In its more than 100 years of history, the cinema has left us with countless peak moments that have hooked us to the seat and later encouraged us to return in search of the same emotions. And it is clear that there are many kinds of stories: some come to us through feelings while others violently impact by their symbolism until they reach the top of the collective imagination in ways that we can rarely imagine. So we have decided to select the scenes that, closing our eyes, first come to mind when we want to remember why we love movies so much.
The best scenes in history?
Like any self-respecting classification, it is certain that you will miss some classic sequences in the history of cinema. It is normal, we are not all impacted by movies in the same way and we always have our little corners where we keep that part of the heart that connects with certain stories that move us. In our case, we have opted for some of those productions that, without being the best in history, have served to change the way of making movies or telling stories.
Sequences that mark times, that define ways of making movies and that go beyond the limits of the screen and are installed as an inseparable part of popular culture . We owe them that need to go back to theaters, to buy popcorn and wait for the lights to go out to travel to worlds that have yet to be invented. They are all the ones that are there, although you probably consider that not all the ones that are are there, but the ones you have below are the ones that manage to touch our little cinephile heart that, like it or not, we all carry inside. Let’s go there!
Voyage to the Moon (1902)
The wonder created 120 years ago by Georges Méliès still resonates in the world of cinema. His iconic images have inspired hundreds of directors who, upon seeing this masterpiece, wanted to step on the Moon thanks to cinema.
Gone with the Wind (1939)
One of the most iconic scenes in Gone with the Wind . Who has not pronounced out loud that mythical phrase “I will never go hungry again”? Even if it is rhetorical, of course.
Desert Centaurs (1956)
The ending of John Ford’s film is one of the most perfect in the history of cinema. John Wayne returns home ending his particular initiatory journey to Ulysses in The Odyssey and marking many directors who continue to consider it one of the best films.
Giant (1956)
This film was the last work of James Dean, who died in an accident before finishing it. But that mythical scene in which he finally finds oil remains to be remembered, and from that moment his life changes. A pity the sudden loss of him.
Thirst for Evil (1958)
Orson Welles is one of the directors who has left the most iconic moments throughout the history of cinema and the opening sequence of Thirst for Evil is one of them. Anthological sequence shot that introduces us to the action of the film in a masterful way.
With Death on Your Heels (1959)
What to say about one of the most celebrated scenes in Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography: Gary Cooper puts on a great grimace of surprise when he sees a plane flying too low and the thing ends as you all probably remember.
Psycho (1960)
The shower sequence has been, without fear of being wrong, one of the most inspiring that has served for dozens of directors to have replicated it in their own way as a tribute. That shot of the sinkhole with bloody water is one of the most remembered moments in the history of cinema.
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick uses the first hominids to carry out the longest ellipsis in the history of cinema to the future, to a year 2001 in which man would have already conquered space. On top of that, the musical theme of Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Richard Strauss was already the height of perfection together with The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Raise your hand if you didn’t freak out when you saw the end of this movie and it left a certain bitter aftertaste. Charlton Heston discovers that he was always on Earth and there is no better way to understand that than to come across an iconic monument. Do you remember which one it is?
Shark (1974)
Steven Spielberg breaks into this selection in which he has a few scenes of his own. He is the greatest for a reason. On this occasion, we attended the start of the film that struck fear into the hearts of millions of viewers around the world. And there is no better way to do it than with an attack on a calm bather in the sea.
Star Wars (1977)
The opening titles of Star Wars, telling us part of the story to situate ourselves, marked an era and served as a differentiating element for the creation of George Lucas. Raise your hand if you don’t have a special memory of this moment, accompanied by the musical theme of the great John Williams.
Alien the Eighth Passenger (1979)
Ridley Scott created a superb movie around a murderous creature. But the way in which it shows how it was born is so memorable and unique that few have dared to copy it for fear of being accused of plagiarism . That’s right. A pity that John Hurt dies so soon…
Brian’s Life (1979)
Monty Python’s masterpiece is still so relevant that all his jokes seem taken from the present. The final song is just the summary of a succession of scenes so mythical that they all deserve to be in this selection. And it is that «what have the Romans done for us?».
