Movie Wisdom

[deutsey]

What lines/passages from movies do you find moving, inspiring, profound?

I watched Adaptation recently and was really moved by the following passage:

There's a certain orchid looks exactly like a certain insect, so the...insect is drawn to this flower. Its double. Its soulmate. And wants nothing more than to make love to it. After the insect flies off, it spots another soul mate flower and makes love to it, thus pollinating it. And neither the flower nor the insect will ever understand the significance of their lovemaking. I mean, how could they know that because of their little dance the world lives? But it does. By simply doing what they're designed to do, something large and magnificent happens. In this sense, they show us how to live. How the only barometer you have is your heart. How when you spot your flower, you can't let anything get in your way.


Do you have any you'd like to share?

PS: And, of course, there's Bill Murray's line from Caddyshack: Gunga Gungagalunga. That just sends shivers down my spine. :-)

[FireHeart]

1. Oh yes...From "Gladiator"...it really fits the bill.

GRACCHUS :
He knows who Rome is. Rome is the
mob. He will conjure magic for them
and they will be distracted. And he
will takes their lives. And he will
take their freedom. And still they
will roar. The beating heart of
Rome isn't the marble of the Senate.
It's the sand of the Colosseum. He
will give them death. And they will
love him for it.

[morstyranni]

2. Taxi Driver (adaptation rules)

Adaptation is all about symbiosis, I love it.


Travis Bickle:
'One of these days I'm gonna get organizized'

I don't know if that qualifies as foreshadowng or what, but oh man, that was a lot of blood at the end of that movie.

[deutsey]

3. I loved Adaptation so much,

I bought a copy of the shooting script (hence my quote). I liked Being John Malkovich a lot, too.

[CBGLuthier]

4. From Magnolia

"The book says, we might be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us"

From the same film, the last line of dialog;

"...whatever you wanna tell me, whatever you think might scare me, won't...and I will listen...I will be a good listener to you if that's what you want...and you know, you know...I won't judge you.... I can do that sometimes, I know, but I won't...I can...listen to you and you shouldn't be scared of scaring me off or anything that you might think I'll think or on and on and just say it and I'll listen to you.... "

[soleft]

5. From A League of Their Own - My Mantra

It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard, that makes it great.

[hotphlash]

6. The irrepressible Yoda

"Do. Or Not Do. There is no try."

[Loonman]

7. Good topic

Tyler Durden: to the police chief Hi. You're going to call off your rigorous investigation. You're going to publically state that there is no underground group. Or... these guys are going to take your balls. And send one to the New York Times, one to the LA Times press release staff. Look, the people you are after are the people you depend on. We cook your meals, we drive your ambulances. We connect your calls, we guard you while you sleep. Do not... fuck with us.

[King_Crimson]

8. "...Pick up you bastards"...lookout Frederick Fleet

yelling into the phone from the crow's nest in the movie Titanic. First officer's reply "What do you see"? Fleet's reply.."Iceberg..."! right ahead"!

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

9. Mutiny on the Bounty (Brando Version)

Island chick to Brando: "You eat life, or life eats you."

Damned straight.

[Samuraimad]

10. Clerks

Theres a million fine looking women in the world.
Not all of them would bring you lasanga at work.
Most of them would just cheat on you. -Silent Bob

[salmonhorse]

11. A scene from: Braveheart ~

William returns to The Highlands after many years gone to the wedding of an old family friend. 'the lord', appointed by Edward Long Shanks, has arrived to claim Prima Nocte upon the newlyweds. The husband is infruiated and makes a move toward the the pagan lord; a soldier pulls a knife, laying the blade to his throat, at which point his Bride steps forward, whispers words of consolation into his ear, and pushes the blade off and away with the palm of her hand; very gently and with a great delicacy, disolving every tension on the screen with her grace & beauty both. Riding, nevertheless, off & away with a final look to her Groom over her shoulder...

But there are many fine scenes & passages in many fine creative works indeed ~