Opening Film Lines
Greatest Opening
Film Lines and Quotes



1950s - 1960s



Greatest Opening Film Lines
(chronological, by film title)
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Greatest Opening Film Lines
1950s - 1960s
Film Title
Famous Opening Lines
Broken Arrow (1950)
(voice-over) "This is the story of a land, of the people who lived on it in the year 1870, and of a man whose name was Cochise. He was an Indian - leader of the Chiricahua Apache tribe. I was involved in the story and what I have to tell happened exactly as you'll see it - the only change will be that when the Apaches speak, they will speak in our language. What took place is part of the history of Arizona and it began for me here where you see me riding. Since getting out of the Union Army, I'd been prospectin' for gold off and on. One day, I got a message that a new Colonel (that) had come to Tucson wanted to see me. The story started when I saw buzzards circlin' in the sky. The buzzard's a smart bird. Something or somebody, was getting ready to die. I figured it was a hurt deer or a rabbit or a snake. Not a rabbit, not a deer. His kind was more dangerous than a snake. He was an Apache. For ten years, we'd been on a savage war with his people - a bloody, no-give, no-take war."
Sunset Boulevard (1950)

(voice-over) (sirens) "Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. It's about five o'clock in the morning. That's the Homicide Squad - complete with detectives and newspapermen. A murder has been reported from one of those great big houses in the ten thousand block. You'll read about it in the late editions, I'm sure. You'll get it over your radio and see it on television because an old-time star is involved - one of the biggest. But before you hear it all distorted and blown out of proportion, before those Hollywood columnists get their hands on it, maybe you'd like to hear the facts, the whole truth. If so, you've come to the right party. You see, the body of a young man was found floating in the pool of her mansion - with two shots in his back and one in his stomach. Nobody important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of 'B' pictures to his credit. The poor dope! He always wanted a pool. Well, in the end, he got himself a pool - only the price turned out to be a little high. Let's go back about six months and find the day when it all started."
Play clip (excerpt): Sunset Blvd. (1950)

Decision Before Dawn (1951)
(narrator voice-over): "Of all the questions left unanswered by the last war and probably any war, one comes back constantly to my mind - Why does a spy risk his life, for what possible reasons? If the spy wins, he's ignored. lf he loses, he's shot. But a man stays alive as long as he's remembered and is killed only by forgetfulness. Let the names of men like this remain unknown, but let the memories of some of them serve as keys to the meanings of treason."
Quo Vadis (1951)

(voice-over) (pounding drums) "This is the Appian Way. The most famous road that leads to Rome, as all roads lead to Rome. On this road march her conquering legions. Imperial Rome is the center of the empire, an undisputed master of the world. But with this power inevitably comes corruption. No man is sure of his life, the individual is at the mercy of the state, murder replaces justice. Rulers of conquered nations surrender their helpless subjects to bondage. High and low alike become Roman slaves, Roman hostages. There is no escape from the whip and the sword. That any force on earth can shake the foundations of this pyramid of power and corruption, of human misery and slavery, seems inconceivable. But thirty years before this day, a miracle occurred. On a Roman cross in Judea, a man died to make men free, to spread the Gospel of love and redemption. Soon that humble cross is destined to replace the proud eagles that now top the victorious Roman standards. This is the story of that immortal conflict. In this, the early summer in the year 64 A.D., in the reign of the Antichrist known to history as the emperor Nero, the victorious fourteenth legion is on its way back to Rome under the command of one Marcus Vinicius."
Play clip (excerpt): Quo Vadis (1951)

Strangers on a Train (1951)

- "Excuse me."
- "I beg your pardon. Aren't you Guy Haines? Oh, sure. I saw you blast Faraday right off the court in South Orange last season. Made the semifinals, didn't you?...Oh, I certainly admire people who do things. By the way, my name is Bruno. Bruno Antony."
Play clip (excerpt):
Strangers on a Train (1951)

The Band Wagon (1953)

