Favorite Movie Scenes, Take 2
I’ll sound like a broken record here and say that there are a lot of great moments from Donnie Darko, and the more I watch it the bigger that list becomes. Most of those, though, are really small moments, and really that’s what the movie is about. Really small moments that remind you of “how beautiful the world can be” (That kiss…probably in my tops of on-screen kisses, so great!) or even how terrible people are at there core. But, the movie is not without its BIG moments, and, for me, this one is the biggest. Opening with that sideways shot of the bus door, Donnie stepping out of it so purposefully, the camera showing us almost every major character in the movie (only ones not present are Donnie’s parents and his older sis I believe…) as it rushes throughout the school. Such a brilliantly put together shot, timed so very excellently with Tears For Fears’ Head Over Heels (well, most of the song anyway) and ending as Curt Smith belts out “In my mind’s eye. One little boy, one little man, funny how time flies.” It’s a shame the entire song didn’t get used for the scene, because the second verse is quite applicable to this move. Here, check out the lyrics:
“I made a fire and watching it burn
Thought of your future
With one foot in the past now just how long will it last
No no no have you no ambition
My mother and my brothers used to breathe in clean air
And dreaming Im a doctor
Its hard to be a man when theres a gun in your hand
Oh I feel so…”
There have be so many music montages in movies that eventually they all just blend together. Sports movies and dramas especially. It’s a rarity that one stands out as much as this one does. It’s so quintessentially 80’s and yet so very edgy at the same time. One of my favorite movies, definitely one I love to discuss the meaning of, and this is easily my favorite scene from it.
