This is a continuation of this series started here and continued here and here and here and here.
You can go there to see numbers 50-31. You can also check it out to remember the ground rules and criteria for choosing. A brief recap:
1. A moment can be only about 2 minutes (unless it is an unbroken shot).
2. Only one moment per movie.
3. All the context matters.
4. The subjective element of beauty is real.
5. Beauty only.
So, with those in mind, I will now share #5-#1 of the most beautiful moments in cinema.
I will provide Youtube links to the videos rather than embed them here. I would imagine that because this is critical commentary it qualifies for fair use, but I'd rather not take that chance.
You can click any of the links below to see the clips (most of them should be timestamped to begin at the moment referred.
SPOILERS FOR ALL THE MOVIES BELOW
5. The Wizard of Oz - "Munchkin Land"
There are many reasons why The Wizard of Oz has endured as one of the most beloved movies of all time. But I don't think people talk enough about the fact that it creates cinematic magic. We see a lot spectacle in movies, but there are not as many that fill you with a true sense of wonder and awe. And this moment is one of those rare occasions where the world opens up.
We've spent the entire movie in the black-and-white world of Kansas. As with any monochrome movie, eventually you forget that the world is plain and drab. But then Dorothy opens up that door and the most vivid, dazzling colors pour in and overwhelm you. Every child who sees this for the first time feels absolutely transported to another world. It is a moment of cinematic magic, where we feel as though the plainness of our own world could give way to a hidden magic just around the corner. The music rises slowly like a dream as even Dorothy herself is transformed, releasing the magic inside of her. It is a truly masterful shot that never ceases to create a sense of wonder.
4. Casablanca - "Last Shot"
Most of this movie plays out a lot like a film noir. The use of light and shadow, even with the romantic elements, hit at dark overtones. Rick's morally ambiguous character leads us to believe that this movie is going to have a dark and tragic end. But his utter selflessness makes the ending feel earned. Rick sacrificed romantic love in favor of agape, the highest form of sacrificial love. He's ready for Louis to turn him in for eventual execution. But Rick's heroism awakens the patriotism of the venal but charming Louis. As the two walk off, we hear the patriotic French theme rise. We then have (to paraphrase When Harry Met Sally) one of the greatest last lines of any movie: "Louis, I think this is the beginning a beautiful friendship." It is a deceptively simple line, but it does a lot in that one sentence. It is telling the audience that this is not a sad ending, but a happy beginning. It is reminding us that there are still beautiful things in this world besides romantic love. And that these two are about forge a friendship by fighting against evil together.
And as they walk the damp runway, the lights reflect on the ground as they walk into the mist. Our heroes are walking off into the stars themselves. They are mythic heroes stepping out of the darkness of Casablanca and into the stuff of legends. It is a call to bravery and heroism. It is a call to also be a friend of Rick and join back into the fight.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - "You Bow To No One"
I love movies. But as much as I love them, there are few moments that truly take my breath away. And Peter Jackson was able to do that with this moment.
People often complain that the ending to Return of the King is too long. I disagree. I think when you spend so much time with these characters, you need to give them the proper goodbye. This is the final scene with Aragorn, Arwen, Legolas, and Gimli. In particular, we just watched Aragorn fulfill his destiny as king and have his emotional reunion with Arwen. We take our last look at Eomer, Faramir, and Eowyn. But then we come to the hobbits.
The moment is set up as you would expect. The four hobbits are seen from a high angle: small folk in the larger world, the humans hovering over them. But with a look of utter compassion and love Aragorn delivers that unforgettable line, "My friends... you bow to no one." And as the camera descends with him, we as the audience also genuflect. Then we get the swelling of the Shire theme just as we see the entire people take a knee. And then the camera floats from a high angle to a low angle close up of Frodo. The people of Middle Earth will never be able to repay him for the sacrifice that will eventually cause him to leave forever. But this moment is a moment of acknowledgment and reverence. When we honor the heroes who gave everything for us, we know that we can never pay them back. What we have to give is poor recompense. Frodo will never be fully healed in this world. But what we can give is our honor.