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are in luck today here in Los Angeles. Through the years, the Bullwinkle Galleries have brought up for auction many collections of the personal effects of your famous movie stars. But today is indeed a red-letter day. The personal effects of Tony Hunter! Lot 94. Ladies and gentlemen, let's start out with Lot 94. Some of the potpourri of Mr. Hunter's own personal costumes that he used in his famous dancing-singing pictures. Remember this? Perhaps the most famous top hat and stick of our generation. Yes, the one he used in Swinging Down to Panama and all his other famous pictures. Let's start with $5. Do I hear $5? It's worth a lot more. All right. Let's start with $2. Well? 50 cents? Anything?"
Play clip (excerpt): The Band Wagon (1953)

Shane (1953)

- "Somebody's comin', Pa."
- "Well, let him come."
Play clip (excerpt): Shane (1953)

Stalag 17 (1953)

(voice-over) (snare drums) "I don't know about you, but it always makes me sore when I see those war pictures. All about flying leathernecks and submarine patrols and frogmen and guerrillas in the Philippines. What gets me is that there never was a movie about POWs - about prisoners of war. Now, my name is Clarence Harvey Cook: they call me Cookie. I was shot down over Magdeburg, Germany, back in '43. That's why I stammer a little once in a while, 'specially when I get excited. I spent two and a half years in Stalag 17. 'Stalag' is the German word for prison camp, and number 17 was somewhere on the Danube. There were about 40,000 POWs there, if you bothered to count the Russians, and the Poles, and the Czechs. In our compound, there were about 630 of us, all American airmen: radio operators, gunners, and engineers. All sergeants. Now you put 630 sergeants together and, oh mother, you've got yourself a situation. There was more fireworks shooting off around that joint. Take for instance the story about the spy we had in our barracks. It was about a week before Christmas in '44 and two of our guys, Manfredi and Johnson to be exact - were just getting set to blow the place..."
Play clip (excerpt): Stalag 17 (1953)

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
(voice-over) "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form and void. This is the planet Earth, newly born and and cooling rapidly from a temperature of 6,000 degrees to a few hundred in less than 5 billion years. Heat rises, meets the atmosphere, the clouds form, and rain pours down upon the hardening surface for countless centuries. The restless seas rise, find boundaries, are contained. Now, in their warm depths, the miracle of life begins. In infinite variety, living things appear, and change, and reach the land, leaving a record of their coming, of their struggle to survive, and of their eventual end. The record of life is written on the land, where 15 million years later, in the upper reaches of the Amazon, man is still trying to read it."
On the Waterfront (1954)

- "Now you take it from here, slugger."
- "Joey! Joe Doyle!"
- "All right! What do ya want?"
- "Hey, I got one of your birds. I recognized him by the band."
- "Yeah, it must be Danny-boy. I lost him in the last race."
- "Yeah, he flew into my coop. You want him?"
- "Well, I gotta watch myself these days. You know what I mean?"
- "Well, listen. Don't worry. I'll take him up to your loft."
- "OK, I'll see ya on the roof."
Play clip (excerpt): On the Waterfront (1954)

Salt of the Earth (1954)
(voice-over) "How shall I begin my story that has no beginning? In these arroyos, my great grandfather raised cattle before the Anglos ever came. Our roots go deep in this place, deeper than the pines, deeper than the mine shafts. This is my village. When I was a child, it was called San Marcos. The Anglos changed the name to Zinc Town. Zinc Town, New Mexico, U.S.A. This is our home. The house is not ours. But the flowers, the flowers are ours. My name is Esperanza, Esperanza Quintero. I am a miner's wife. Eighteen years my husband has given to that mine, living half his life with dynamite and darkness. The land where the mine now stands - that was owned by my husband's own grandfather. Now it belongs to the company. Who can say when it began, my story? I do not know. But this day I remember as the beginning of an end. It was my Saint's Day. I was thirty-five years old. A day of celebration. And I was seven months gone with my third child. And on that day, I remember I had a wish, a thought so sinful, a thought so evil that I prayed to the Virgin to forgive me for it. I wished, I wished that my child would never be born. No. Not into this world."
La Strada (1954, It.) (aka The Road)

