Cinemagical Moments: Short, but Sweet .....

Sometimes a film, for all its length and breadth, contains for me a singular moment, a brief cinemagical gem that becomes keystone for all the sights and sounds, the words and actions that precede it, and follow it.

One of those occurred earlier today, as I was watching "The Madness of King George," which tells the true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and declining relationships with his family and advisers. There is a brief, but pivotal point near the end of the film when George's health - and his future as king - hang in the balance. In London, Parliament is in an uproar, while George relaxes with his doctor and attendants at a country estate, reading Shakespeare's King Lear and coming at last to his senses, so to speak, as he reads the words of another monarch overcome by madness ..... it's a GREAT moment by a great actor, Nigel Hawthorne.

Another such moment occurred for me earlier this week, as I watched another Brit film, "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Moment," which tells the story of a Welsh villagers who - outraged that a pair of English cartographers are re-labelling their 'mountain' a 'hill' - do everything in their power to delay the cartographers' departure until the hill can be 'raised.' There is a brief, but pivotal point in the second half of the film, where Reverend Jones experiences a revelation, then delivers an impassioned sermon from his pulpit, exhorting his congregation to go forth and raise that hill ..... it's another GREAT moment by another great actor, Kenneth Griffith. (By the way, the photo I used is from another Brit film in which Griffith had some short, sweet moments - Four Weddings and a Funeral.)

So, what are some YOUR favorite film moments?