Favorite Movie Scenes

@Tinami Amori, I can't make you see anything you don't want to see ;)

But I would suggest to watch the film again with a more open mind. The first part of my post proposed the idea that Ozu was agreeing with you, and Late Spring is not necessarily a morality tale telling women to accept society's expectations and endure. Rather, it could be interepreted (and very often is by many people) as a tragedy that speaks out against those very ideas. People have claimed that Noriko's marriage would force her into total hell, that she is asexual (possible) or a lesbian (doubtful), others have said she's just an immature adult baby who needs a kick in the pants from her dad...there is a whole host of beliefs. Really, I think it comes down to your own projection, and rather than the director telling you what the story means and what you should believe, Ozu masterfully crafts a deep and complex character that is hard to pin down.

I think you take out of the movie that from your life which you bring into it.
 
ToFarAwayTimes said:
@Tinami Amori, I can't make you see anything you don't want to see ;)

But I would suggest to watch the film again with a more open mind. The first part of my post proposed the idea that Ozu was agreeing with you, and Late Spring is not necessarily a morality tale telling women to accept society's expectations and endure. Rather, it could be interepreted (and very often is by many people) as a tragedy that speaks out against those very ideas. People have claimed that Noriko's marriage would force her into total hell, that she is asexual (possible) or a lesbian (doubtful), others have said she's just an immature adult baby who needs a kick in the pants from her dad...there is a whole host of beliefs. Really, I think it comes down to your own projection, and rather than the director telling you what the story means and what you should believe, Ozu masterfully crafts a deep and complex character that is hard to pin down.

I think you take out of the movie that from your life which you bring into it.
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Let's do this. You share your impressions of the movies, and i share mine, and since neither one of us is hitting anyone in the face or on the wallet, neither one of us needs to "make the other see".

I see the artistic beauty of Late Spring, and at the same time consider the plot, the issues and dialogues close to morals and story lines from "Leave it to Beaver" .... she realized and learned her lesson that widowers can be happy when remarry..... he realized she would be happy if she made her own choice.... and then he pills his apple and dies alone.... sorry, but in my life in one year i have 5 or more relationships with relatives and people that would make better movie plots.. :D Give me Rashomon anyday....... that's a story! logic! intrigue! deduction! reasoning!.... just as good as "12 angry men".
 
I think one thing both of you can agree with is that Setsuko Hara and Ozu made magic together. She simply glowed on the screen. It's the same feeling I get when I just look at Audrey Hepburn on the screen.

Tinami, I think I get where you're coming from, and Ozu really has a paternalistic bent on the material he covers and the direction he takes, but I think he wasn't making a judgment so much as telling stories based on observations of Japanese life. What I love about Tokyo Story was that Noriko in that story was stuck in her life very content to live it as is, but her parents-in-law saw they needed to let her go because she was too comfortable and knew she had to take the risk and plunge to move on from living in the shadow of her deceased husband. We don't know where she was going, and she sure did look unhappy being told to leave the family behind to move on, but the idea with life is that we have to move on...whether it's up or down for now you have to keep moving.

That's a constant theme in his films and for many of his female characters, it meant marriage which is a highly traditional, heteronormative way to think of moving on to the next stage of life, but I think it was probably very common and normal in Japan during that time for professional women. Again, it's a very paternalistic approach but one that I believe is true to life as so many adults do feel they are holding their children back and feel they need to push their kids out. It doesn't stop when their kids become adults. No judgment, just an observation and a very true-to-life one at that. That's brilliance of Ozu and slice-of-life material. It's real observations to life even if it's something we don't want to observe and wish would be different.

For me, Japanese cinema captures slice-of-life better than any other cinema. Taiwanese new wave is very close as well. I think my opinion on that is because of my cultural background and despite my western sensibilities and progressiveness, I really understand the whole family dynamic and weighing expectations. Even now, I find myself knowing my life isn't completely my own and whatever I do reflects on and affects my family and whatever choices I make always has that idea in the back of my mind.
 
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ToFarAwayTimes said:
That is one take on Late Spring, but not necessarily the only one. It's a very deep, complex film. If you are so inclined, you could just as easily see the film in the exact opposite way--the daughter's marriage will be total hell for her (regardless whether her husband is a good man or not), and the father regrets what he has done. Try watching Setsuko Hara in Mikio Naruse's Repast (1951) or Sound of the Mountain (1954) right after Late Spring and see if you think Ozu's film is a tragedy rather than a morality tale.

