Maite Garcia - My favourite scene: Troy

Troy is an epic film which tells the story of the victories and tragedies happened in the legendary War of Troy. Its plot is based on the Greek epic poem "The Iliad", the most ancient poem of Western literature, written by Homer. This film also includes material from other sources such as "The Odyssey" by the same writer or "The Aeneid" whose author is Virgil. 

Troy starts with a huge feast organized by Menelaus, King of Sparta, in honour of their guests, Hector and Paris, princes of Troy, in order to make peace, as they had been bitter enemies all their lives. Nonetheless, the unbelievably attractive Paris, played by Orlando Bloom, falls in love with Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, who unfortunately is married to Menelaus, the host king. This fact doesn't stop Paris from running away with the Queen of Sparta. His unconscious, immature action will trigger a series of conflicts which the great Achilles, Ulysses, Hector or Priam see themselves involved in. 

After that brief introduction, I must admit that Troy is not one my favourite films because its director, Wolfgang Petersen, was much more concerned about making a blockbuster, that is to say, he paid more attention to the entertainment value than the historical accuracy. However, when I saw the film, a scene made a strong impression on me, maybe for its extreme tension and its beautiful soundtrack. I am talking about the awesome fight between Hector, prince of Troy, and Achilles, warrior of Sparta, which I would like to share with you. 

Thanks Maite. I'm delighted that you've posted another entry after a pretty long while, actually after your film review of Nosferatu back in November, is that right? 

That said, honestly I didn't think much of Troy when I saw the film either. I mean, it was entertaining enough, but the storyline was, to my mind, pretty weak and - I couldn't agree more with you - rather inaccurate as regards its historical background; moreover, I wouldn't say this is Mr Pitt's best performance to date, is it? But hey guys, if you disagree with Maite and me, we'd love to read your comments, wouldn't we Maite?

Rosa Baez - My favorite film: Life of Pi (A magical tale about trust and faith)

Pi survives 227 days with a Bengali tiger on a lifeboat drifting across the Pacific Ocean. He overcomes this life and death struggle thanks to his trusting, optimistic thoughts: 

First and foremost, he realizes that the tiger is essential for his survival because it keeps him awake and he finds the true meaning of his life by searching for seafood and providing the tiger with it in order to avoid being devoured.  

He also remembers all the life lessons from his family; for instance, his father showed him the tiger’s primal carnivorous instinct while his uncle taught him to swim and not to be afraid of water.

He finds a book on the lifeboat with a wise tip: "Above all, don’t lose hope”, and he sticks to it. He firmly believes that God cares for him although he can’t understand how.

Finally, they both reach the Mexican coast and after Pi recovers his health, he keeps his enthusiasm for life without being spoilt by this hard experience.

This thought-provoking film reminds us that “life is a story and you can choose yours”.

Thanks, Rosa! Indeed "Life of Pi" is a great story as well as a visually stunning movie.  

Since you don't mention a particular scene, let me choose one for you, actually the moment when both Pi and the beautiful (3D animated) tiger - which goes by the funny name of Richard parker - reach the shore of Mexico after their amazing ordeal at sea. So moving!

Luis - My favourite scenes: ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA / THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

I was thinking of my favourite movie scenes.

In "Once Upon a Time in America"(1984), there are two or three which deserve attention: the dancing scenes - involving the little girl and, above all, her adult character’s relationship with a man. They are played, respectively, by Elizabeth McGovern (who appears in Downton Abbey) and screen icon Robert de Niro.

So probably the common element in my favourite movies is the artistic couple made up by a classic musician and a long gone director, who are very special to me: Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone. So I have decided to also send you one of the greatest scenes ever, from one of the best films, accompanied by one of the best music soundtracks.

The leading actor is Eli Wallach, still alive at the age of 98, and the name of the song is "Ecstasy of Gold" - which has a very nice cover by Metallica. Also starring Clint Eastwood and a dog, the film is called "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (the original title in English), set in the American Civil War in New Mexico, though the real scenario was the countryside of Burgos.

Just enjoy it through both your eyes and ears!

Well Luis, those were the days of the so called "spaguetti westerns"! And there's that wonderful love scene in "Once Upon ..." 

It's only coincidence that yesterday I was mentioning in class, after Jose Enrique's post on Godzilla, that The Colossus of Rhodes was one of my "childhood films", as it were, or at least the first that I could remember seeing in a cinema. Guess who directed it? Spot on, the great Sergio Leone! 

I would be lying if I talked about my fave scene in this 1961 film (hey, I was a bit older when I saw it, OK?), as I can barely remember it, so let me just embed the vintage trailer.  It does bring back fond memories ...

Jelena - My favourite scene: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Note: for those of you who have not seen the film yet, I should warn you this entry contains a serious spoiler, as it reveals the movie's final scene. 

One of my favourite movies is Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, named after Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 macaroni combat film, The Inglorious Bastards.

Set in World War II, the plot is divided into two parallel stories, one about young French Jewish cinema proprietor Shosanna, who seeks revenge for the murder of her family, the other about a group of Jewish American soldiers led by first lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). Their objective is the same: to kill the Nazi high command. 

