happened One Night: The art of hitchhiking.
Jaws: The U.S.S. Indianapolis speech.
King of Hearts: The poetic ending.
Kramer vs. Kramer: The two French toast scenes.
Léon: The Professional: The ending played out in three great scenes.
Life of Brian: Brian attempts to escape a crowd of devotees who believe that he is the Messiah.
Little Miss Sunshine: Olive’s shocking dance routine.
Magnolia: Frog storm.
Manhunter: Graham seeks help from Hannibal Lecktor.
The Matrix: The red pill… or the blue pill.
Michael Clayton: Clayton confronts Crowder, then rides alone with his thoughts.
Moneyball: The use of the song “The Show” spotlights the central theme.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: The Black Knight.
Moonlight: Black shares a long-held secret to Kevin.
Moonrise Kingdom: Dancing on the beach.
The Natural: The Big Game-winning home run.
Network: “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
Night Shift: Bill breaks down the word “prostitution”.
No Country for Old Men: Coin toss.
North by Northwest: Crop duster.
On the Waterfront: Father Barry ‘preaches’ the truth to the dockworkers after one of them has been killed.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Chief puts MacMurphy out of his misery, then escapes.
Past Lives: The quiet emotionally rich ending of this beautiful movie.
Pulp Fiction: God stops the bullets.
Psycho: The shower scene.
Rachel Getting Married: A wedding toast gone awkwardly, painfully awry.
Repo Man: Miller takes Otto for a drive.
Rocky: Rocky takes Adrian ice skating.
Rounders: Mike plays one last hand with Teddy KGB.
Rushmore: Revenge.
Saving Private Ryan: Captain Miller reveals the truth about his life back home.
Scarface: Say hello to my little friend!
Schindler’s List: The Girl in the Red Dress.
Se7en: Final struggle between Mills and John Doe… and Mills with himself.
Shakespeare in Love: Will makes a startling discovery about Thomas.
The Shawshank Redemption: Red’s parole board subplot.
Sideways: Miles and Maya talk Pinot Noir and the “life of wine.”
The Silence of the Lambs: Clarice flashes back to the funeral of her father.
Some Like It Hot: Joe seduces Sugar, but Jerry ends up engaged to Osgood.
Source Code: Steven gains some closure via a phone call.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: Luke confronts a phantasm of Darth Vader… and his own Shadow.
Sunset Blvd.: Norma is ready for her close-up.
Tampopo: Learning from a Ramen master.
Thelma & Louise: The ending.
There Will Be Blood: “I drink your milkshake.”
There’s Something About Mary: The hair gel scene.
Thief: Frank meets with his old flame Jessie for a cup of coffee.
The Thing From Another World: The scientists discover a ‘flying saucer’.
This is Spinal Tap: “These go to 11.”
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Facing cancer, Willoughby decides to take fate into his own hands.
To Kill a Mockingbird: Atticus Finch summation speech for the jury.
Tootsie: George tells Michael absolutely no one will hire him.
True Grit: A snakebit girl. A wounded lawman. A flagging horse. A desperate ride.
The Untouchables: Ness meets Malone for the first time.
Up: Carl discovers that Ellie wants him to go on a new adventure.
The Usual Suspects: Verbal Kint revealed as Keyser Söze.
The Verdict: Frank’s summation argument in front of the jury.
Wall Street: “Greed is good.”
Whale Rider: Pai gives a performance… while her grandfather makes a stunning discovery on the beach.
When Harry Met Sally…: An argument over an awful looking coffee table.
Withnail and I: It’s Withnail taking on Danny the Headhunter in a verbal joust.
Witness: Samuel witnesses a murder.
Wizard of Oz, The: Tornado!
Wonder Woman: Diana charges into No Man’s Land.
Young Frankenstein: “Puttin’ on the Ritz”.
Zorba the Greek: After a catastrophe, Basil asks Zorba to teach him to dance.