Of course, I believe it's intentionally ambiguous and that's what makes it so good.

Visually, Late Spring is a masterpiece for so many reasons. I watched it a couple times recently and the one thing I caught on the second viewing was how the camera moves around early in the film. Ozu regulars will know that later in his career, almost all of his shots were taken with a stationary camera that never moved, sitting at tatami mat floor level, looking up slightly at the actors. In Late Spring, the camera actually does move around a little and it's a more kinetic film. There is the famous bike scene towards the beginning, but also the shots from the moving train, and the tracking shot of Noriko walking away angrily from her father on the side of the road.

These aren't just visual delights for the sake of it, but they serve a very specific narrative purpose. Noriko begins the film carefree and happy, content with her life. Just as she is free to move around and do as she pleases, so does Ozu's camera move with her sometimes. Lots of free and open exterior shots too.

But as the demands and expectations of society close in around her, Noriko's smile fades, and the camera never moves again. Most of the remaining shots are tight interior ones, or when an occasional outside shot does appear, it's a horde of people cramming into a very small space, or Ozu cramming in a very packed frame composition, adding to the feeling of forced domesticity and total heartbreak.
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I love your breakdown of the films. It's absolutely on-point. I enjoyed this NYTimes critic's pick feature on Tokyo Story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R65wTHVUCGk

And BFI's feature on it as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT0lNFuyCk4&spfreload=1

I heard once that there was nothing friendlier to a film actor than black and white film, and I sort of think it's true.
 
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VIETgrlTerifa said:
I think one thing both of you can agree with is that Setsuko Hara and Ozu made magic together. She simply glowed on the screen. It's the same feeling I get when I just look at Audrey Hepburn on the screen.

Tinami, I think I get where you're coming from, and Ozu really has a paternalistic bent on the material he covers and the direction he takes, but I think he wasn't making a judgment so much as telling stories based on observations of Japanese life. What I love about Tokyo Story was that Noriko in that story was stuck in her life very content to live it as is, but her parents-in-law saw they needed to let her go because she was too comfortable and knew she had to take the risk and plunge to move on from living in the shadow of her deceased husband. We don't know where she was going, and she sure did look unhappy being told to leave the family behind to move on, but the idea with life is that we have to move on...whether it's up or down for now you have to keep moving.

That's a constant theme in his films and for many of his female characters, it meant marriage which is a highly traditional, heteronormative way to think of moving on to the next stage of life, but I think it was probably very common and normal in Japan during that time for professional women. Again, it's a very paternalistic approach but one that I believe is true to life as so many adults do feel they are holding their children back and feel they need to push their kids out. It doesn't stop when their kids become adults. No judgment, just an observation and a very true-to-life one at that. That's brilliance of Ozu and slice-of-life material. It's real observations to life even if it's something we don't want to observe and wish would be different.

For me, Japanese cinema captures slice-of-life better than any other cinema. Taiwanese new wave is very close as well. I think my opinion on that is because of my cultural background and despite my western sensibilities and progressiveness, I really understand the whole family dynamic and weighing expectations. Even now, I find myself knowing my life isn't completely my own and whatever I do reflects on and affects my family and whatever choices I make always has that idea in the back of my mind.
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:D thank you for good explanation. Let me just say: there is a difference between "not liking because you don't understand" and "understanding and thus not liking it"... :lol:.

I understand, i've seen the Ozu's trilogy several times, i had discussions about it with my Japanese friends and business associates when i lived and worked in Hokkaido/Hakodate & Sapporo... This scene is gorgeous, but dialogue makes me CRINGE... i want to punch her for being so obedient at her age, and him for saying something so idiotic and detrimental to her life.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kswwLFUcEpA

I can't help it, no matter how much i understand "culture and history".... the same as i cringe and whind forward the scene from "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" where Batalov leaves her when finding out that she is Big Boss with Big Salary... And in "Devil Wears Prada" when her ass-hat jerk boyfriend, some lousy cook, guilt trips her about missing his party because of work, and tells her "she works too much, and in relationship with her boss instead of him". I understand, i just can't stand listening to it.... :D
 
No, I get that too. I think I make more allowances if it's portraying a time and culture I'm not a part of. I remember that scene from Devil Wears Prada and thinking she was totally being exploited and worked as a slave for the Meryl Streep character (for little pay from what the dad character said), but so long as she worked there she had a job to do and it was stupid that her boyfriend was angry at her for that as it's not like he didn't know the demands of her job. Plus, I remember thinking the boyfriend character sort of rang false because cooks, sous chefs, and chefs work extremely long hours at a labor-intensive and fast-paced job (especially in New York City) and he would have been just as tired and unable to have a big social life too.
 
