Favorite "Inspirational" Moments in SFF Films (and/or TV)

[j d worthington]

Well, I'm not sure quite why I feel like posting something like this, save perhaps that recent viewing of The Incredible Shrinking Man -- certainly one of my all-time favorite stories, and a film that holds up quite well despite some technical aspects which look a bit dated now and again (though not as much as one might expect).

At any rate, it got me to thinking about moments that I find particularly moving or inspiring or life-affirming, or whatever phrase one wishes to use, in science fiction and fantasy films, and I also began to wonder what would fit this description for others; what are their favorite such moments in sff films (or television)....

I'll throw out now that part of what I am about to post would contain possible spoilers for those who are unaware of the story there or who haven't seen the film; however, it certainly has one of the most "inspirational" (for lack of a better term) moments I've ever encountered in sff films... even if I'm not in full agreement with the sentiment.

In turn, that one got me to thinking about another favorite where that is concerned: The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, a film which is often forgotten about by today's film fantasy buffs; directed by George Pal (of Time Machine and War of the Worlds fame, as well as When Worlds Collide, etc.) from a script by the legendary Charles Beaumont, based upon Charles G. Finney's wonderfully quirky (and often acerbic) fantasy, The Circus of Dr. Lao.

Both of these have some truly magical writing; the first by Richard Matheson, from his novel, the latter largely (though not exclusively) from Beaumont himself, who captured various aspects of Finney's novel while nonetheless diverging quite widely; making an entirely different sort of story which maintains a charm as great, in some ways, as its original... if a bit more optimistic about humanity in general (and the citizens of Abalone in particular).

At any rate, here are the particular moments which I mentioned earlier; the first is the final soliloquy by Robert Scott Carey, the titular character of Matheson's The Incredible Shrinking Man... which differs in some respects, though not in general idea, from the ending of the novel:

I was continuing to shrink, to become... what? The infinitesimal? What was I? Still a human being? Or was I the man of the future? If there were other bursts of radiation, other clouds drifting across seas and continents, would other beings follow me into this vast new world? So close - the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. The unbelievably small and the unbelievably vast eventually meet - like the closing of a gigantic circle. I looked up, as if somehow I would grasp the heavens. The universe, worlds beyond number, God's silver tapestry spread across the night. And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite. I had thought in terms of man's own limited dimension. I had presumed upon nature. That existence begins and ends in man's conception, not nature's. And I felt my body dwindling, melting, becoming nothing. My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero. I still exist!

And here is the one from The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao, from the Good Doctor's talk with young Mike:

Mike, let me tell you something. The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it. The way the sun goes down when you're tired, comes up when you want to be on the move. That's real magic. The way a leaf grows. The song of the birds. The way the desert looks at night, with the moon embracing it. Oh, my boy, that's… that's circus enough for anyone. Every time you watch a rainbow and feel wonder in your heart. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust, but a mystery, a marvel, there in your hand. Every time you stop and think, "I'm alive, and being alive is fantastic!" Every time such a thing happens, you're part of the Circus of Dr. Lao.

Anyone else care to share your favorite such moments....?

 

[AE35Unit]

There's a similar scene in Silent Running when they are given the order to destroy the bio domes. Bruce Dern's character rebels against the order and tries to convince the rest of the crew. He opines about the simple beauty of a leaf and what it would be like never to see one again. He gets quite passionate about it and yet is alone in feeling such,and so he forms the plan in his mind to save at least a tiny piece of nature.
Another inspiring moment,at least for me is the scene near the beginning of 2001 where the ape 'discovers' weapon use and throws a bone of a vanquished prey animal into the air,which then,thru a conceptual leap becomes the ship Discovery. Always loved that part!

 

[j d worthington]

Ah, yes, Silent Running. As a genuine piece of science fiction, it makes no sense; it simply doesn't hold together. But as a lovely little fable... oh, my, what a film...!

 

[AE35Unit]

Ah, yes, Silent Running. As a genuine piece of science fiction, it makes no sense;

I don't know what you mean there.
Of course its SF!

 

[j d worthington]

The science there is something you could drive an entire planetary system through. Whilst we get a great deal of our oxygen from the ocean, were there no forests left on the planet (the premise of the film), we simply wouldn't survive at all....

 

[AE35Unit]

The science there is something you could drive an entire planetary system through. Whilst we get a great deal of our oxygen from the ocean, were there no forests left on the planet (the premise of the film), we simply wouldn't survive at all....

Ah i kind of forget about that when i watch the film! When its so centred on life in space one tends to forget about life back no earth!

 

[j d worthington]

Ah i kind of forget about that when i watch the film! When its so centred on life in space one tends to forget about life back no earth!

I know what you mean. However, that is what I was getting at with my comment about the science (emphasized) fiction... and, of course, why it does work as a fable, in part....

 

[AE35Unit]

The only thing i dislike about that film is the bloody awful music by Joan Baez. It just dates the film so badly!