- "Gelsomina!....Gelsomina! Mother says to come home right away. There's a man here. He came on a big motorcycle. He says Rosa is dead."
- "Gelsomina, you remember Zampano who took Rosa away with him? My poor daughter. I'll never even see where they buried her. She's dead, poor thing. She was so beautiful, so good. She could do everything. Zampano, see how much my daughter Gelsomina looks like her? We're so poor. I told you, she's not like Rosa. But she's a good girl, poor thing. She'll do what she's told. She just came out a little strange. But if she eats every day, maybe she'll get better. You want to go with Zampano and take Rosa's place? He'll teach you a trade. You'll earn some money. And one less mouth to feed around here wouldn't be bad. Zampano's a good man. He'll treat you well. You'll travel the world. You'll sing and dance. And look what he gave me: I have it here. We can fix the roof, and these poor things can eat. Why did your father ever leave us? You're all grown up, but you've never worked. It's not your fault you're not like the other girls. Won't you help your mother? He'll teach you. Isn't that right, Zampan?"
- "Of course, I can even teach dogs."
Play clip (excerpt): La Strada (1954)
(Italian)

The Seven Year Itch (1955)

(voice-over) "The island of Manhattan derives its name from its earliest inhabitants - the Manhattan Indians. They were a peaceful tribe, setting traps, fishing, hunting. And there was a custom among them. Every July, when the heat and the humidity on the island became unbearable, they would send their wives and children away for the summer, up the river to the cooler highlands, or, if they could afford it, to the seashore. The husbands, of course, would remain behind on the steaming island to attend to business - setting traps, fishing, and hunting. [As soon as the Indian squaws were out of sight, the Indian chiefs followed an attractive Indian squaw.] Actually, our story has nothing whatsoever to do with Indians. It plays 500 years later...We only brought up the subject to show you that in all that time, nothing has changed. Manhattan husbands still send their wives and kids away for the summer, and they still remain behind in the steaming city to attend to business, setting traps, fishing, and hunting. Now we want you to meet a typical Manhattan husband whose family is leaving for the summer..."
Play clip (excerpt): The Seven Year Itch

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

(added prologue)
- "Oh, Dr. Hill."
- "Dr. Bassett. So, where's the patient?"
- "I hated to drag you out of bed at this time of night."
- "Will you let me go while there's still time?"
- "You'll soon see why I did."
- "Doctor, will you tell these fools I'm not crazy? Make them listen to me before it's too late!"
- "I'll listen to ya. Let him go."
- "Who are you?"
- "I'm Dr. Hill from the state mental hospital."
- "I'm not insane!"
- "Let him go!"
- "Doctor, now you must listen to me. You must understand me. I am a doctor, too. I am not insane. I am not insane."
- "All right. Now suppose we just sit down over here, Dr. Bennell, and you tell me what happened?"
- "Well, --"
(voice-over) (original theatrical version before studio intervention) "It started - for me, it started last Thursday, in response to an urgent message from my nurse. I'd hurried home from a medical convention I'd been attending. At first glance, everything looked the same. It wasn't. Something evil had taken possession of the town."
Play clip (excerpt): Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Moby Dick (1956)

(voice-over) "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago, having little or no money, I thought I would sail about and see the oceans of the world. Whenever I get grim and spleenful, whenever I feel like knocking people's hats off in the street, whenever it's a damp, drizzly November in my soul, I know that it's high time to get to sea again. Choose any path you please and ten to one, it carries you down to water. There's a magic in water that draws all men away from the land, leads them over the hills, down creeks, and streams and rivers to the sea. The sea - where each man, as in a mirror, finds himself. And so it was I duly arrived at the town of New Bedford on a stormy Saturday late in the year 1841."
Play clip (excerpt):
Moby Dick (1956)

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

(opening scrolling text) "You are about to land in a lonely zone of terror.. on an uncharted atoll in the Pacific! You are part of The Second Scientific Expedition dispatched to this mysterious bit of Coral reef and volcanic rock. The first group has disappeared without a trace! Your job is to find out why! There have been rumors about this strange atoll.. frightening rumors about happenings way out beyond the laws of nature.."
(voice-over) "And the Lord said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the Earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.'"

