50 Greatest Movie Scenes Ever

32. Dunkirk Beach - Atonement

Atonement Dunkirk
Universal

Movie scenes cannot qualify as incredible solely for their technical merit, but sometimes it's hard to separate how a sequence makes you feel from the knowledge of how it was shot. And in the Dunkirk beach sequence in Atonement - a deeply underrated movie - we have one of the most profoundly impressive feats of cinema that even so-called "casual" film watchers can appreciate the artistry of.

Achieved in just one shot, the super-long tracking shot follows James McAvoy's soldier as he walks the beach, taking in the full spectrum of that horrific scene in a way that is almost more profound than if we'd watched the beach being actively attacked. We get a richer insight in the camaraderie, the haunted faces and snapshots of tragedy than anything more blusterous and then at the end the camera pulls away from McAvoy and we get a look right out across the full stretch as the unimaginable, awesome scale of what he'd just walked through unveils itself fully.

How something manages to be both personal on a scale that almost feels like a stage play and also packs in that sort of scale is just incredible.

[SG]

31. Odessa Steps - Battleship Potemkin

Battleship Potemkin Odessa Steps
Mosfilm

Battleship Potemkin's legacy has endured for almost 100 years, and it cannot be overstated just how much of that is down to the Odessa Steps sequence. The showpiece of this sublime example of Soviet silent cinema, the scene has oft been parodied but none of the pretenders have managed to capture the glory and the madness of this moment.

Innovative for its time, the sequence finds the Tsar soldiers, dressed in white, engaged in a seemingly neverending march down the titular steps, slaughtering the massive crowd in their way. The march of the soldiers occurs in perfectly organised fashion; it's precision, control, and offers a stunning juxtaposition to the reaction of the victims, who are engulfed in chaos.

Lots of people die, some are shot in the face from point blank range, and we watch as civilisation is destroyed before our very eyes. And yet, there's a glimmer of hope too: amidst the carnage a baby carriage makes its way down the steps, somehow unscathed. We watch in disbelief as it completes the most improbable of journeys - only for the infant to be killed upon reaching the bottom; an indelible mix of mayhem and montage.

[JH]

30. Mufasa's Death - The Lion King

Lion King Mufasa Death
Disney

Disney movies, for all the vibrant animation, silly characters, and singalong classics, have a way of hitting you right in the heart that few other kinds of films can match. It might be because they are so universal, or because they're deep-rooted in our memories from repeat viewings at an early age. But whatever it is, The Lion King does it best.

Here's a film that ticks all of the above boxes, but the moment that lingers longest in the memory - and the heart - is one between a father and son. When the stunning wildebeest stampede has subsided, when Scar has made the ultimate villain move by killing his brother, and mostly when a young Simba comes across his dead father's body.

Death is extremely difficult to comprehend at a young age, and the loss of a parent is near unthinkable: they're the ones who'll always protect us, after all. To see Simba reckon with that confusion, then a refusal to accept it, as he nudges his dead's body and shots of help, before eventually settling in beside Mufasa, tears falling down his face, isn't just a testament to the power of animation, but to the power of Disney in taking such a heavy topic and making us all understand. As the music quietly builds, your tears will be falling just like Simba's.

[JH]

Advertisement
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Articles published under the WhatCulture name denote collective efforts of a number of our writers, both past and present.

Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.

Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.

Contributor

Writer. Mumbler. Only person on the internet who liked Spider-Man 3

Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!

Contributor
Contributor

Horror film junkie, burrito connoisseur, and serial cat stroker. WhatCulture's least favourite ginger.