'Prepare to meet the true Lord!'
Who said it: Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) in 'Gangs of New York'
Who he said it to: Bill the Butcher
Context: Both characters exchange barbs before the opening street fight. With a walking crucifix in one hand, Vallon unsheathes a six foot broadsword before exclaiming 'Prepare to meet the true Lord!' It's just a line the first couple of times you watch the movie, but the more I have seen the movie, the more this line gets to me. It's a line that can bring you into the scene. It makes you really cheer for the character, even if he's only in the movie for the first ten to fifteen minutes.
'Charming, to the last.'
Who said it: Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) in 'Star Wars: A New Hope'
Who he said it to: Princess Leia Organa
Context: Organa is brought upon the Death Star after the Tantive IV (sorry, Star Wars nerdiness is coming out) is captured by the Devastator and she is brought to Tarkin by Darth Vader. She is led to Tarkin in which she says 'I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.' 'Charming, to the last.' is his response. They both have hatred for each other because they represent opposite ends of the Rebellion/Empire spectrum. It's just a great line because the two characters are having friendly, angry exchange. You know that there is backstory between the two characters without having it being explained. They know each other, hate each other, and it is shown in these lines.
The singing of 'La Marseillasie'
Who sang it: a bunch of French people in 'Casablanca'
Who they sang it to: a bunch of German people
Context: In Rick's Bar, both German officers and French people/liberation fighters are milling around. A German soldier starts to play 'Die Wacht am Rhein' and the soldiers start to sing the song. In response, French people stand up and start to sing 'La Marseillasie'. I don't normally get moved by national anthems, but holy shit this scene! Both groups of people try to sing louder than the other, and the French people win the scene. The French people are emotionally singing with tears running down some of their faces, the Germans are stoically singing because they seemingly have to stand up for the Reich.
'I won't forget you'
Who said it: Adiran Cronauer (Robin Williams) in 'Good Morning, Vietnam'
Who he said it to: a bunch of army grunts
Context: In a movie that revolves around Robin Williams' ability to improvise and make us laugh, this scene encapsulates his ability to go from hilarious to serious in the blink of an eye. And this scene shows how the power of laughter can make one forget about the world around them and the seriousness of war. Even if it is just a movie and even if it is just for a few minutes. He comes across a bunch of grunts that are off to a heavily contested part of Vietnam (but what part wasn't?) and he is forced by Edward Garlick to stand up and do his radio personalities even though he does not want to. He starts to interact with the soldiers and he finds out where they are going. The soldiers start to give them their names, and the trucks pull away. The last line in the scene is 'I won't forget you.' and while this scene is a combination of funny and serious, this line is just a punch in the gut. Because, even if it is just a movie, historically speaking, you know that some of those guys weren't coming back.
Movies can connect with you for some reason or another, just like music. And different scenes from the same movie can connect with you for different reasons each time you watch the movie.
Who he said it to: Bill the Butcher
Context: Both characters exchange barbs before the opening street fight. With a walking crucifix in one hand, Vallon unsheathes a six foot broadsword before exclaiming 'Prepare to meet the true Lord!' It's just a line the first couple of times you watch the movie, but the more I have seen the movie, the more this line gets to me. It's a line that can bring you into the scene. It makes you really cheer for the character, even if he's only in the movie for the first ten to fifteen minutes.
'Charming, to the last.'
Who said it: Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) in 'Star Wars: A New Hope'
Who he said it to: Princess Leia Organa
Context: Organa is brought upon the Death Star after the Tantive IV (sorry, Star Wars nerdiness is coming out) is captured by the Devastator and she is brought to Tarkin by Darth Vader. She is led to Tarkin in which she says 'I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.' 'Charming, to the last.' is his response. They both have hatred for each other because they represent opposite ends of the Rebellion/Empire spectrum. It's just a great line because the two characters are having friendly, angry exchange. You know that there is backstory between the two characters without having it being explained. They know each other, hate each other, and it is shown in these lines.
The singing of 'La Marseillasie'
Who sang it: a bunch of French people in 'Casablanca'
Who they sang it to: a bunch of German people
Context: In Rick's Bar, both German officers and French people/liberation fighters are milling around. A German soldier starts to play 'Die Wacht am Rhein' and the soldiers start to sing the song. In response, French people stand up and start to sing 'La Marseillasie'. I don't normally get moved by national anthems, but holy shit this scene! Both groups of people try to sing louder than the other, and the French people win the scene. The French people are emotionally singing with tears running down some of their faces, the Germans are stoically singing because they seemingly have to stand up for the Reich.
'I won't forget you'
Who said it: Adiran Cronauer (Robin Williams) in 'Good Morning, Vietnam'
Who he said it to: a bunch of army grunts
Context: In a movie that revolves around Robin Williams' ability to improvise and make us laugh, this scene encapsulates his ability to go from hilarious to serious in the blink of an eye. And this scene shows how the power of laughter can make one forget about the world around them and the seriousness of war. Even if it is just a movie and even if it is just for a few minutes. He comes across a bunch of grunts that are off to a heavily contested part of Vietnam (but what part wasn't?) and he is forced by Edward Garlick to stand up and do his radio personalities even though he does not want to. He starts to interact with the soldiers and he finds out where they are going. The soldiers start to give them their names, and the trucks pull away. The last line in the scene is 'I won't forget you.' and while this scene is a combination of funny and serious, this line is just a punch in the gut. Because, even if it is just a movie, historically speaking, you know that some of those guys weren't coming back.
Movies can connect with you for some reason or another, just like music. And different scenes from the same movie can connect with you for different reasons each time you watch the movie.
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