Movies with Goosebump factor

[baleanoptera]

It really started with something nutmeg3 said, about movies you've seen countless times - and that still manage to get to you and give you goosebumps. Possibly they contain that undefinable "it" factor; impossible to pinpoint, highly reliant on personal preference and generally goosebumps inducing.

So I though - what are the movies that always gets to me - even if I know them down to the smallest camera angle? Well, this is a select list and in no particular order.

Fellowship of the Ring

I love all the LOTR movies, but this is the one that gets to me. Why? It's Boromir dying. It really is. It's the manner of the death - the story surrounding it, and the way he is shot by those hellish arrows and sinks to his knees.

But it is also the light and sound involved. The way the sound is dimmed, and everything becomes eerie and quiet. The sound and the drama of the movie fades in parallel with Boromir dying, and the beautiful dramatic soundscape that is LOTR pauses a little. The effect is a little of the world coming to a halt as Boromir dies, and that always gives me goosebumps.

Sometimes it also makes me sniffle and cry.

The Last of the Mohicans

Um...more endings and death actually. It's the the end on the promontory, with Uncas running up the mountainside towards his fatal fight with Magua. It's Alice jumping after him - and this crushing, horrible climax set in absolutely stunning surroundings.

The promontory scene works for me not only because it's beautiful and dramatic, but because it uncovers this whole undercurrent of a storyline (Uncas and Alice)that has been running through the movie. And not only does it uncover it - but in many ways lets it take center stage and leaving Hawkeye as a bistander.(Which is fine by me, as I could give a great big yawn in regards to the Hawkeye and Cora plot.)

And through all of this there is almost no dialouge - just music. Music heavy with drums and rhythm, almost like a heartbeat. I love that.

The Lion in Winter
- the Katharin Hepburn and Peter O'Toole version

It's a little difficult to specify a scene here as this is possibly one of my favorite movies of all time. But one scene that always gets to me is when Eleanore is trying to win back her son Richard's favor. She is cooing and cursing almost at the same time, playing upon childhood memories and buried affection.

She tells Richard she'll write a will, giving all her lands to him. "Paper burns", Richard replies. "I'll scratch your name in this!" she says and slices into her hand and this finally breaks him, and he runs to her. As he stands there kissing her bleeding hand she starts to talk about how good things where when it was just them, and how good things will be.

And I'm never sure how much of what Eleanore says is an act, how much in genuine and how much is a mix of both. I sometimes wonder if even she knows. It's a brilliant performance in a brilliant film - and it gives me goosebumps each and every time.

East of Eden

I love this film to bits - most easily shown by the fact that I prefer to watch it in silence.
(I can talk while watching a film or series, but if I truly adore and love it there must be silence. Absolute silence. Headphones are good.;D)

Once again it's the ending that never fails to get to me. After hours of misunderstandings, miscommunication, biblical parallels and symbolism Cal finally manages to connect to his father. The clinch is of course that his father is sick and dying, and that Cal's brother has gone a little crazy - so things are in general not good. And yet, as Cal sits there and reads to his father there is a little glimpse of hope - and this is where the goosebumps come.
With the hope.



If any of you have any goosebumps inducing films I'd love to hear about them.

Comments

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

Oh, Boromir! You have absolutely described why I find that scene so brilliant - do you know that I went to a talk by Howard Shore, and he said that he wrote the music for that scene after he watched one thing in particular that always tears at my heart? It's after Boromir's hit by the second arrow and he kind of falls to his knees and there's this one long look between him and Merry and Pippin - and they all know that he's going to die, but that he'll die still trying to protect them.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Oo..I love that part. The realization on their faces and the way Boromir pauses just a fragment of a second before he turns around to fight some more. It's absolutely breathtaking.
I remember when I saw it at the first time- and even if I knew he was going to die and had expected it for the entire movie I still sobbed like crazy when it happened. I find both Two Towers and Return to be excellent, even spectacular movies, but it's Fellowship I find most beautiful - largely because of moments like this.

And then there is the whole "My brother, my captain, my king" quote which also breaks my heart. *sob*

And Oooo! A talk with Howard Shore! That sounds so great. He makes absolutely amazing movie music. I'm currently pondering buying the complete LOTR recordings as a Christmas gift to my self. We wants it, yes precious...

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I have three LotR moments: Arwen's ride in

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I have three LotR moments: Arwen's ride in <i><Fellowship</i>, which hits me so viscerally every time (in part because I love horses and riding and miss them), and her vision of an older Aragorn with their son in <i>Return</i>, as well as Elrond's description of her fate if she stays, accompanied by the beautiful visual of Aragorn on his bier slowly morphing into gray stone.

And another is "I crossed time for you, Sarah" in the first <i>Terminator</i>. I just saw it again this afternoon and reacted with all-over goosebumps, as always.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Arwen at the bier is absolutely breathtaking. The black veil flowing around her and the way everything turns darker as death approaches. It gives me chills really.

But I must admit I'm a little ambiguous towards her vision. The image in it self is beautiful, and the kid is fittingly lovely and creepy at the same time - it just irks me a little that she stays because of a child.
For in the book she stays because she believes and she has hope. But I think queenofthorns said to me that the child could be taken as a symbol of hope, and I guess that is true. ;D

And I love your icon. All this talk of LOTR made me realize that I have no LOTR icons. For shame.

And yay for the first Terminator. It is such a good movie. The ending with her in the car holding the picture? I love that.

[aquamarcia.livejournal.com]

The scene depicted in the icon attached to this comment is the part of Boromir's death that always gets me. I often think it is only at that moment, when he speaks his last words to Aragorn, that Boromir fully realizes his nobility.

The movie that's been getting to me lately is Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/). I recently read the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian and as a consequence now see in the film many more subtleties, especially with regard to character interaction. There are so many poignant moments when social strictures prevent a man like Captain Aubrey from speaking his heart to one of his midshipman, or even his close friend Dr. Maturin. There is a great deal of pain in all that is left unsaid and the film puts a fine point on every instance.

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

when he speaks his last words to Aragorn, that Boromir fully realizes his nobility.

Oh, I agree. And I love how they managed to translate that from the book to the film. After all adapting from one medium to another is never easy. When the author is so steeped in language conventions and saga traditions as Tolkien I suspect it's even harder.

I sometimes wonder if one of the reasons Jackson and co managed to make good movies were because they used the movie medium to the full. In other words he uses the full audio visual aspect a movie can generate. For instance the dimming of the sound at Boromir's death, the way the background is always in motion, the panning scope of the camera, the use of colour saturation and so forth.

Sometimes with movie adaptations of texts it feels like they just filmed each chapter. Some of the Harry Potter movies gives me this feeling. But with LOTR it feels more like they wanted to translate it. (even if they at times went to far. *cough-warg riders in TT-cough*

I will admit that I've never seen the Master and Commander film, but you say such good things about it that I might have to. Even if it looks like I should read the books first. ;)

There is a great deal of pain in all that is left unsaid and the film puts a fine point on every instance.

I love that - the fact that was isn't being said, what is understated or simply not shown is equally important. After all one of the best sound effects, both in movies and in music, can be silence. It requires close attention though.