 

[j d worthington]

The only thing i dislike about that film is the bloody awful music by Joan Baez. It just dates the film so badly!

Funny... I always see that as such an integral part of the film and what it is saying... it even adds to the irony....

 

[Rodders]

Funny... I always see that as such an integral part of the film and what it is saying... it even adds to the irony....

Yeah that's how i felt. I really didn't mind the Joan Baez sountrack. Don't forget that the sentiment and the time of the film was one of the 70s. A period well known for it's sentiments on love and war etc. Anyway, it's only the title song that she sings on, isn't it?

 

[Rodders]

I found parts Babylon 5 quite inspirational. There is no right or wrong, only perception, Londo's fall from grace etc, etc, etc.

Plus some excellent episodes of ST. (City on the Edge of Forever, Message in a bottle, the offspring, I-Borg, the visitor to name but a few.) Some truly inspiring looks at human nature.

Star Wars? What with the Jedi religion now seemingly a reality. Surely that has to be the most inspiring bit of SF & F. I mean, people are actually going out and changing parts of their lives because of SW.

 

[jeff.s.p]

Thanks for the movies excerpts j. d.

The incredible shrinking man was also one of my favorites movies from way back when I was young. ( loved those old black and white movies..)
(I’ll keep that quote for future reference)


I Haven’t any quotes from movies.. a bit difficult to track down.

I always found the Rod Serling end commentaries from the Twilight Zone, usually well written. A surrealistic mix of foreboding and sarcasm all wrapped in a few short sentences.

Jeff

 

[j d worthington]

Serling could get a bit heavy-handed at times, but when he avoided the preachiness, he was difficult to beat. Yes, he wrote some very fine work indeed, both in and out of the sff field (his Requieum for a Heavyweight remains one of my all-time favorites; lord, that's a wonderful film!)...

 

[blacknorth]

I loved the metro scene in Tarkovsky's film of Solaris, quite hypnotic and journey-like, and then we find ourselves suddenly arrived. I felt genuinely transported.

 

[j d worthington]

I loved the metro scene in Tarkovsky's film of Solaris, quite hypnotic and journey-like, and then we find ourselves suddenly arrived. I felt genuinely transported.

Now, that is the first such comment I've heard on that sequence. Whilst I personally think it went on far too long for the purposes of the film, this puts a somewhat different spin on it. I bought a copy of the film some time back, but haven't had the chance to watch it again yet (the copy I saw some time back was loaned to me by a friend). So I'll keep this in mind when I watch it, and see... it may even have some influence on how I view the rest of the film....

Thanks for the idea....

 

[Jev]

Hi, new poster -- chiming in with some Roy Batty (from 'Blade Runner,' for those of you playing at home):

"I've... seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die."

It's initially a downer, but it's a brilliant piece of dialogue, and, in a reverse way, pretty inspirational. Life is fleeting and interspersed with moments of brilliance, I think.

For my classic submissions, all of 'Things to Come' (things it was correct about and things that it was incorrect about), and all of Melies' 'Le Voyage dans la Lune' ('A Trip to the Moon'.)

 

[clovis-man]

Perhaps as corny as a Frank Capra scene, but I've always liked Kirk's eulogy of Spock in The Wrath of Khan:

"We are gathered here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. But it should be noted that this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."

And, J.D., I also am quite fond of Tony Randall's little statement in Dr. Lao.

 

[j d worthington]

I think I'd agree with all of these as well. Cynic though I can be, I do have a ridiculous tendency to be a softy at times, and reserved though I am concerning ST, I, too, like that one. (And I've always loved that bit of dialogue from Blade Runner. Personal reasons on that one, but that's something I won't go into....)

And yes... that bit from Dr. Lao... I'm not and never have been a big Tony Randall fan, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for him because of his wonderful performance(s) in that film....

 

[AE35Unit]

Perhaps as corny as a Frank Capra scene, but I've always liked Kirk's eulogy of Spock in The Wrath of Khan:

"We are gathered here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. But it should be noted that this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."

.

Yes i thought that part was done really well. Shatner has his knockers but I think he acted that scene with real emotion-the dialogue between Kirk and Spock was carried to the viewer well. When Spock says I am and always will be your friend,live long and prosper you get sucked in and its like you're no longer watching a film.

 

[Rippers]

Oh, I love when SFF doles out inspiration, and I think its full of it. I don't care if you start to slag me off for it, but I think Armageddon is totally inspiring. Its in Rippers' Top Five films. I sob every time, and not just at the sad bits. I start crying early on, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT'S COMING! Terrible really.

The speeches before a battle in space, the saving of whole races, the defending of planets, overcoming adversity against the odds. No other genre has the capacity to inspire. Independence Day, The Matrix speech by Morpheus, kicking the Borg's arses (or should that be arse, singular?)

You go for it SFF. We're with you. (Punches the air as chin starts to wobble slightly)