Tinami Amori said:
Let's do this. You share your impressions of the movies, and i share mine, and since neither one of us is hitting anyone in the face or on the wallet, neither one of us needs to "make the other see".
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Well I have to say I am here for conversation, not just to talk over each other back and forth. There is too much shouting at people on the internet these days.

Tinami Amori said:
I see the artistic beauty of Late Spring, and at the same time consider the plot, the issues and dialogues close to morals and story lines from "Leave it to Beaver" .... she realized and learned her lesson that widowers can be happy when remarry.....
Click to expand...

I made the point twice, but I think you did not read it, or had already made up your mind, but for anyone who is interested, there is a Japanese concept called aimai. It is similar to ambiguity. Japanese do not make precise statements traditionally, in formal presentation, or conversation, especially toward people they are not very familiar. In Ozu, you can no more say that the father's speech is what he really feels true to his heart, than you can say it's just a mask and what he feels he is supposed to say, bound by duty. You can no more say that Ozu agrees with the moralistic approach to the story, than you can say he feels the opposite, and the entire movie is a cry against traditional expectations of society.

This is one thing that made Ozu and Hara popular with contemporary Japanese audiences--their ability to straddle the line between traditional beliefs and "new" generation progressive thoughts. Ozu didn't accept that traditional ways were always right, but he didn't accept that "outdated" should always give way to "enlightened" beliefs of the new generation either, as we take for granted today. That's because he had lived through Imperial Japan and its destruction....a generation of people who, as a society, chose the wrong paths, and paid a very dear price.

Certainly, I will acknowledge there are many interpretations to the wonderful Ozu. That's what makes him so good. I would disagree with your characterization that Late Spring is a moralistic tale though. When I watch the movie, I do not think that Noriko's life will be happy. I do not think she is learning a "Leave it to Beaver" lesson. I think the ending is the most devastating thing I've ever seen. Not just for her father, but for Noriko herself. But there is also just enough ambiguity from my perspective, that I can sometimes indulge in the more traditional interpretation, depending on my mood.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
I love your breakdown of the films. It's absolutely on-point. I enjoyed this NYTimes critic's pick feature on Tokyo Story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R65wTHVUCGk

And BFI's feature on it as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT0lNFuyCk4&spfreload=1

I heard once that there was nothing friendlier to a film actor than black and white film, and I sort of think it's true.
Click to expand...

I had seen these before, but these are great. Thanks. :)

I think I read some critic or review once who said the same thing about black and white films and photography. If you look at pictures of your family or friends, they don't seem "movie-like", they just look goofy and too modern. I don't necessarily agree with that, color is such wonderful part of film, but I also find incredible beauty in black and white pictures. Even silent films can be good too!

And I have the utmost respect for the restorations that BFI does. They take a minimalist approach to digital cleanups. The more grain and detail that gets preserved, the better. A lot of studios will use the computers too much and wind up with too much of an artificial look.
 
ToFarAwayTimes said:
Well I have to say I am here for conversation, not just to talk over each other back and forth. There is too much shouting at people on the internet these days.
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This topic is "share your thoughts and favorite movie episodes", which means "share your thoughts and favorite movie episodes". There is not an invitation to critique others' choices!

So far it's been like this:
- poster A (gk) said: I am a fan of Ozu. I am not a fan of film A, but like films B & C, because of... (personal taste, and personal emotional reaction).
- i said: I am also fan of Ozu. I am also not a fan of film A and B, but like C, because of... (personal taste, and personal emotional reaction).

Then you jumped in and critiqued and commented on one's personal taste and emotional reaction.
That's IDIOTIC and invasion of privacy.

ToFarAwayTimes said:
I made the point twice, but I think you did not read it, or had already made up your mind,...
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I don't care how many times you "make your point" to impose your views on my personal taste and emotional reactions.
I did not invite you to comment on such. If i have a question, i ask a question.
State your case what you like or dislike and why, as it relates to your taste, prefs, and emotions, and stay out of others' private space, unless asked to comment.
 