- "Make that line fast. Everybody ashore."
- "Strange. We can see only a small part of the island from this spot, but yet you can feel lack of welcome, lack of abiding life, huh?"
- "Yeah, I felt the same when I came here before to rescue your first group. I not only knew that they were gone, but they were lost completely and forever, body and soul."
Play clip (excerpt): Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

The Seventh Seal (1957, Sw.)

- "Who are you?"
- "I am Death."
- "Are you coming for me?"
- "I've already walked by your side for quite some time."
- "I know."
- "Are you ready?"
- "My body is ready, but I'm not."
Play clip (excerpt): The Seventh Seal (1957) (Swedish)

The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

(Narrator): "This is a true story. How often have you seen that statement at the beginning of a picture? It sometimes means that there was a man named Napoleon, but that any similarity between what he did in life and what he's going to do in this movie is strictly miraculous. Well, this is a true story, about a sweet, rather baffled young housewife who, in 1951 in her hometown in Georgia, suddenly frightened her husband by behaving very unlike herself. Well, there's nothing unique in that. We all have moods. We all have a secret yen to behave like somebody we particularly admire. In fact, a modern writer has said that inside every fat man, a thin man is struggling to get out. Well, in a literal and terrifying sense, inside this demure young woman, two very vivid and different personalities were battling for the mastery of her character. She was, in fact, a case of what is called 'multiple personality', something that all psychiatrists have read about and very few have ever seen. Certainly not Dr. Thigpen and Dr. Cleckley, of the Medical College of Georgia, who one day were confronted with a woman who had one personality more than Dr. Jekyll. Now, their account of the case was delivered to the American Psychiatric Association in 1953 and it's already a classic of psychiatric literature. So this movie needed no help from the imagination of a fiction writer. The truth itself was fabulous enough. And all the episodes you're going to see happened to this girl whom they call Eve White, and much of the dialogue is taken from the clinical record of the doctor that we call Dr. Luther. The date is August the 20th, 1951..."
Play clip (excerpt):
The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

(voice-over narration) "Great scientific advances are oftentimes sudden accomplished facts before most of us are even dimly aware of them. Breathtakingly unexpected, for example, was the searing flash that announced the Atomic Age. Equally unexpected was the next gigantic stride when Man moved out of his very orbit to a point more than 20 million miles to Earth."
Play clip (excerpt):
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

Gigi (1958)
"Bonjour, monsieur. Bonjour, madame and company. Good afternoon. As you see, this lovely city all around us is Paris. And this lovely park is, of course, the Bois de Boulogne. Pardon me. Who am l? Well, allow me to introduce myself. l am Honor Lachaille. Born: Paris. Date: Not lately. This is 1900 so let's just say not in this century. Circumstances: Comfortable. Profession: Lover and collector of beautiful things. Not antiques, mind you. Younger things. Yes, definitely younger. Married? What for? Now, please don't misunderstand. Like everywhere else, most people in Paris get married. But not all. There are some who will not marry and some who do not marry. But here in Paris, those who will not are usually men and those who do not are usually women."
North by Northwest (1959)

- "Even if you accept the belief that a high Trendex automatically means a rising sales curve which incidentally... "
- "Mr. Thornhill."
- "Goodnight, Eddie. Say hello to the missus."
- "We're not talkin'."
- "...my recommendation is still the same. Dash - Spread the good word in as many small-time segments as we can grab. And let the opposition have their high ratings while we cry about it all the way to the bank. Uh, why don't we colonize at the Colony one day next week for lunch. Let me hear from you, Sam. Uh, happy thoughts, etc. etc.... Come on, you better walk me to the Plaza."
- "I didn't put a coat on."
- "Use your blood sugar, child. Come on."
Play clip (excerpt):
North by Northwest (1959)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

"Greetings, my friend! We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future. You are interested in the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable; that is why you are here. And now for the first time we are bringing to you the full story of what happened on that faithful day. We are giving you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimonies of the miserable souls who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places, my friend, we can not keep this a secret any longer; let us punish the guilty, let us reward the innocent. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts about the grave robbers from outer space?"
Play clip (excerpt):
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