I have never seen a movie that captures this sentiment like I do here.
2. The Sound of Music - "Opening Shots"
If you said to me that The Sound of Music is the most beautifully filmed movie of all time, then I don't think that I can argue with you. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like this. There are several musical films, many of them great. But few take permanent residence in the minds and hearts of people as this movie. One of the reasons is that director Robert Wise made a film that was so gorgeous to look at that it felt it was casting a spell on you.
I recently watched the movie again with my wife and I kept pointing out the fantastic use of color, framing, depth, motion... almost every frame of this movie is like a painting.
But the most beautiful shot is that opening shot of Maria. The wide arial shot fills you with the open, majestic grandeur of the mountains. But by themselves, they are lacking because there is no one in that space to appreciate it. And as the camera pulls in on Maria, we see her spin around as if taking in every beautiful vista around her as the music swells and then she hits you with that declaration "The hills are alive with the sound of music!" In the stage play, you have to feel that life through the enthusiasm of the character. But here we have not only Maria's ecstasy, but Wise envelops you with the beauty of those mountains and hills. You feel everything about this moment. When she sings that she wants to "laugh like a brook as it trips and falls over stones on its way..." Wise shows you the beauty of that little brook and how it calls to you its laughter. I don't think I've ever seen a movie that better embodies the Canticle from Daniel 3 where all of nature blesses the Lord!
The moment not only shows you the beautiful, it immerses you the beauty of God's creation.
1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope - "Tatooine Sunset"
It is 35 seconds long.
And yet it is the most beautiful moment in all of cinema.
It actually amazes me that this moment is in the movie. George Lucas is notorious for cutting scenes that are powerful but don't push the narrative forward. And if you watch the original Star Wars, you could cut this moment and not lose anything in the story. But Lucas understood the utter importance of this moment. It is so important that the endings of the Prequel and Sequel Trilogies are direct homages to this moment.
And it is also strikingly simple. It is made up of only 3 very simple camera angles: a wide on the Lars Homestead, a medium on Luke, and a reverse on the twin suns setting.
So why would this be the most beautiful moment in cinema?
First of all, look at the composition. When Luke walks out of the hut, he's moving out of darkness and he heads towards the light. The bottom half of the screen is washed-out sand, but the top half is full of red, yellow, and purple. And he is walking away from the only home he has ever known. He looks out with his eyes to the horizon, the limitless future. As he stands there, Luke is bathed in light. His call to adventure is a bright light illuminating him. The shot of the twin suns is one of the most beautiful in all of Star Wars. There are a lot of flashy special effects in the saga. But Lucas uses a simple camera trick to make the twin suns look like they were naturally photographed. To that original audience, Lucas pulls off an amazing magic trick: he makes something otherworldly and extraordinary like twin suns look natural, almost mundane. But at the same time, he makes that which is mundane feel extraordinary. In other words, this fantastic world feels real in a way that you don't feel in other movies.
We must also talk about the music. The use of the John Williams score is perfect. It starts as a small voice of discontent that we feel in Luke. But then as he looks out, it swells to a powerful and painful longing. CS Lewis talked about "joy," as a deep, painful ache that happens inside of the person when they experience something truly beautiful. It is because the beautiful thing makes you desire the eternal, otherworldly beauty of the transcendent God. When Luke looks out, he feels something like joy and the score makes the audience feel it too.
But above all, these 35 seconds convey the universal feeling of all human beings. When we are young, there comes a a time when the wide world calls to us. It can be scary, but it still calls. Luke looks out at the larger universe and he hears the call. It is something all of us have felt when looking at a sunset or the ocean or the wide planes or rolling hills. It isn't just a moment of admiration: it is a call for us to become. Become what? That is the adventure.
And all of that is communicated without words in those 35 seconds. I'm not even sure most people would put it into those words. But some of the deepest lived truths are things that we experience rather than articulate. And that is what Lucas has done with this moment. He wanted pull back the curtain on this world and have us touch not a world of fiction, but a world of truth, a world of myth.