Tinami Amori said:
Then you jumped in and critiqued and commented on one's personal taste and emotional reaction.
That's IDIOTIC and invasion of privacy.
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If you don't want people here to comment on what you say, then communicate via private messages. This is FSU, so anything and everything one posts here is fair game.

On the other hand, describing someone else's comments as "IDIOTIC" is just plain rude.
 
Vagabond said:
If you don't want people here to comment on what you say, then communicate via private messages. This is FSU, so anything and everything one posts here is fair game.

On the other hand, describing someone else's comments as "IDIOTIC" is just plain rude.
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There are topics with different purposes, some to discuss personal opinions, some to simply state "your likes/dislikes of movies/books/travel/etc." This topic states "Name your favorite movie scenes" which may include an individual mentioning of certain preferences of "movie scenes" or films.

To question someone's taste and film preferences is IDIOTIC and out of context.
 
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VIETgrlTerifa said:
The Heiress scene with Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGNSL14kuCA
This seems like a sweet scene of courtship and growing affection but boy those lyrics foreshadow the rest of the movie
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If you're a fan of "The Heiress", "Washington Square" remake, and James' novel which both films are based on, i have several questions about the plot (if you're willing).
 
Tinami Amori said:
If you're a fan of "The Heiress", "Washington Square" remake, and James' novel which both films are based on, i have several questions about the plot (if you're willing).
Click to expand...

I haven't seen Washington Square yet, but I've been meaning to. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, but I fear I may not be knowledgeable enough to answer. It's been a while since I've seen the film.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
For me, Japanese cinema captures slice-of-life better than any other cinema. Taiwanese new wave is very close as well. I think my opinion on that is because of my cultural background and despite my western sensibilities and progressiveness, I really understand the whole family dynamic and weighing expectations. Even now, I find myself knowing my life isn't completely my own and whatever I do reflects on and affects my family and whatever choices I make always has that idea in the back of my mind.
Click to expand...

Very much so, especially Ozu but also Naruse as well.

Would you count Yi Yi as Taiwanese new wave? Because that was another movie that beautifully captured slice-of-life too.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
I haven't seen Washington Square yet, but I've been meaning to. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, but I fear I may not be knowledgeable enough to answer. It's been a while since I've seen the film.
Click to expand...
Washington Square film is on youtube, legit. and unblocked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4wWw3lpXqY
My questions relate to comparison of the 2 films to the original novel plot, because i am not clear about "intentions" of the few characters from reading the novel, and have different impressions from the 2 films:
- why was the Aunt so interested in the Boy and his future? she said he is like a son to her, but is there more to it? is she in love with him? wants to be "important in someone's life"? has resentment towards family's fortune and status and wants to bring them down to earth? just a meddling busy-body?
- did the Father actually disliked his daughter, or was his simply a cynic by nature and over protective?
- did he deserve to be loathed by Daughter (and abandoned in his last hours as shown in the first film)?
- did the Boy had strictly pragmatic intentions, or did he have some feelings? etc..
 
Tinami Amori said:
Washington Square film is on youtube, legit. and unblocked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4wWw3lpXqY
My questions relate to comparison of the 2 films to the original novel plot, because i am not clear about "intentions" of the few characters from reading the novel, and have different impressions from the 2 films:
- why was the Aunt so interested in the Boy and his future? she said he is like a son to her, but is there more to it? is she in love with him? wants to be "important in someone's life"? has resentment towards family's fortune and status and wants to bring them down to earth? just a meddling busy-body?
- did the Father actually disliked his daughter, or was his simply a cynic by nature and over protective?
- did he deserve to be loathed by Daughter (and abandoned in his last hours as shown in the first film)?
- did the Boy had strictly pragmatic intentions, or did he have some feelings? etc..
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to give it some thought after I watch Washington Square and re-watch The Heiress. I never read the original novel nor the play that the film version of The Heiress is adapted from, and I don't think I will any time soon, so my thoughts will only be based on my take from the films.

gk_891 said:
I didn't care for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but I did like this weapon to weapon fight scene between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mClOxgyWLs8
Click to expand...