(title card) "Chicago, 1929"
- "All right, Charlie. That the joint?"
- "Yes, sir."
- "Who runs it?"
- "I already told ya."
- "Refresh my memory."
- "Spats Columbo."
- "That's very refreshing. What's the password?"
- "'I've come to Grandma's funeral.' Here's your admission card."
- "Thanks, Charlie."
- "Now if you want a ringside table, just tell 'em that you're one of the pallbearers."
- "OK, Charlie."
- "We're all set. When's the kickoff?"
- "Well, Chief. I'd better blow, 'cuz if Colombo sees me, it's gonna be 'Goodbye, Charlie'."
- "Goodbye, Charlie. Give me five minutes, then hit 'em with everything you got."
- "You betcha."
Play clip (excerpt):
Some Like It Hot (1959)

The Tingler (1959)

"I am William Castle, the director of the motion picture you are about to see. I feel obligated to warn you that some of the sensations, some of the physical reactions which the actors on the screen will feel, will also be experienced for the first time in motion picture history, by certain members of this audience. I say 'certain members' because some people are more sensitive to these mysterious electronic impulses than others. These, uh, unfortunate, sensitive people will at times feel a strange, tingling sensation. Others will feel it less strongly. But don't be alarmed - you can protect yourself. At any time you are conscious of a tingling sensation, you may obtain immediate relief by screaming. Don't be embarrassed about opening your mouth and letting rip with all you've got, because the person in the seat right next to you will probably be screaming too. And remember this - a scream at the right time may save your life."
Play clip (excerpt): The Tinger (1959)

The Apartment (1960)
(voice-over) "On November 1st, 1959, the population of New York City was 8,042,783. If you laid all these people end to end, figuring an average height of five feet six and a half inches, they would reach from Times Square to the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan. I know facts like this because I work for an insurance company - Consolidated Life of New York. We're one of the top five companies in the country. Our home office has 31,259 employees - which is more than the entire population of, uh, Natchez, Mississippi. I work on the 19th floor - Ordinary Policy Department - Premium Accounting Division - Section W - desk number 861. My name is C. C. Baxter - C. for Calvin, C. for Clifford, however most people call me Bud. I've been with Consolidated for three years and ten months and my take-home pay is $94.70 a week. The hours in our department are 8:50 to 5:20. (Closing bell rings) They're staggered by floors, so that sixteen elevators can handle the 31,259 employees without a serious traffic jam. As for myself, I very often stay on at the office and work for an extra hour or two, especially when the weather is bad. It's not that I'm overly ambitious, it's just a, a way of killing time until it's all right for me to go home. You see, I have this little problem with my apartment. I live in the West 60s, just half a block from Central Park. My rent is $85 dollars a month. It used to be $80 until last July when Mrs. Lieberman, the landlady, put in a second-hand air conditioning unit. It's a real nice apartment - nothing fancy - but kind of cozy - just right for a bachelor. The only problem is - I can't always get in when I want to."
Play clip (excerpt): The Apartment
Breathless (1960, Fr.) (aka A Bout de Souffle)
(voice-over) "After all, I'm an asshole."
Peeping Tom (1960, UK)

- "It'll be two quid. Shut the door."
- "No!"
Play clip (excerpt): Peeping Tom (1960)

Psycho (1960)

- "You never did eat your lunch, did you?"
- "I'd better get back to the office. These extended lunch hours give my boss excess acid."
- "Why don't you call your boss and tell him you're taking the rest of the afternoon off? (It's) Friday anyway, and hot."
- "What do I do with my free afternoon? Walk you to the airport?"
- "Well, you could laze around here a while longer."
- "Hmm. Checking-out time is 3:00 p.m. Hotels of this sort aren't interested in you when you come in, but when your time is up. Oh, Sam, I hate having to be with you in a place like this."
- "I've heard of married couples who deliberately spend an occasional night in a cheap hotel."
- "When you're married, you can do a lot of things deliberately."
- "You sure talk like a girl who's been married."
- "Oh, Sam, this is the last time."
- "For what?"
- "For this, meeting you in secret so we can be secretive. You come down here on business trips. We steal lunch hours. I wish you wouldn't even come."
- "All right, what do we do instead? Write each other lurid love letters?"
- "Oh, I have to go, Sam."
Play clip (excerpt): Psycho (1960)

