1) A father shares a rare moment of kindness with his son. Look at how the natural lighting (only the sun and source light seen onscreen) enhances the purely organic and spontaneous nature scene that takes the father by surprise. See the joy in his son’s face and the resentment in the other brother, lurking in the background (his thoughts are later heard through voiceover).
The Tree of Life dir. Terrence Malick:
2) Two strangers realize that, perhaps, they are in love. Lack of editing is as important as splicing a film into pieces. Performance and perfect timing are also essential to make the scene work. They both know that the other is looking, but they never make eye contact. Listen to the lyrics, which the characters can hear as well.
Before Sunrise dir. Richard Linklater:
3) A long a waited reunion. The narrator anticipates the scene and builds up its importance. Nico’s “These Days” is perhaps the most perfect musical moment in film.
The Royal Tenenbaums dir. Wes Anderson:
4) A lie is exposed, and a marriage disintegrates in just three minutes. This is a more classically constructed scene with a focus on precise lighting, camera movement and controlled performances (save for one unhinged character). It also has a great beginning (the door to Michael’s office opens), middle (accompanied by rising action as Connie and Kay confront Michael, who denies all accusations), and end (with a beautiful cliffhanger as the door is shut on Kay’s face the moment she realizes the true nature of her husband).The music here is noticeable, but (like the almost invisible editing), it is subtle and doesn’t take precedence over the dialogue.
The Godfather dir. Francis Ford Coppola:
5) Sometimes, to make a scene work, all you really need is a beautifully scripted monologue to come in at an opportune moment. Arguably, the purest, most honest moment in film.
A Charlie Brown Christmas dir. Bill Melendez:
Bonus) Movies are made of images. If you’ve ever seen any movie, even if you’re not the kind to recall particular shots, you have at least one image stored permanently in your memory; that image is in this scene. Movies can make people fly.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial dir. Steven Spielberg:
