‘Haunting’ Movie Moments from Idol Chatter
Posted on February 8, 2009 at 10:00 am
On Idol Chatter, Kris Rasmussen has come up with a two-part list of haunting moments in movies that is well worth exploring and every one of the films and those added by the commenters is a worthy addition to your Netflix queue.
I like her definition of “haunting” — “cinematic points in time that bring revelation to our souls in some big or small way.”
The moments that haunt me tend to involve extraordinary kindness or devotion. Some that I would add:
1. The last moment in Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights
2. “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin.'” In To Kill a Mockingbird
3. Helen Keller learns about language in The Miracle Worker
4. A family farewell in A Man for All Seasons
5. Erin Brockovich
, with Sidney Poitier building a chapel under the direction of flinty Lilia Skala and Susan Sarandon as real-life Sister Helen Prejean, who befriends a condemned prisoner played by Sean Penn in 
.
, with Loretta Young and Celeste Holm as gentle nuns who hope to build a hospital. And of course there’s Debbie Reynolds as the spirited 
, a nun whose shoes provide a clue in 
, and the sisters of 
, who find unexpected challenges when they establish a new order on top of the Himalayas.
), drama , family movies (
and 
), television (
), and of course the title role in 
. 
and a Native American in movies like “Across the Wide Missouri” and on television Westerns like “Bonanza.” He performed these roles with dignity and grace. He was one of the last of the great leading men of the 1940’s-70’s and we are lucky to have so many of his magnificent performances to watch again. 
, the E. Nesbit classic about children who discover a magical creature and have a series of adventures when he gives them one wish a day. 