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

- "Hey! Hey, baby. What's going on here?"
- "Oh, hi!"
- (doorbell rings) "Yiee! Aah! Miss Gorightly! Some day, some day! Miss Gorightly!"
- "What happened to ya, anyway. You take off for the powder room and that's the last I see ya."
- "Now really, Harry..."
- "Harry was the other guy. I'm Sid. Sid Arbuck. You like me, remember?"
- "Miss Gorightly! I protest!"
- "Oh, darling, I am sorry, but I lost my key."
- "But that was two weeks ago. You cannot go on and keep ringin' my bell. You disturb me! You must have a key made!"
- "But it won't do any good. I just lose them all."
- "Come on, baby. You like me. You know you do."
- "I worship you, Mr. Arbuck. But good night, Mr. Arbuck."
- "Wait a minute! What is this? You like me. I'm a liked guy. You like me, baby. You know you do. Didn't I pick up the check for five people? Your friends - I never seen 'em before. And when you asked for a little change for the powder room, what do I give ya? A $50 dollar bill. Now, doesn't that give me some rights?"
- "In 30 seconds I'm goin' to call the police! All the time, a disturbance! I get no sleep! I got to getta my rest! I'm an artist! I'm goin' to call the vice squad on you!"
- "Don't be angry, you dear little man. I won't do it again. If you promise not to be angry, I might let you take those pictures we mentioned."
- "When?"
- "Some time."
- "Any time."
- "Good night."
Play clip (excerpt): Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

One, Two, Three (1961)

(voice-over) "On Sunday, August 13th, 1961, the eyes of America were on the nation's capital, where Roger Maris was hitting home runs # 44 and 45 against the Senators. On that same day, without any warning, the East German Communists sealed off the border between East and West Berlin. I only mention this to show the kind of people we're dealing with - REAL SHIFTY! Having been stationed in Berlin and having dealt with them, I know what I'm talking about. Let's go back to last June. Considering the abnormal situation of a divided city, life in Berlin was more or less normal. Traffic flowed freely through the Brandenburg Gate and it wasn't really too much trouble to pass from one side of the Iron Curtain to the other. Some of the East German police were rude and suspicious, others were suspicious and rude. The eastern sector under Communist domination was still in rubble but the people went about their daily business, parading...These constant provocations failed to provoke the West Berliners. They were too busy rebuilding. The western sector, under Allied protection, was peaceful, prosperous and enjoyed all the blessings of democracy. Just by coincidence, this happens to be the company [Coca-Cola] I work for."
Play clip (excerpt): One, Two, Three (1961)

West Side Story (1961)

"Watch this shot now. Hey. Shoot, man. Go. Hey, yeah."
Play clip (excerpt): West Side Story (1961)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

- "He was the most extraordinary man I ever knew."
- "Did you know him well?"
- "I knew him."
- "Well, nil nisi bonum. But did he really deserve a place in here?"
- "Lord Allenby, could you give me a few words about Colonel Lawrence?"
- "What, more words? The revolt in the desert played a decisive part in the Middle Eastern campaign."
- "Ah, yes, sir, but about Colonel Lawrence himself?"
- "No, no. I didn't know him well, you know."
- "Uh, Mr. Bentley. You must know as much about Colonel Lawrence as anybody does."
- "Yes. It was my privilege to know him. And to make him known to the world. He was a poet, a scholar, and a mighty warrior...He was also the most shameless exhibitionist since Barnum and Bailey."
- "You, sir. Who are you?"
- "My name is Jackson Bentley."
- "Ah. Well, whoever you are, I overheard your last remark and I take the gravest possible exception. He was a very great man."
- "Did you know him?"
- "No, sir, I can't claim to have known him. I once had the honor to shake his hand in Damascus."
- "Knew him? No. I never knew him. He had some minor function on my staff in Cairo."
Play clip (excerpt): Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

