What is it that makes a movie a timeless classic? “I’ve probably been asked that question more than any other. Everybody says, ‘So what makes a film a classic?’ And the answer to that is, I don’t know. It really depends,” TCM host Ben Mankiewicz tells CNN. “What I do know is that if you’re arguing about it, then I think we’re doing our job. This question is supposed to be argued over, and it’s supposed to be argued over passionately.” One of the hallmarks of an iconic movie is a powerful moment that not only makes the movie a must-watch, but comes to represent the film itself. Here are 20 unforgettable moments from iconic classic films that will make movie night special again.
RELATED: The 25 Best Classic Movies That Every Film Fan Needs to See
1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
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"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," says Clarke Gable’s Rhett Butler before leaving Scarlett O’Hara, immortalized by Vivien Leigh, in this classic Civil War-era epic. You can only push a man so far, Scarlett!
2. The Godfather (1972)
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"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse,” says Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone in this groundbreaking crime movie which was essentially the Godfather (sorry, I had to) of all the mob movies that followed. Brando’s bone-chilling threat of the line, so casually and quietly delivered, is truly ionic.
3. Casablanca (1942)
Warner Bros.
"Here's looking at you, kid," Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine says to Ingrid Bergman’s Ilsa, an improvised line that was not in the original script. Blaine says it in flashback, and when he tells her goodbye at the end of the movie (spoiler alert?). Truly the stuff romance is made of.
4. The Wizard of Oz(1939)
Warner Bros.
"There's no place like home," uttered by Judy Garland’s Dorothy Gale, is one of the most beloved and quoted lines from a cherished classic movie. A close second is “only bad witches are ugly.”
5. Citizen Kane (1941)
Warner Bros.
"Rosebud" is the last word uttered by Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) in what’s widely considered one of the best movies ever made. "Here's a man who might have been president. He's been loved and hated and talked about as much as any man in our time - but when he comes to die, he's got something on his mind called Rosebud. What does that mean?" says the newsreel editor in the movie.
6. Psycho (1960)
Universal Pictures
"We all go a little mad sometimes," says Norman Bates, famously played by Anthony Perkins in a movie that ruined showers forever (thanks Alfred Hitchcock!). Perkins is delightfully deranged in this classic horror/thriller film.
7. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
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"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings,"says Henry Travers as the hapless angel Clarence in this classic Christmas movie. This perennial holiday favorite will make you happy at any time of year.
8. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
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"The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts," Peter O’Toole’s T.E. Lawrence says to Potter in this sweeping classic. The line perfectly encapsulates Lawrence’s attitude and eccentricity when Potter tries to follow Lawrences’ example and put out a burning match with his fingers.
9. Chinatown (1974)
Paramount Pictures
"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown," is one of the most memorable lines in cinema history, uttered by Lawrence Walsh (Joe Mantell) at the end of the movie. Bleak? Yes. Iconic? Also yes.
10. 12 Angry Men (1957)
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"I’m talking about somebody’s life here!" says Juror #8 in this intense, dialogue-driven courtroom drama. Henry Fonda gives a typically brilliant performance as the one juror who refuses to just casually send a man to his death.
11. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
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"I’m just crazy about Tiffany’s!" says Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly. Hepburn perfectly portrays Golightly’s vulnerability and sadness in this iconic romantic comedy.
12. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Universal Pictures
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view," says Atticus Finch in this adaptation of Harper Lee’s timeless novel. Gregory Peck’s powerful performance as a lawyer trying to save an innocent man against all odds is heartbreaking and inspiring.
13. Vertigo
Paramount Pictures
“You shouldn't keep souvenirs of a killing. You shouldn't have been that sentimental,” says John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson, played by James Stewart. It’s moments like that which make Vertigo the perfect Hitchcock classic.
14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
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"Get busy living, or get busy dying," says Andy Dufresne in a movie packed so packed with incredible lines and moments it’s hard to pick just one. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman give gripping performances in this movie about hope, friendship, and never giving up.
15. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
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"I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain," sings Don Lockwood, memorably played by Gene Kelly, in this iconic, timeless musical. Kelly’s performance was just one of many stunning musical and dance numbers in this beautiful and hilarious classic.
16. The Sound of Music (1965)
20th Century Fox
"The hills are alive with the sound of music," sings Maria in one of the most stunning openings in film. The gorgeous Untersberg mountain is as much a character in this beloved musical as Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are.
17. Rear Window (1954)
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“She's too perfect, she's too talented, she's too beautiful, she's too sophisticated, she's too everything but what I want,” says James Stewart’s L.B. 'Jeff' Jefferies when discussing the luminous Lisa Carol Fremont, played to perfection by Grace Kelly. Another Hitchcock/Stewart classic.
18. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
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"I am big! It's the pictures that got small," says Gloria Swanson in an unforgettable turn as aging star Norma Desmond. This dark satire perfectly skewers the film industry—deservedly so.
19. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Warner Bros.
"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers," says tender, fragile Blanche DuBois in this Southern Gothic drama film adapted from Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh are magnificent.
20. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
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The line "the stuff that dreams are made of," is uttered by Humprey Bogart at his weary best. Bogart’s turn as private detective Sam Spade is considered one of his most iconic performances in this noir classic considered the greatest detective movie ever made.
