Best movie speech/monologue ?

edited March 2020 in General Movies & TV Posts: 4,599
I was thinking (plenty of time for that at present), nominations for the best speech/monologue? It struck me that we have not had a great one for many, many years. I have many in mind but won't be greedy:



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Comments

  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,811
    @patb what a great idea.
    The Indianapolis speech from Jaws is possibly the Holy grail of monologues. I once had the opportunity to ask Richard Dreyfus what it was like being in the scene.
    He said he was in awe of Robert Shaw.
    It’s such a memorable speech that after 45 years, it’s still talked about.
    The only one I can think of right now is Pulp Fictions, Ezekiel 25:17

  • edited March 2020 Posts: 4,599
    Did anyone see Dreyfuss on Bake Off last week? A movie icon mucking about with cake? I was amazed Channel 4 got him, seems like a decent chap and for a good cause.

    @Benny Yes, the Pulp Fiction one was on my list so tick that one off, just superb

    speaking of Drefuss.........

  • Posts: 1,637
    Ending monologue by Walken in Comfort of strangers , disturbing and haunting
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,811
    Another one from Pulp Fiction...
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    Benny wrote: »
    Another one from Pulp Fiction...

    To be fair Tarantino has many great monologues in his scripts.

    Love the one Dennis Hopper gives Christopher Walken in True Romance 😁
  • Posts: 1,879
    Both great Walken selections. It makes me wish Maibaum and Wilson would've written a memorable speech for him with Bond in AVTAK.

    My selection is Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko giving the famous Greed is Good speech to shareholders in Oliver Stone's Wall Street.

    It's also one of the most misquoted lines as his actual dialogue goes "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed works." It's a perfect portrait of how certain people like Gekko operated at that time in American history and the character actually inspired a lot of people to want to work on Wall Street wanting to be like Gekko.
  • Posts: 4,599
    Another class choice, thanks.....any more nominations?
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904
    I stumbled into this speech when I was researching for a Monologue for Toastmasters. Al Pacino is a master and this speech is so well done. It's from the movie City Hall. He is the mayor of New York and attends a funeral for a slain boy.

  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 3,985
    One of my favourites 😁
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Posts: 4,416
    Judi Dench M speach in Skyfall.



    Uncle Ben Spider-Man

  • Posts: 4,599
    Not sure if SF counts as she is just reading a poem, it is a "marmite" moment with the Bond series (I love it).Meanwhile...............

  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,811


    Burl Ives Oscar winning performance in The Big Country
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 2,598
    These are all great choices.

    I watched Citizen Kane (for the 892rd time 😊) on Sunday evening. For years I thought I was the only person alive that found this “little” moment so affecting.

    It turns out, based on the many responses on twitter that evening, that I’m not alone. It really sums up how “we” look back on life as we get older. Not with regret so much, as with a wistfulness about people and places that we experienced in our youth.

    “A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all, but I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl....”

  • Posts: 4,599
  • Posts: 2,887
    Courtesy of screenwriter Willy Shakespeare:

  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    An obvious one, but I choked up a bit just finding and watching the clip:

  • edited March 2020 Posts: 5,774
    Bill's opinion of Superman :



    Oh, and I'm surprised nobody mentioned this one :

  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081


  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    Was waiting for Glengarry Glen Ross.
  • Posts: 4,599
    Pure cheese :)

  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 4,904


    Great speech from the Civil War and Joshua Chamberlain. He was given some men who were trying to desert the cause. This speech caused all but 3 of the men to join his regiment. I love Jeff Daniels as an actor!
  • Posts: 6,665
    Tears in the rain monologue.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    Was waiting for Glengarry Glen Ross.

    It's a favourite of mine.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,009
    Octopussy wrote: »
    Was waiting for Glengarry Glen Ross.

    It's a favourite of mine.

    Excellent scene. Baldwin nails it.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    Octopussy wrote: »
    Was waiting for Glengarry Glen Ross.

    It's a favourite of mine.

    Excellent scene. Baldwin nails it.

    I read that this scene wasn’t in the original stage production and was invented for the film, and now that scene is all anyone thinks about when they think of Glengarry Glen Ross.
  • Posts: 1,879
    I always enjoy saying "Put the coffee down!" in the gravely Alec Baldwin voice to people and they have no idea what I'm talking about.
  • OctopussyOctopussy Piz Gloria, Schilthorn, Switzerland.
    Posts: 1,081
    BT3366 wrote: »
    I always enjoy saying "Put the coffee down!" in the gravely Alec Baldwin voice to people and they have no idea what I'm talking about.

    +1
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 4,599
    Bending the rules but it's "my" thread - "we aspired to intelligence, we didn't belittle it" - this was pre-Trump, it's very powerful IMHO



    and a reminder of a time when Cruise did not have to do stunts to contribute to classic movies.....


  • DrunkIrishPoetDrunkIrishPoet The Amber Coast
    Posts: 156
    One of the best-written American movies of the past fifty years: NETWORK (Paddy Chayefsky, 1976) has several Oscar-caliber monologues. Most famous are the "Mad as Hell" speech by Peter Finch as Howard Beale (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRuS3dxKK9U) and the "Primal Forces of Nature" speech by Ned Beatty as Mr. Jensen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35DSdw7dHjs)
    But my favorite is Faye Dunaway as Diana, who just canNOT stop talking about her work, even at a romantic seaside rendezvous with William Holden (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoVI1nm1X5o)
    NETWORK: now more than ever.
  • edited April 2020 Posts: 6,682
    Some of my choices have already been posted, but here are a couple more!



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