(voice-over) "Maycomb was a tired old town, even in 1932 when I first knew it. Somehow, it was hotter then. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon after their three o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostin's of sweat and sweet talcum. The day was 24 hours long, but it seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go and nothin' to buy...and no money to buy it with. Although Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothin' to fear but fear itself. That summer, I was six years old."
Play clip (excerpt): To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
(voice-over) "Want to see it again, little girl? It shouldn't frighten you."
Charade (1963)

- "Oh, la!"
- "Don't tell me, you didn't know it was loaded. Sylvie! Oh. Can't he do something constructive, like start an avalanche or something?"
Play clip (excerpt):
Charade (1963)

The Haunting (1963, UK)

(voice-over) "An evil old house, the kind some people call haunted, is like an undiscovered country waiting to be explored. Hill House had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more. Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone..."
Play clip (excerpt): The Haunting  (1963)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

- "My car's thirsty. Can I please have some water?"
- "God is good. He has sent me a big, strong man."
- "He didn't say anything to me about settling in any place. I was just passing by."
- "But you did not pass. That is your, your car?"
- "That's my home."
- "Now, you fix und dann habe ich...I have something you do."
- "I thank you very kindly, ma'am, but I got places to go. Thanks for the water."
Play clip (excerpt): Lilies of the Field (1963)

The Pink Panther (1963)

(title card) Once upon a time
- "As in every stone of this size, there is a flaw."
- "A flaw?"
- "The slightest flaw, your excellency."
- "If you look deep into the stone, you will perceive the tiniest discoloration. It resembles an animal."
- "An animal?"
- "A little panther."
- "Yes! A pink panther. Come here, Dahla. A gift to your father from his grateful people. Some day it will be yours. The most fabulous diamond in all the world. Come closer."
Play clip (excerpt): The Pink Panther (1963)

The Servant (1963, UK)

- "Excuse me, sir...My name's Barrett, sir."
- "Oh God, of course. I'm so sorry. I fell asleep. We've got an appointment."
- "Yes, sir."
- "What time?"
- "3 o'clock, sir."
- "Uh, what time is it now?"
- "3 o'clock, sir."
- "Uh, it was too many beers at lunch, that's what it is. Do you drink beer?"
- "No. No, I don't sir."
- "Well, come upstairs. We can sit down. I'm just back from Africa, I'm quite liking it. What do you think of the house?"
- "It's so nice, sir."
- "Needs a lot to be done with, of course."
Play clip (excerpt): The Servant (1963)

Dr. Strangelove Or:... (1964)

(scrolling title card) "It is the stated position of the U.S. Air Force that their safeguards would prevent the occurrence of such events as are depicted in this film. Furthermore, it should be noted that none of the characters portrayed in this film are meant to represent any real persons living or dead."
(voice-over) "For more than a year, ominous rumors had been privately circulating among high-level western leaders that the Soviet Union had been at work on what was darkly hinted to be the Ultimate Weapon, a Doomsday Device. Intelligence sources traced the site of the top secret Russian project to the perpetually fog-shrouded wasteland below the Arctic peaks of the Zhokhov Islands. What they were building, or why it should be located in such a remote and desolate place, no one could say."

Play clip (excerpt): Dr. Strangelove Or: ... (1964)

Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964)
"This house, this plantation, this whole damned parish belonged to my family before your people stepped aboard the stinkin' cattle boats that brought 'em to this country. Don't you dare talk back to me, boy! My family's seen this state crawlin' with lousy carpetbaggers that knew more about behavin' like a gentleman than you do! I can't even look at Charlotte without ugly thoughts rip my guts. I'd sooner it had been one of my field boys. I could have killed him. Do you know what it's costin' me not to kill you? My daughter and Jewel Mayhew's husband. You gutless, soft, sucklin' swine! My daddy sat out there on that veranda, and let the whole place slide to dust. When he died, there was nothin' but debts and dirt. I touched that dirt and made it blossom. I fought to keep this house and to bring it back up. I don't have a son to give it to. Only Charlotte. And she ain't gonna give it to you. You ain't gonna have my home or my child. I created both and I'm gonna keep 'em. I ain't watched over my girl all these years to have some, to have some, to have some creature like you take her away."
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)

