Monday, November 1, 2010

Inspirational Movie Endings

I 'd like to address one of the most inspirational, yet over used and formulaic movie occurrences which I'm sure you have all seen. It happens at the climax of a movie when large groups of people get involved  by chanting or clapping together to help the main character to achieve their victory.

I think it is time to name this occurrence so we can better identify it in the future. For now I will call these "buzzer beaters". I love many of the movies that use this technique, but it looses its impact the more you see it. Here is a list of some examples:

Spartacus- The slaves standing up one by one claiming "I'm Spartacus" in order to protect him.
Rudy- The crowd chants his name in unison to get the coach to put him in the game so he can make the final play.
Dead Poets Society- The students stand on their desks while saying "Oh captain, my captain" to show their respect to their teacher.
Strictly Ballroom- After the judges pull the plug to stop the music, the dad starts clapping and slowly the crowd joins in until they create a beat to which they can finish their dance.
Karate Kid 2- The villagers start using their spin drums to give Danielson the guidance and focus he needs to defeat his opponent.
Iron Will- The spectators at the finish line begin whistling the special melody to make the dogs continue running and cross the finish line.
On the Waterfront- The final scene as Terry Maloy confronts the union boss after being beaten and all the dock workers stand in solidarity.
Cool Runnings-When the Jamaican team wipes out and carry their sled towards the finish line. One person starts with the strong, slow, deliberate clap and it catches on until the entire crowd erupts once they finally cross the finish line.

I'm sure there are many more, so feel free to add any others you are aware of in the comment section. Also, if you liked this post I suggest you stand up and say" Chaka" over and over until everyone at your workplace or home is doing the same thing. That will give me the motivation I need to make it through another day. 

6 comments:

mCat said...

I cry at the scene in Rudy every.SINGLE.time!

And I am standing and chanting Chaka but no one is joining in, instead, it looks like someone might be calling security....

LegalMist said...

"Chaka...Chaka...Chaka...Chaka..."

Kristina P. said...

So, apparently, I hate inspiration or happiness, because I've only seen two of these movies.

Cheeseboy said...

That scene in Dead Poets gets to me. I can't think of any off hand, but I am sure there are tons. Every high school flick comes to mind.

ISRAEL CARRASCO said...

The corniest formula is the white lady (usually) that goes to the inner city (against the wishes of all her friends) and she transforms the minorities into winners and in the process she sees the humanity of the savages and realizes that she is no different than them. In the end she is accepted as one of "them" except she goes home to a plush neighborhood.

Eric said...

There was a slow clap at the end of 'Not another teen movie'?

Chaka, Chaka, Chaka.