Top 15 Pure Cinema Moments That Make Me Cry

“Pure cinema” can be defined any number of ways. Lately, it seems to be an alternative meaning for avant-garde cinema, but for me, a pure cinema moment is when a movie utilizes varies aspects of production (direction, cinematography, performance, music, editing) and marries them together flawlessly. Such moments can make us sit up right. They can give us chills, and they can, in the most special of instances, cause us to cry. 

Below are 15 such moments for me. This is far from an all-encompassing list; these were simply 15 pure cinema moments that I felt like sharing. Please do feel free to share your favorite pure cinema moments as well!

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Also sprach Zarathustra

The first time I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey in a movie theater was a revelatory experience. In 2014, I was lucky enough to see the film at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, a massive, 800-seat theater that has been an L.A. staple for more than 55 years. I had always wondered why 2001 begins with several seconds of a black screen, as Gyorgy Ligeti’s haunting “Requiem For Soprano” sets the tone. When I saw the movie in the theater, I finally realized why. In 1968, “Requiem For Soprano” was the cue for people to take their seats. Once seated, the curtains were slowly pulled back, as Richard Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” began to play over the film’s opening credits.

As the curtains were pulled back in the Cinerama Dome that summer evening in 2014, the pure cinema of 2001 hit me entirely. I began to cry before a damn image was even shown. Virtually any scene from 2001 could be listed here, but seeing it in the theater made the movie come alive in a way I never anticipated.

Cries and Whispers (1972)

“I feel profoundly grateful to my life, which gives me so much.”

-Spoilers- Cries and Whispers is a movie that knows pain. For nearly all of its 90 minutes, the film captures rage, death, and resentment in such an unflinching manner. Which is what makes its optimistic ending that much more impactful. It was uncommon for Ingmar Bergman to end his films so blissfully (which is bittersweet here, as the end is actually a flashback), but the image of the four women dressed in white, happily and healthily enjoying some fresh air, is something I’ll never forget. What a profound and hopeful way to end a film consumed with such dread.

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

“I can handle things – I’m smart!”

I’ve written about this scene before, but watching Fredo (John Cazale) defend his treacherous actions to his younger brother, Michael (Al Pacino), is one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve seen on film. For one, it’s the physicality of Cazale’s work. From the way he uses that chair, almost like it’s an extension of himself, to the way his hands shake violently as he gets more upset. And then there’s the emotion of the scene. Fredo is literally fighting for his life here, and instead of calmly explaining what he’s done, he finally speaks up, ultimately declaring that he’s competent, he’s good, he’s smart. This is a devastating admission of guilt that gets me every time.

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

“Do you know the Tango Hustle?”

Saturday Night Fever is full of incredible dance sequences, but my favorite is when Tony (John Travolta) and Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) practice their moves to “More Than a Woman” by Tavares. For much of the sequence, Tony and Stephanie are feeling each other out, getting a sense of how the other moves. But once they move their rehearsal into a bigger space, things begin to fly.

Tony asks Stephanie if she knows the Tango Hustle, and the camera frames them in a wide shot. The song slowly turns from diegetic sound (playing in the rehearsal room with them) to non-diegetic sound (playing over the soundtrack), as the dancers take flight. The key moment for me comes at 1:35 in the clip above, when the dancers kick their heals out, and the camera cuts to a low-angle tracking shot of the two performers. The cut to that low-angle shot, and the subsequent moves by Travolta and Gorney, are what make this scene my favorite dance sequence in film. No bullshit.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

“We made it!”

I could include the whole chase sequence from E.T. on this list, but the moment Elliott (Henry Thomas) realizes he’s trapped, and E.T. lifts the entire group high into the air to escape, represents a cinematic joy that is rarely matched. The quick cuts to Elliott’s face, the close-up of E.T. making up his mind, John Williams’ music, the lift off – this is pure cinema at its finest. The adult men stand on the ground, baffled by what they’re seeing. And so are we. Please pass the damn tissues.

The Untouchables (1987)

The Gun Toss

The Battleship Potemkin-inspired Union Station sequence in The Untouchables is, perhaps, the finest set piece Brian De Palma has created. There is so much parallel action going on in this scene that to break it all down would take several paragraphs. (I cannot imagine how difficult it was to shoot this.) But the moment it appears that Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) won’t be able to save the baby, or himself, in slides George Stone (Andy Garcia), cool as a fucking cube, who tosses Ness a shiny pistol, and saves the baby. The slow motion shots of Stone running into frame and throwing the pistol, matched with Ness catching the gun, never fail to bring tears to my eyes. Such seamless execution.

Malcolm X (1992)

“Here, at this final hour.”

I believe I was 12 years old when my dad sat me down and showed me Malcolm X. I remember thinking, as I do now, that it was an important and immersive film. But when the final scene began to play, I was so confused by what I was seeing. Shortly after Malcolm X (Denzel Washington) is assassinated, Spike Lee’s film concludes with an extended documentary passage, showing clips and photos of the real Malcolm X, while Ossie Davis recites the same eulogy he delivered at Malcolm’s funeral in 1965.

“Wait, what is this?” I remember saying. I had seen movies based on real people, but I had never seen a narrative movie dedicate so much time to clips of the real person. “Just watch,” my dad quietly replied. And what I did see were five incredibly moving minutes of cinema. In showing the real Malcolm X, Lee didn’t take away from Washington’s performance. He enhanced it. He gave the man a face, a voice, a purpose. This end passage confirms Malcolm’s worth as a man, and as a historical figure. It brings tears to my eyes just writing about it. This scene changed my perception of what a film can do. And that certainly does not happen often.