(voice over) "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to violence, the word and the act. While violence cloaks itself in a plethora of disguises, its favorite mantle still remains: sex. Violence devours all it touches, its voracious appetite rarely fulfilled. Yet violence doesn’t only destroy – it creates and molds as well… Let’s examine closely, then, this dangerously evil creation, this new breed, encased and contained within the supple skin of woman. The softness is there, the unmistakable smell of female. The surface shiny and silken. The body yielding yet wanton. But a word of caution – handle with care and don’t drop your guard! This rapacious new breed prowls both alone and in packs, operating at any level! Any time! Anywhere and with any body! Who are they? One might be your secretary! Your doctor’s receptionist! Or a dancer in a go-go club!"
Play clip (excerpt): Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1963)

The Sound of Music (1965)

(sung) "The hills are alive, With the sound of music / With songs they have sung for a thousand years / The hills fill my heart with the sound of music / My heart wants to sing every song it hears."
Play clip (excerpt):
The Sound of Music (1965)

One Million Years, B.C. (1966)

(voice-over) "This is a story of long, long ago, when the world was just beginning... A young world, a world early in the morning of time. A hard, unfriendly world. Creatures who sit and wait. Creatures who must kill to live. And man, superior to the creatures only in his cunning. There are not many men yet. Just a few tribes scattered across the wilderness. Never venturing far, unaware that other tribes exist even. Too busy with their own lives to be curious. Too frightened of the unknown to wander. Their laws are simple: the strong take everything. This is Akhoba, leader of the Rock Tribe... "
Play clip (excerpt): One Million Years B.C. (1966)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- "Hey boy. What you doin' with my Mama's car? Wait there! Ain't you ashamed? You're tryin' to steal an ol' lady's automobile."
- "Now, come on. Whatcha talkin' about? I've been thinkin' about buyin' me one."
- "Bull! You ain't got money for dinner, let alone buyin' no car."
- "Well, ma'am, I'll tell ya somethin'. I got enough money for a Coca-Cola, and, uh, since it don't look like you're gonna invite me inside..."
- "You'd steal the dining room table if I did."
- "You want to go into town with me? How'd that be?"
- "I'm goin' to work, anyway."
- "You're goin' to work, huh?"
- "Yeah."
- "What kind of work do ya do?"
- "None of your business."
- "I'll bet you're a movie star? Huh? A lady mechanic?"
- "No."
- "A maid?"
- "What do you think I am?"
- "A waitress."
Play clip (excerpt):
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Funny Girl (1968)

"Hello, gorgeous."
Play clip (excerpt): Funny Girl (1968)

Oliver! (1968)

- "Please, sir, I want some more."
- "What?"
- "Please sir, I want some...more."
- "More?!"
Play clip (excerpt): Oliver! (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

- "Here you are, sir. Main Level, please."
- "Um, hmm. Right. See you on the way back."
- "Bye."
- "Bye. Hi."
- "Good morning, sir."
- "Good morning."
- "We haven't seen you up here for a Iong time."
- "No. Very nice to see you again."
- "Did you have a pIeasant fIight, sir?"
- "Yes, very nice, thanks. I think Mr. MiIIer of, uh, Station Security is supposed to be meeting me."
- "Oh, well. May I caII him for you?"
- "Please. Oh, here he is!"
- "Oh, heIIo, Dr. FIoyd."
- "HeIIo, MiIIer. How are you?"
- "Sorry I'm Iate."
- "That's quite aII right. Gee, you're looking great."
- "Thank you. It's nice to have you back."
Play clip (excerpt):
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

The Wild Bunch (1969)

"Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, least ye shall die. Look not though upon the wine when it is red, and when it bringeth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last, it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder. Now, folks... that's from the Good Book, but in this here town, it's five cents a glass. Five cents a glass. Does anyone really think that that is the price of a drink? The price of a drink. Let him decide who has lost his courage and his pride who lies a groveling heap of clay not far removed...."
Play clip (excerpt): The Wild Bunch (1969)



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