u/seven_costanza_jr

Everyone knows/talks about the Cococabana scene from Goodfellas, the "I'm not leaving" speech from Wolf of Wall Street, or Werewolves of London from Color of Money, but what are the scenes that rarely get discussed, yet still hit a nerve for you? There's so many I have from large set pieces to one-second shots that I rarely see discussed, even though they make their films so much richer and more engrossing. A few of mine:

• The Chinese invading in Kundun. Most of the movie is quite with the only score being this pyschadelic/meditative Phillip Glass piece that creates this otherworldly atmosphere, but once the Chinese come there is this loud, chaotic, and brash piece with cymbals, strings, and tightly structured propandistic military choir. Mix that with the shot of soldiers who literally look like an alien force from Star Wars with their goggles and the dizzying dutch angle and the contrast with the Tibetans in their traditional clothing, just signifies how things are about to change. (3) Kundun - "The Chinese have invaded" - YouTube
• The Terminal Bar scene in After Hours (where "Youre Mine" is playing). The whole movie feels like a Hopper painting come to life, but this scene always felt like the best encapsulation of everything the painter went for. There's a comforting blue collar atmosphere in the bar, but also there's something kind of sad, lonely, and a little scary about it as well. Without saying anything, you can tell all the characters in that bar have a story to tell. The music feels a little maddening which also fits the late night divey atmosphere perfectly too haha. Crave | Summer Offer V2 | :30s
• The "babybabybabybabybabybaby" scene from Casino where the gangsters are shooting some guys house. There's nothing really deep here, but the music just has this manic energy that fits perfectly with the quick cutting and rapid gunfire. MS is a master at fitting music in a score that captures the energy of a scene that few other directors can match (the only one who operates at a similar level is Linklater, IMO), and this scene just feels like the 1:1 match for Devo here. (3) Casino (1995) Shooting - YouTube
• Other standouts:
  • Intro to Gangs of NY before the fight. Maybe not super underrated, but this is my favourite opening to a MS film. The energy of the drums+fluts, navigating through the subterranean NY with its pagan atmosphere and exclamation of Brendan Gleeson kicking the door open is so exhilarating. Gangs of New York - Opening Sequence
  • Gangs of New York dance scene with Leo and Cameron Diaz with the lamps. It's not necessary to the film really, but I just find the scene really sweet and romantic, which is not something MS often portrays. Shortened: SMB BFORM25Q4 US CA EN Video COBOL SJ 15s NOFR WM
  • Draft riots scene (also Gangs of New York). Just an amazing way of putting a historical moment to film. It's exhilarating and terrifying, which is how I imagine it would have felt like. Again the drum flute score fits perfectly and the narration does a great job of selling the sheer terror and chaos of the moment.Gangs of New York - Draft Riots

What are your favourite scenes that are not the ones endlessly discussed/listed as the best of all time?