Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Movie Meme Day 31 - Scene that made you stand up and cheer

What makes us stand up and cheer?  Sports movies when a goal/touchdown/win occurs - sure.  Makeover movies when the heroine (it's usually a woman, isn't it) gets all she dreamed of - fashionwise - definitely.  Even the average love story when our lovers finally overcome whatever's been keeping them apart and they make it - always.  However, the movie that always makes me want to cheer is the end of Dead Poets Society.  Robin Williams' character, Mr. Keating has been given the boot because a student of his, Robert Sean Leonard, committed suicide when he realizes circumstances will never let him live his dreams.  As Mr. Keating is walking out the door, a very  young Ethan Hawke steps up on his desk and says, "O Captain, My Captain".  It's a reference to an earlier scene when Mr. Keating is trying to get them to see life differently and has them stand on his desk.  He tries to get Hawke's character to be braver, and in that last moment you see that this one year of class has changed the lives of these kids. 

Here it is if you haven't seen it.  Check out the rest of the flick if you didn't want to stand and cheer, you're missing something great.

2 comments:

Adam said...

Great choice & great film, in fact the second film I ever bought (the first being The Lost Boys.)

I'm also doing this Movie Meme, and this scene will be coming up, but for an earlier day.

Danny King said...

One that I saw recently: Pacino's closing speech in "The Scent of a Woman."