What are the five greatest moments of triumph in modern film?

Question

I'm trying to collect a good, solid list. I'm looking for posts like this:

Forrest Gump: When the boys are chasing Forrest as a child and in a miraculous moment he breaks free of his bonds and runs for the first time.

Please be descriptive about WHY you think each item deserves to be on the list. :)

Answer 1

In Casablanca, when Rick finally becomes noble and starts with the spiel, "I'm not very good at being noble, but..."

In Blade Runner, when the replicant Roy Batty goes into "I have seen the Gates of...." speech, and decides to let Deckard live.

There's two for you. The key thing is that in each, the character has grown beyond their limits to attain something newer, nobler.

I could be here all night. Thanks for the question. Maybe I'll check back in a week after I'm done computing every movie I've ever seen!

Suffice to say, all hot points in any movie deal with either a transition in character development, or a resolution of a plot line (answering the Major Dramatic Question).

You can add the part when Oedipus Rex discovers he is married to his mother.. it's one of the oldest of the "heavy duty" moments in drama.

Answer 2

5 - The Karate Kid Part 1 - After painful beatings and humiliation, Daniel Larusso wins dignity, respect and "balance" (not to mention a huge trophy and a sweet yellow convertable).

4 - Rocky 2 - Rocky finally proves to the world that he's not a "bum" from Philly and was truly the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

3 - Caddyshack - Danny Noonan's putt finally goes into the hole after a series of explosions rocks the golf course. Danny doesn't need the help of Judge Smails to go to college. He's now rich and Rodney Dangerfield is the greatest (I digress)

2 - Shawshank Redemption - Andy Dufresne pulled off the unimaginable (escape and exposing a corrupt prison system) and the last thing that went through Warden Norton's mind was a bullet.

1 - Star Wars Return of the Jedi - Luke Skywalker defeats Darth Vader AND refuses to let the "dark side" overpower him and he officially becomes a Jedi (like his father before him).

Answer 3

Shawshank Redemption: When Eddie Dufrain is driving along the Pacific Coast in his convertable ... he came a long way.

Lord of the Rings/Return of the King: When the eagles come to rescue the hobbits. A beautiful scene and gives hope when things look hopeless.

Fearless: Jet Li is grabbed by his opponent and his hand is raised as the victor, even though he lost the fight.

World Trade Center: When Nicolas Cage is brought out of the rubble - ultimate survivor.

Answer 4

there'll be Blood Magnolia Punch-inebriated Love Boogie Nights not constructive about the draw close even though it does have a competent solid BQ: Rushmore, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling constrained, remarkable Mr. Fox, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the global BQ3: not yet BQ4: The darkish Knight Rises, the remarkable Spider-guy, red lighting fixtures fixtures, The Watch, The Bourne Legacy BQ5: Lol nope yet i'd attempt it

Answer 5

Gone with the Wind: When Scarlett swears she will never go hungry again, as Atlanta burns. Scarlett was a heroine when women weren't heroines, especially not the Scarlett types(LOL). She became a "sort of role model" for what independence could and eventually would do for women.

Philadelphia: When the verdict is read (since u already used Forrest Gump) This movie and moment seared our minds with the indignation and humiliation of discrimination, maybe helping to frame and lead us to bringing all types and forms of discrimination to light.
Crash: When the man shot a blank @the little girl. It reminds of how little we are in control. How things do work for good, even when we don't know it or see it.

Braveheart: When William Wallace screams Freedom. We fought with him from the moment they cut his "loves" throat, we believed in HIS cause, and we knew he would need to die to prove it. So his final "yell" became our "Battle Cry", reminding us today that FREEDOM is worth dying for...

Passion of the Christ: When Jesus arises from death. This moment in movie history needs no description. It speaks for itself.

Answer 6

Shawshenk
Gladiator

Practical Magic..when they all jump off the roof in witches costumes at the end

American Beauty..at the end when he is laying in his own blood and is smiling and narrating what a great life it was.

Don Juan DeMarco (Johnny Depp) at the end when everybody is waltzing on the beach

and if you ask a greatest moments of defeat, I've got more than 100

Answer 7

May not fit the type, but I love the scene in "Jerry Maguire" when Rod wins the game near the end, and Jerry helps him finally realize how much he loves the game. What really sweetens this scene for me is that Jerry also manages to realize how important his marriage is, AND re-establishes his career- all in one scene!

Answer 8

Rocky running up the steps of the Philly library.

That is triumph over himself, if nothing else

Answer 9

RUDY- when everyone, beginning w/ his teamates who he gained respect from, started chanting rudy. and vince vauhn throws a pass to give rudy time to get into the game. and rudy gets his chance and makes the sack on the quarterback. it's amazing. it gives me goosebumps everytime. in fact, i kinda have them now. it all started when his teamates weren't going to play unless he could dress, then walking out of the corridore w/ the screaming fans in the Notre Damme stadium. what an awesome scene.


also of course, when the karate kid beat johnny of the cobra kai's. i cry everytime and give a standing 'o'.

Answer 10

In Gladiator at the end when Maximus dies and he goes to Alysium (heaven) and joins his son and wife. His dream of joining them again has come true, even though he is dying. I cry every single time