My favorite scene is the very last one. Hitler is assassinated along with his generals, but unscrupulous SS colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) is alive and on his way to freedom, as he managed to broker a deal with US intelligence agency. Aldo Raine and his companion, Utivich, are in charge of escorting Landa with his radio operator, but Raine can’t stand the fact that the astute general will escape unpunished. He could easily kill him, but he has to respect the agreement. However, we witness an unexpected turnaround. Raine shoots the radio operator and has Utivich collect his scalp. Finally, Raine asks Landa the well-known question if he is going to take off his uniform after all. The German officer doesn’t say a word, as he knows what is going to happen. Raine, guessing what the answer is, takes out his knife as he tells Landa that he’s going to give him some uniform he will never be able to take off. As he did to all the German soldiers whom he spared lives before, he carves the symbol of the swastika on the colonel’s forehead, claiming that "it just might be my masterpiece".

Throughout the film, Colonel Landa shows an extreme intelligence and ability of adapting to any situation, but in the end he makes a fatal mistake by underestimating his opponents. 

Besides the fantastic characterization made by the excellent cast led by Pitt and Waltz, I have to highlight the wonderful soundtrack, which includes eight tracks composed by the great Ennio Morricone. To give you a taste of Morricone's fabulous music in the film, this is just one small sample:

Thanks Jelena! I think I told you guys in class how much I loved "Basterds", which made me change my dubious, as it were, mind about Tarantino's film-making and his always controversial flicks.

You know, if I had to choose one particular moment from the movie, I'd rather go for the "glorious" Nazi cinema scene. You know, to me it's so so visually (and sonically - at least it was in the movie theatre!) STUNNING! However gory and graphically violent it may look to the weaker-minded, I just can't help loving it! 

Chani - My favourite scene: EL CID (1961)

This epic film tells the story of the fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar in medieval Spain. 

The admirable knight, Rodrigo, (Charlton Heston) shows compassion during the dark times and forgives the lives of many Moorish prisoners. These two symbolic acts give him the reverent titles of “El Cid” (the Lord) by the Moorish and “Campeador” (the Champion) by the Christians. 

The year 711 marks the beginning of the long conflict between people of Christian belief and those of the Islamic religion. One of the most memorable scenes is the last battle fought by the Cid, when, his army hopelessly outnumbered, he launches the most unbelievable attack on Moorish troops commanded by the ruthless and bloody general Ben Yusuf.

In October 1094 Islamic invaders besiege the city of Valencia, recently conquered by El Cid. Against all odds, he is fatally wounded by an arrow in the battle prior to the final victory. The probability of surviving is rather low if the mortal arrow is not taken out. But this noble and brave knight agrees with his lovely wife, Jimena (Sofia Loren), that he must head up his army even if he dies. Consequently, his body is secured upon his legendary horse, Babieca, and sent out in front of his men. When Yusuf’s army sees him, they flee in terror.

Thank you, Chani! So many classic epics I saw as a kid / teenager that I don't remember too well (I'm getting an old man by now, ha ha!) El Cid is a good example, so it's been great to find the scene on YouTube (funnily enough, it's subtitled in Portuguese) and remember those impressive, grandiose I daresay, "Cinemascope" productions.

Jose Enrique - My favourite film: "Godzilla. King of the Monsters"

Godzilla is a horrible, enormous marine monster born after a nuclear explosion in 1954. She is forty-five metres long and lives in the bottom of the sea. Godzilla is the main character in this gripping 1956 film that I recall seeing in a neighbourhood cinema as a kid.

I will never forget this thrilling movie and, what is more, the scenes when the monster unexpectedly emerges from the sea in order to destroy the buildings, sink ships and squash civilians in a sea of fire; as a result, the beautiful city of Tokyo is completely devastated. Then she goes back to the sea, where she plans another terrifying victory. 

While the movie went on, our hearts were waiting for the exciting, fast-moving appearance of the monster on the screen. When it did occur, most of the spectators couldn’t help yelling and screaming. Obviously, a vast majority were children; it was a tough task to forget that nightmare!

Thanks a lot, dear José Enrique! I can't believe you've, at long last, sent me an entry for our blog, so well done!

Tell you what. It's so weird yet interesting to see a trailer from a 1950s film. Those were the days of black and white action flicks, weren't day?

Sara Collantes - My favourite scene: In the Name of the Father (1993)

I've chosen a scene of my favourite film ever because, in my opinion, it is one of the most decisive points of the story. To understand the scene, we need to know a few things about the plot and the true events which the film is based on.

The director, Jim Sheridan (My left foot, The Boxer) is known for dealing in his films with the turbulent history of The Troubles, the conflict which took place in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and England between the 60s and the 90s. However, the problems between catholics and protestants go a long way back.

The film is a screen adaptation of the book “Proved Innocent” by Gerry Conlon, who was wrongly convicted by the British police. Between the period 1974-1989, during the hardest years of the conflict, the police, thanks to a new law called Prevention of Terrorism Act, were allowed to hold prisoners, suspected of belonging to a terrorist group, especially the IRA, regardless of whether the police had evidence or not. Gerry and three of his friends (known as “The Guildford Four”) were accused, tortured and convicted of blowing up a pub where a British military party was taking place. His father was also accused and kept in custody alongside Gerry.

In my favourite scene, the harrowing death of Gerry's father, Giuseppe, is shown. Up to this point, we can compare the completely different attitude of the father and his son; Giuseppe is the honest, hard-working man who is certain about his innocence and in the hope of being released. Gerry, however, suffers from self-pity, despair and arrogance at first, but we can see how he changes and matures throughout the film. 

This scene always brings me a tear to my eye and a lump in my throat because of the fabulous acting, the moving moment and the Celtic music playing in the background.

The whole film is a real tribute to life, justice and freedom.