20 Dialogue-Free Movie Scenes to Remember

[jesse]

You may want to include a spoiler alert and hide some of that text. I don't really mind, and I'm pretty sure there isn't a soul now that either hasn't seen that movie or doesn't know how it ends. But still.

*raisies hand* On both counts.

Though it wouldn't have bothered me because it's not a film I'll likely ever see anyway.

[jesse]

Man, Searching for Bobby Fischer is one of those films I watched over and over as a kid but haven't seen in years. I should take another look.

[Sven]

*raisies hand* On both counts.

Though it wouldn't have bothered me because it's not a film I'll likely ever see anyway.

Well, I don't know how you managed it, but I must say, you're probably better off. There's only one film whose popularity baffles me more, and it rhymes with Mound of Kubrick.

[MadMan]

:crosses fingers for the final scene of In The Mood For Love:

I'm somewhat mixed about that scene to be honest. A second viewing is in order though, and I donno why I didn't viewing a second time when I rented it months ago (that was my first viewing of the film).

Yeah #8 rocks. The Lion King really was the peak of classic 2D animation, and sadly one of the last great 2D films made before the era of 3D emerged.

[Fezzik]

-= #6 =-

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

In the Trees

Description: In possession of the Green Destiny sword, Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang) is confronted by Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) in the courtyard of an old dojo. After a stellar one-on-one combat sequence (with Yeoh employing every type of weapon possible in an attempt to best Jen in a duel - and failing), Jen escapes with the sword as the dojo is stormed and ends up facing off against the rightful owner of the sword - Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) - in a fight amongst the treetops of a nearby wood.

The entire scene (from Jen's fight with Lien to the end of the confrontation with Mu Bai) did not qualify for this list, as there was plenty of dialogue interspersed, but when considered alone, the majority of her confrontation with Li Mu Bai amongst the trees certainly does. What struck me most about this scene was the use of sound - the leaves rustling, the wind whistling through the trees, the sound of water below. The two were enveloped by nature, something emphasized when their swords would occasionally meet in a clang. A gorgeous scene from a rather polarizing film.

[Fezzik]

I'd like to thank everyone for the support (and kind words) I've received so far. This list is about to reach the home stretch...

My personal Top 5 movie scenes which are free of dialogue.

Looking at the ones I have left, I already know that one will cause people to hate me forever or think I'm :crazy:.

To this point, the list hasn't had a strict order. I've been listing them as I could, searching for the images to go with the scenes the best I can.

Now that I'm to this point though, these will be my actual top 5.

The discussion so far has been rather light, so I don't know whether you're all enjoying this from afar or haven't been interested enough to have an opinion. To recap, though, here's where we are:

Honorable Mention #1 - Casablanca (1942), "La Marseillaise"
Honorable Mention #2 - Jurassic Park (1993) - the first dinosaur sighting

20 - Notting Hill (1999) - Will's walk through the market as the seasons change
19 - The Fugitive (1993) - The train crash
18 - Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - The roadside ambush
17 - Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988) - The kissing montage
16 - Say Anything… (1989) - "Ding!"
15 - The Philadelphia Story (1940) - Hand to the face!
14 - Star Wars (1977) - The double sunset
13 - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - [Spoiler Deleted]
12 - The Usual Suspects (1995)- The end
11 - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - Mourning Gandalf
10 - Mulan (1998) - Mulan's decision
9 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Clarice in Buffalo Bill's darkened basement.
8 - The Lion King (1994) - Wildebeest stampede
7 - Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) - Chess in the rain
6 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Fight in the trees

[Fezzik]

-= #5 =-

The Incredibles (2004)

Dash finds his feet

Description:

"Do what mom told you."
"Huh?"
"RUN!"
"Oh!!"

And in a flash, Dash is gone. The chase sequence that finally allows Dashiel Parr to experience exactly what he is capable of is one of my favorite sequences in any movie of any year. The frenetic energy in the scene matches Dash's enthusiasm and as he runs, flies and falls through the forest we're treated to an homage of the speeder biker chase in Return of the Jedi, the admission that when superheroes run very fast, they REALLY need to keep their mouths shut (its the bugs, you know), and that being a super can be really, really fun.

The best moment of the scene? When Dash closes his eyes as he approaches the edge of the lake, then looks down in surprise when he realizes he is running ON TOP of the water, then lets out a joyful laugh and speeds up even more. An incredibly (no pu...ok ok, pun intended) well done scene, and proof of Brad Bird's genius.