Ali (2001)

“It is over! It is over! It is over!”

I’ve written about this scene before as well, but I believe Michael Mann’s recreation of The Rumble in the Jungle is as good as film boxing gets. The entire sequence is a full display of technical bravado, but for me, the pure cinema moment comes shortly after Ali (Will Smith) knocks George Foreman (Charles Shufford) down. As the ref counts Foreman down in slow motion, the camera, now running at regular speed, finds Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee (Ron Silver), who is wide eyed and nodding silently to the ref’s count. Everyone else is losing their minds at the prospect of Ali regaining the championship title, but there’s Dundee, nodding patiently, waiting for the official knockout. There’s something about Silver’s wide-eyed stare that really takes it out of me. And Jon Voight, as Howard Cosell, yelling “It is over! It is over!” is a perfect way to punctuate the moment.

The New World (2005)

“That you, our child, should live.”

When James Horner delivered his beautiful score for The New World to Terrence Malick, he was gutted to find out that Malick chose to score the film with classical compositions instead. The main musical thread throughout the film is Richard Wagner’s “Vorspiel to Das Rheingold,” which ultimately plays over the film’s remarkable conclusion.

The entire end sequence to The New World is a masterful display of pure cinema. The camera movement, Christian Bale’s teary performance and hushed voiceover, and, of course, Wagner’s music, all help make this one of Malick’s crowning set pieces. It’s a shame that Horner’s music didn’t make it in the film (it really is incredible), but I cannot imagine any sound other than Wagner’s to carry us away.

Children of Men (2006)

“Stop! Cease fire!”

This is pure cinema showcasing the best that humanity has to offer. It has been 18 years since the world has heard a baby cry, and when that miracle becomes a reality, everything stops. Some people kneel in prayer, others stand in complete shock, and some, like Clive Owen’s character, move forward in hope. This is such a profoundly moving scene, in its subtext, but also in the way it is executed. A baby cries, and it stops a war. If ever so briefly.

Man on Wire (2008)

“Death is very close.”

Seeing Man on Wire in the theater represents one of the most memorable movie going experiences I’ve ever had. The theater was completely full, and the moment Philippe Petit stepped onto the wire between the two World Trade Center towers, you could hear a pin drop. During the initial 20 seconds of Petit’s walk, the moment is scored only to the gentle sounds of wind, and Erik Satie’s beautiful “Gymnopedie No. 1.” But the subtext is clear. What a glorious remembrance of what was.

Shame (2011)

“We’re not bad people. We just come from a bad place.”

Steve McQueen’s Shame is arguably the movie I’ve talked about the most on this blog. It is an unflinching, beautiful work of art that I will be indebted to forever. The highlight of the movie, for me, is the extended sequence in which Brandon Sullivan’s (Michael Fassbender) demons show their true, horrific face. Brandon, having just had a lengthy argument with his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), descends onto Manhattan, moving with reckless abandon, as his addiction drives his every tortured action. The sequence is edited with McQueen’s trademark fractured narrative, and it ends with a haunting realization: Brandon enjoys none of this. As a viewer, you may think nights like this are what Brandon relishes, but in fact, it’s the shame of his addiction that propels his life.

No scene from modern cinema has hit me as hard as this scene did. I first saw Shame on December 4, 2011 at the Landmark E Street Theater in Washington, D.C. It rocked me to my absolute core. You don’t forget moments like these. They stay with you.

The Tree of Life (2011)

“You will be grown before that tree is tall.”

Like many films on this list, I could declare damn near any sequence in The Tree of Life as pure cinema, but the one that always stays with me is a brief shot during the sequence of young Jack growing up before our eyes. As Jack finally finds his footing, there is a brief shot from behind as he runs playfully through the house. There’s something about the low angle of the shot, and the insanely wide lens of the camera, that captures this movement so gracefully. This is the type of pure cinema moment that I have trouble putting into words. You may see a toddler running, but I see life. As I’ve said before, this shot lasts two seconds, but it’s a visual poem that will live with me forever.

Interstellar (2014)

“Come on, Tars.”

Interestingly enough, I saw Interstellar for the first time at the Cinerama Dome, the same theater I saw 2001 in. To be clear, the Dome is a magical place that can elevate any film, but the power of the docking sequence in Interstellar transcends theatrical location.

The music (The. Music.), Matthew McConaughey’s sweaty, dedicated performance, the unified cinematography and editing – it all creates a sequence that defines pure cinema. The moment I saw the shot of the two spacecraft finally synching up the spin (the shot begins at 2:30 in the above clip), I literally whispered “No. Fucking. Way.” aloud to myself, and began to cry. This scene captures nearly every aspect of film working together flawlessly.

Phantom Thread (2017)

“Are you here? Are you always here?”

Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), bedridden from food poisoning, quietly wakes up and notices the ghost of his mother standing before him. She’s young, innocent, silent, and the wedding dress she’s wearing makes her look equally beautiful and haunting. “Are you here,” Woodcock gently asks. “Are you always here? I miss you. I think about you all the time. I hear your voice say my name when I dream, and when I wake up, there are tears streaming down my face. I just miss you, it’s as simple as that.”

Those lines tell us everything we need to know about Reynolds Woodcock. They inform us of the root of his tediousness, his control, his anger and rage. But they also show that this is a man fully capable of love and compassion. Ultimately, Reynolds Woodcock is an adult boy who never got over the tremendous loss of his mother. And my god, how perfectly Jonny Greenwood’s beautiful music accentuates the emotion. Truth be told, the first time I saw Phantom Thread, I almost excused myself from the sold out theater, because I could not keep it together during this scene. What a profoundly revealing moment.

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