Favorite movie lines

[The Shadow One]

Okay, I'll just give three:

First, getting points for the most "famous" movie line of all time, from Gone With the Wind (and what man has not said this once his life):

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

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Second, just being one of my favorite lines of all time, from one of the most underated movies of all time, Gorky Park, a conversation between Arkady Renko (William Hurt) and Irina Asanova (Joanne Pacula):

Irina: The KGB have better cars, you know?

Renko: Yes, but the KGB don't always take you where you want to go, now do they?

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Finally, the best speech scene ever in American cinema, from the legendary movie The Maltese Falcon, between Sam Spade (Humphery Bogart) and Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor):

Spade: Well, if you get a good break, you'll be out of Tehachapi in 20 years and you can come back to me then. I hope they don't hang you, precious, by that sweet neck.

Brigid: You're not --

Spade: Yes, Angel, I'm gonna send you over. The chances are you'll get off with life. That means if you're a good girl, you'll be out in 20 years. I'll be waiting for you. If they hang you, I'll always remember you.

Brigid: Don't, Sam. Don't say that even in fun. . . . [Laughing nervously] I was frightened for a minute. I really thought . . . You do such wild and unpredictable things.

Spade: Now don't be silly. You're taking the fall.

Brigid: [Pulls away] You've been playing with me -- just pretending you cared just to trap me like this. You didn't care at all! You don't love me!

Spade: I won't play the sap for you.

Brigid: Oh, you know it's not like that. You can't say that . . .

Spade: You haven't played square with me for half an hour at a stretch since I've known you!

Brigid: You know down deep in your heart that in spite of anything I've done, I love you!

Spade: I don't care who loves who! I won't play the sap for you! I won't walk in Thursby's and I don't know how many others' footsteps! [Pause] You killed Miles and you're going over for it.

Brigid: How can you do this to me, Sam. Surely, Mr. Archer wasn't as much to you as . . . [Breaks into sobs]

Spade: Listen. This won't do any good. You'll never understand, but I'll try once and then give it up. When a man's partner is killed he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it. And it happens we're in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed, it's bad business to let the killer get away with it. Bad all around, bad for every detective everywhere.

Brigid: You don't expect me to think that these things you're saying are sufficient reason for sending me --

Spade: Wait'll I'm through, then you can talk. I've no earthly reason to think I can trust you and if I do this and get away with it, you'll have something on me that you can use whenever you want to. Since I've got something on you I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't put a hole in me someday. All those are one side. Maybe some of them are unimportant. I won't argue about that. But look at the number of them. And what have we got on other side? All we've got is that maybe you love me and maybe I love you.

Brigid: You know whether you love me or not.

Spade: Maybe I do. I'll have some rotten nights after I've sent you over, but that'll pass. [Pause] If all I've said doesn't mean anything to you, then forget it and we'll make it just this: I won't because all of me wants to regardless of the consequences and because you've counted on that with me the same as you counted on that with all the others.

Brigid: Would you have done this to me if the falcon had been real and you'd got your money?

Spade: Don't be too sure I'm as crooked as I'm supposed to be. That sort of reputation might be good business, bringing high-priced jobs and making easier to deal with the enemy, but a lot more money would have only been one more item on your side of the scales.

* * *

Ah, the memories.

The Shadow One



Life is the ultimate intellectual challenge. Chess is just a game.