I absolutely love Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's such a gorgeous film, an unexpected plot pacing with that giant flashback scene, and I loved everything Ang Lee intended to portray explicitly and in terms of subtext with his shots.
 
VIETgrlTerifa said:
I absolutely love Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's such a gorgeous film, an unexpected plot pacing with that giant flashback scene, and I loved everything Ang Lee intended to portray explicitly and in terms of subtext with his shots.
Click to expand...

Like Late Spring, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is also one of my top five favorite films ever. Besides the insane fight scenes, I love the contrast between the two relationships, love young vs. old love. As you get older, you can appreciate the scenes between Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh much more.

But personally, I think this is the best scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GknXkeKDDA
 
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Favorite Scenes

Cinema Paradiso

My favorite film ending as well as the boy (now a man) receives his gift from the old man with that beautiful soundtrack that we now hear on the ice sometimes: https://youtu.be/2AOWWTilu6Q

The Deer Hunter

The Wedding Dance: https://youtu.be/Fev57b729e4

Wings of Desire

Library Scene where the angels (in their overcoats) gather to listen and comfort and film of the angels outside in Berlin:

https://youtu.be/ivnMDs2krX0, https://youtu.be/xS2jiJHQ1Hk

In&Out "IS EVERYBODY GAY?" Joan Cusack's hilarious scene after she finds out her fiance is gay.

https://youtu.be/YpLH4ogcy1E
 
The Kiss montage from Cinema Paradiso
Godfather https://youtu.be/Tw7NIomrjmM
The elevator scene in Being There
Scariest: Clarice following Buffalo Bill through his house in Silence of the Lambs
Little miss Sunshine talent show https://youtu.be/GkjhhNtW8JY
King of hearts when the asylum residents come out and find their identities
 
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One of my favorite film endings is from The Straight Story, about the old man who drive his seated lawn mower across state or states to visit his brother because he was no longer allowed to drive:
 
This one from Amadeus: https://youtu.be/pxgZcMGmkkI It's everything.

Also, I second When You’re Good To Mama @Vagabond I keep rewatching this even though I’ve never seen the movie in its entirety as I am not a fan of musicals. OK, you can go get your pitchforks now. :scream:

A sentimental favorite—the last scene in Fanstastic Beasts when Jacob remembers Queenie after going through a spectrum of emotions and finally this big smile spreads on his face. It made the movie for me. https://youtu.be/lC5eeFK9mw8#t=03m40s
 
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Tinami Amori said:
I can't help it, no matter how much i understand "culture and history".... the same as i cringe and whind forward the scene from "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears" where Batalov leaves her when finding out that she is Big Boss with Big Salary... And in "Devil Wears Prada" when her ass-hat jerk boyfriend, some lousy cook, guilt trips her about missing his party because of work, and tells her "she works too much, and in relationship with her boss instead of him". I understand, i just can't stand listening to it.... :D
Click to expand...

To my shame I haven’t seen the Japanese movies you are discussing.

But I do remember being angry at The Devil Wears Prada. A lot of young professionals at the start of their careers put in grueling hours and miss out on things. So do elite athletes for that matter, for the entire duration of their careers.

If that’s the choice you’ve made, it should be respected, not shamed. And giving up shouldn’t be lauded as the good, expected choice, the whole point that the protagonist learns.

You can decide it’s not for you for whatever reason and of course that’s fine. But persistenting at your extremely demanding job for the sake of your career should be fine too. I hate that movie’s conclusion.
 
I actually don't mind the conclusion because that work-life balance in the movie was extremely unhealthy as was that relationship with Miranda. I think I'm more sympathetic towards people who choose that balance now that I live in a place and have a job and have friends whose jobs do demand long hours. It seems cool at first to be that busy, but many studies are showing the effects of those highly-demanding jobs on one's mental and physical health. There's a reason why some jobs have high rates of alcohol and drug dependency and higher self-harm rates. I mean in a weird way, it's sort of something to brag about, but it's really not.
 
Years ago, I remember staying for a few weeks with a friend who shared an apartment with a few other young professionals in London. He worked 10-12 hour days in a highly demanding job in finance.

He is now semi-retired at a rather young age. Living a nice life.

Some people naturally have a strong drive to succeed, they thrive in that demanding environment. It’s a choice as valid as to choose balance. Whatever works for the individual in question. But that view wasn’t presented in Prada.
 
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