Land as you can (1980)
Don’t tell us that at some point you haven’t regretted the day you stopped…? If something like this has happened to you, it’s because of Land As You Can , which, thanks to the great Lloyd Bridges, gave us a master class on how bad it is to go back to old habits.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1980)
The opening scene of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the best in film history, but the climax that places it on Olympus is the rock that breaks off behind the adventurer. Raise your hand if you don’t remember it.
The Empire Strikes Back (1981)
Surely it is not necessary to say the reason for the importance of this sequence. It is the moment in which Darth Vader reveals to young Luke that she is his son. Such a radical twist to the saga that from that moment the Skywalker family addicts became legion. Or not?
ET The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
First it was the ET The Extraterrestrial scene and then the Amblin Entertainment logo. Steven Spielberg puts all his talent at the service of one of those magical moments that are film history… along with the symphonic chords of a John Williams in a state of grace.
Tron (1982)
It was the first film created (practically) by computer and as a reminder of that feat, we are left with the race of light motorcycles that leave a deadly trail in their wake. And you know what happens when two meet… It’s one of the most emblematic scenes of that future by computer that cinema ended up giving us.
Back to the Future (1985)
Twin Pines Mall in 1985. Doc wants to show Marty his time machine and for us to know how it goes to go back and forth to the past or future, nothing better than a demonstration in front of the cameras. This scene, and the traces of fire from the wheels, are already part of the history of cinema.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park is one of the great milestones in the history of cinema and the sequence in which we discover those dinosaurs by computer is one of the most sublime moments in memory. And as has been happening with these Steven Spielberg highlights , they are always backed by the beats of John Williams.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Steven Spielberg’s crude film about the holocaust left us with a sublime moment when, among all the black and white of the scene, a red coat appears that belongs to a girl whose fate we will later see. A resource that many considered easy on the part of Spielberg but that managed to place it as one of the most iconic scenes of this masterpiece.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
What to say about one of the most remembered scenes of that genius called Quentin Tarantino. Pulp Fiction showed us how well Mia and Vincent danced on a night that ended as the Rosario de la Aurora . But this moment, of course, is part of the history of cinema. Or not?
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron’s film also left us with countless scenes to remember, although the most important of all is the one starring Jack and Rose when they climb onto the bow of the Titanic. That feeling of freedom, of being able to conquer everything thanks to the musical chords of the great James Horner were one of the most exciting moments of the drama.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
A sequence that has gone down in history because it practically revealed the secret of the film to us, but also because the arrival of the internet transformed this important moment into a meme . Who has not once said, jokingly, that “sometimes I see dead people”?
Matrix (1999)
The film that marks the path of cinema in the new century also has a string of mythical scenes behind it. Perhaps Neo on the roof dodging bullets is one of the most remembered with a bullet time that has been copied by video games ad nauseam.
Saving Private Ryan (1999)
We had never seen the Normandy landings with such rawness and realism as Steven Spielberg showed us in Saving Private Ryan . Inspired by recordings from the time and some of Robert Capa’s photographs (among others), it is the most faithful testimony we can remember of that decisive battle that took so many lives.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Peter Jackson’s trilogy was crowned with The Return of the King by winning 11 Oscars and of all the scenes he left us, the charge of the Rohirrim in the battle of Minas Tirith was one of the most spectacular and epic in memory, because it marked the Fate of Middle-earth. He still gives the creeps.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Surely it was the sequence that gave the Oscar for best actor to the ill-fated Heath Ledger in his role as the Joker. Christopher Nolan’s film is the one that marks the way to current superhero cinema and is considered by many to be a true masterpiece.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The Avengers Endgame portal scene is, in itself, one of the best in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its importance also lies in the fact that it is the culmination of more than 25 films in which heroes and villains of all ages have appeared. classes and colors. The chords of Alan Silvestri, in addition, come to highlight a scene that is an anthology for the history of cinema.