The Greatest Motion Picture Sequences -- Part 6
Ok, I have returned from vacation! August has been a horrible month for movies, in fact, 2000 has not been a great year for films, but the outlook for the remaining four months of the year look good, and next week, I will present my first article looking ahead at what chances the yet-to-be-released films to conclude 2000 have at being nominated come time for the 2000 Oscars. But this week, one more installment in my series looking back at the greatest motion picture sequences of all time -- Enjoy!
Luke and Vader's final lightsaber battle from RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) --- The entire STAR WARS trilogy finally comes down to these final moments, when Luke is tested one last time to give in to the Dark Side of the Force, and defeat his father Darth Vader. The Emperor attempts to appeal to Luke's hatred and anger, but it is Vader himself who brings out the anger in Luke once and for all. Luke is hiding somewhere and Vader attempts to bring him out by saying that if Luke can't convert to the dark side, then perhaps his sister, Leia, will -- Luke yells in a rage "Never!" and dashes out with his lightsaber ready attacking Vader with a renewed passion. The brilliance of this sequence is what follows, and it's most noticeable because of the maturity of the musical score by composer John Williams. As Luke and Vader fight, father and son in their destined battle, Williams's score contains a dark, male chorus along with it, providing a somber backdrop on the sadness of this scene. It's the final battle between good and evil, and Luke rescues his father, finally returning to the good and leaving the Dark Side behind forever, as it is Darth Vader himself who eventually kills the Emperor.
Ron Kovic arriving back home after being paralyzed in the war from BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) --- There are so many powerful scenes from Oliver Stone's greatest film about the Vietnam War, but this smaller scene actually is the most powerful for me, and the most emotional. Ron Kovic, played exceptionally well by Tom Cruise, is finally returning home to his family after having been shot and paralyzed in Vietnam, and after enduring an absolutely disgusting stay in a Bronx hospital. The people in the neighborhood hesitate to approach him, because he is in a wheelchair. His Mom finally arrives outside, and we see the hurt in her eyes. But the real emotion of the scene comes when Kovic and his father arrive back in Kovic's bedroom. Kovic grabs a picture of himself, when he was a wrestler, and he looks down at his legs in the picture, realizing he'll never be able to walk again. Kovic's Dad comes over to his son in the wheelchair, and leans down to hug him. He tells him that he's so glad to have his son back, and this is one of the few film sequences that made me cry, seeing a father hugging his son who's just been paralyzed in the war. The reason it evokes tears is because of how honest the scene is, and there are so many scenes of honesty in this film, as Kovic endures the real hell that lay before him, an America divided, and an America not at all grateful for what he gave up over there in his patriotic effort to serve his country.
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