[Kurosawa Fan]

*Listens for Watashi's approaching feet in the distance*

[lovejuice]

A gorgeous scene from a rather polarizing film.

does it mean you actually don't like the film that much?

[Fezzik]

does it mean you actually don't like the film that much?

Actually, I adore it. A lot of people I know, though, get angry when talking about it because they hate it so much.

[Fezzik]

-= #4 =-

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Boy in the Corner

Description:

Oh man...I'm gonna hear it for this one...

[

Show Spoiler

Searching for their missing friend, Josh, in an old cabin in the woods, Heather (who is filming) and Mike are separated. After a while, Heather goes looking for Mike and finds him in the basement...standing facing the corner. A second later, she is struck and the camera falls...the end.

You either love this movie or you hate it, but this is, in my opinion, one of the more brilliantly crafted movie endings I've ever seen. Heather's camera focuses on Mike just long enough for you to put together in your head what it all means, and then, just as you realize it..*BAM* its over. I clearly remember the loud screams of realization from the back of the theater just before the moment of truth, and I walked out of the theater with weak knees - a first for me.

]

I'm not a big fan of horror films in general, but this one stuck with me, and the ending is why.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I LOVE, LOVE, Love your choices of Silence of the Lambs and the Lion King. This is turning out to be a very surprising and fun list.

[Scar]

I love The Blair Witch to death. FYI, that whole bloody entry is one big spoiler!

[Fezzik]

I love The Blair Witch to death. FYI, that whole bloody entry is one big spoiler!

Hah! I went back to add them but someone beat me to it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hah! I went back to add them but someone beat me to it.

Yeah, I wanted to get to it quickly.

[MadMan]

#6 is an amazing and beautiful moment and is poetry in motion. I love that film to death. #5 flat out rocks, and all of the action sequences in that film are excellent and exciting. #4 left me scared shitless and very, very creeped out. Its really the film's way of kicking you in the pants, and is an large, satisifying payoff to an eerie movie.

[Fezzik]

-= #3 =-

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Ride to ruin, and the World's ending...

Description: The horn sounds, the riders appear. Theoden (Bernard Hill, in an underappreciated performance) delivers one of the most poignant pre-battle speeches ever in a movie, and then they ride...the orcs try to form ranks, but soon break under the intimidating sight of hundreds of mounted Rohirrim bearing down on them. Soon, the riders break across the first rank like a wave, and all hell breaks loose.

It was very tough choosing between this and the Rohirrim's first appearance in The Two Towers, but I felt this one resonated more. The stakes were higher, the tension was ramped up, and for once, a movie showed what a calvary truly could mean to a battle.

If the ride wasn't enough, the shots to follow - crane shots following the riders as they rode THROUGH the orcs, made me tremble. Such beauty from violence. Still a landmark scene in one of the most emotionally draining movies I've ever seen.

Forth Eorlingas!

[Qrazy]

The best storyboarded sequence in the entire film, really terrific.

[Fezzik]

-= #2 =-

Psycho! (1968)

The Shower

Description: Yes, it's probably a cliche to have this here, but you know what they say...things become cliche because they're true, and this scene has stood the test of time. Hitchcock's bold move to not only kill of the "star" of the film less than halfway through, but to do it in such a brutal fashion, helped found this film's legacy. Bernard Herrmann's brilliant score is now almost as famous (some would say more so) than the movie itself.

The composition of this scene is so well done - the silhouette, the music, the cuts to the knife and the stabbing motion, the blood on the curtain and going down the drain. Hitchcock was a master and knew how to accomplish more by showing less. Even today, horror films are rarely this effective.

[Fezzik]

-= #1 =-

Glory (1989)

Trip's Flogging

Description: After being caught while trying to leave camp to find shoes, Private Trip (Denzel Washington) is sentenced to a flogging in front of the rest of his regiment. Despite Colonel Shaw's hesitance to go through with the act, he realizes that he has to hold to military law and orders the sentence to be carried out. In defiance, Trip throws off his shirt to reveal the criss-crossed scars of many whipping he'd received over the years as a slave.

Even the flogger looks uneasy performing the sentence, but does what he is ordered. Trip's eyes never leave the Colonel's face, and he says nothing in protest as he is flogged, but as strong as he is, even Trip can't keep a single tear from strolling down his cheek.

Upon seeing his movie for the first time, I was awestruck by Denzel's performance and it was this scene that helped me truly appreciate more aspects of filmmaking than just the writing. Glory has, over the years, become of my favorite films (it's so hard to pick a singular favorite, but this one is always in the discussion), and it was this scene that punctuated it's power.

A perfect example of the power of film without words.