50 Moments of Cinematic Awesomeness

Ruth at “…let’s be splendid about this…” recently wrote a list of cinematic moments that were so indescribably perfect that they were just… well, indescribable. These moments are known as photogenie. She wrote a list of twenty great movie moments that for her were absolutely amazing, and when Stevee at Cinematic Paradox borrowed the idea, I finally realized how brilliant it was and how I had to do one myself. Instead of twenty, I’ve decided to bump my list up to fifty (although in some cases I have chosen more than one moment/scene of photogenie from the same film). Here goes! In no particular order:

1: An embrace in the storm – Code Unknown

2: The three children on a road in Iceland – Sans Soleil

3: John C. Reilly shines a flashlight into the camera – Magnolia

4: The tree in winter – Le Quattro Volte

5: The family dances around the house – Fanny and Alexander

6: “But Mr. Hagelmayer, it’s still not over.” – Werckmeister Harmonies

7: Erika stabs herself – The Piano Teacher

8: Heaving the luggage – Songs from the Second Floor

9: The look of distant recognition on Laura Dern’s face – Inland Empire

10: “What are they gonna do in Budapest?” – Stranger than Paradise

11: Ingrid Thulin’s scream in Cries and Whispers

12: The dinner guests are gunned down – The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

13: The camera swings from a chandelier – Napoleon

14: The marriage fantasy sequence – You, The Living

15: Irimias collapses in the fog – Satantango

16: “Fuck.” – Eyes Wide Shut

17: The burning building – The White Ribbon

18: The burning building – The Sacrifice

19: The burning building – The Mirror

20: Juliette Binoche hears the sounds of physical abuse – Code Unknown

21: A candle across an empty pool – Nostalghia

22: The final shot of Juliette Binoche – Three Colours: Blue

23: Monica Vitti’s hair blowing in the wind – L’Avventura

24: The climax of the Odessa Steps sequence – Battleship Potemkin

25: Maria Falconetti’s face – The Passion of Joan of Arc

26: The absolutely goddamn beautiful landscapes – Mother and Son

27: The faces of Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann spliced together – Persona

28: A naked, weak old man is alone – Werckmeister Harmonies

29: Veronique is seized by a wave of inexplicable emotion – The Double Life of Veronique

30: The journey to the well, each day – The Turin Horse

31: Anna Karina’s face as she watches The Passion of Joan of Arc – Vivre sa Vie

32: The final scene of the film, and the end credits that follow it – Dogville

33: A rocket explodes – Koyaanisqatsi

34: Tears stream down Mouchette’s face – Mouchette

35: The little girl looks into the bar from outside – Satantango

36: The approaching storm in the final moments – A Serious Man

37: The terrifying, unexpected images of war – Code Unknown

38: A perfect moment of silence – Werckmeister Harmonies

39: Coin tapping – Me and You and Everyone We Know

40: Xiao Si’r sobbing at the body of Ming – A Brighter Summer Day

41: Jeanne sits alone with bloodstained hands – Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

42: Antoine’s face – The 400 Blows

43: Frenhofer decides what to do with his finished masterpiece – La Belle Noiseuse

44: Sliced eyeball – Un Chien Andalou

45: Daisy cradling Bud in her arms – The Brown Bunny

46: Badii sits alone in a dust storm – Taste of Cherry

47: This man’s facial expression – Damnation

48: The final shot – The Fire Within

49: The subtle way a boy’s face seems to change from laughing to screaming on a TV screen – The Decalogue

50: “Is anybody out there?” – Code Unknown

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So what do you think? What are some of your moments of photogenie, or cinematic awesomeness?