Top 5 Meme, cont'd: Top HP/SW scenes [illustrated!]
emmaorgana asked for my Top 5 HP book scenes and top 5 SW scenes (among other lists, which I'll get to in a separate post :)). The SW was surprisingly easy; the HP was surprisingly difficult. It's been a lot longer than I realized since I've read the first four books. All in all, though, I still feel reasonably confident about this list.
I've "illustrated" these lists with appropriate images - I had to do a bit of fudging with some of the HP images because the DH movie's not out yet, but hopefully the image choices still make sense. :)
Top 5 Favorite scenes in the Harry Potter books. (In no particular order.)
1. The Cave, HBP.
I can just about forgive any other problem I have with HBP because of this. Even without spoilers I was pretty certain Dumbledore was going to die in HBP because pretty much every myth dictates Harry had to be on his own for the last step of his Hero's Journey, and the passing-of-the torch from DD to Harry in this chapter was some of the best damn writing in the series. Dumbledore suffering through the Despair Potion (or whatever it's called) is painful even with my relative ambivalence to his character, seeing this mightiest of wizards reduced to a quivering shell and only making it through because Harry, who's always relied on him to save the day, is now urging him on. And the bookending with them going into the cave with DD telling Harry not to be afraid because Harry's with him, then them coming out of the cave with DD saying he's not afraid because he's with Harry... just, wow. (The omission of that last bit is the only real regret I have about the film version of this scene, which I thought otherwise was spot-on.)
2. "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime," DH
I've made it no secret that I have no love for the Epilogue. I think this scene alone would have made a lovely ending, a fitting farewell to the series I'd spent so many fond (and a few not-so-fond) hours with. Harry's alive and exhausted after finally reaching the end of a lengthy, complex, painful battle... and wants nothing more than the simplest comforts. His best friends in the world, a nap in a warm bed, and a sandwich. :) (Yes, I'm aware that last sentence can be read an entirely different way than I intended it. *eg* And that's okay.) It's the Trio, together at the end of everything, and that's all that matters.
3. Luna comforting Harry about Sirius, OotP
I thought Harry's OotP mindset perfectly understandable, but let's face it, he was still an ass. ;) Luna, without even trying, gets him to look beyond himself and see that there are others going through their own pain, and gets him to open up about Sirius and take the first steps towards making peace with his loss. Even though Luna's only been around for one book, the development of her character and dynamic with Harry are so solid that it's utterly believable that Harry would open up to her, even if it is in his reserved Harryish way. In fact, I dare say Luna was the only one who could have done exactly what she did in this scene, provided Harry exactly what he needed. The romantic shipper and the friendshipper in me for this duo squishes this scene to little pieces.
4. The first chapter of PS/SS.
No, it's not the most exciting, but there's just something inherently magical about it. I suppose part of it's the omniscient POV, looking in curiously from an all-seeing-yet-not-all-knowing outside at these characters and the world: starting off with characters who pride themselves on living in a "perfectly normal" world, and then the chapter gradually unfolding to introduce a world which is anything but "normal." It's the perfect way to introduce Harry's journey, Harry's world.
5. Godric's Hollow, DH
I take back what I said about Hedwig and Dobby's deaths being my only sniffle-worthy moments in DH. When Harry's looking at Lily and James's grave - God, they were so young - and finds himself almost wishing he were lying under the snow with them, I want to bawl like a baby. And the way Hermione conjures that wreath for the grave because she knows without asking that Harry would want to leave something there, and then letting Harry lean on her as they walk out of the graveyard... even if you're not a H/Hr shipper, there's no getting past that this is an absolutely beautiful and powerful friendship moment between them. Whatever I think of JKR's romance-writing abilities, the friendships she built between her characters were solid and powerful.
It occurs to me that these scenes are mostly from the later books - it's not that there aren't scenes I love from the other books, of course, but it just seems like the ones with the greatest emotional resonance to me occurred in the later, more "mature" books. DH as a whole I'm probably more mixed on than any other HP book, yet 2 out of my 5 are from there. Go figure.
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Top 5 favorite scenes in Star Wars. (Again, in no particular order. And yes, unsurprisingly, they all focus on one particular family.)
1. Anakin killing the Emperor, RotJ
Okay, this one actually is #1, unquestioned. The Luke/Vader plotline in RotJ, especially this moment, has always been a favorite of mine - but it's even more resonant now after the PT. My sister and I have both commented that we can almost see even through the mask the conflict Vader/Anakin is going through as Luke is tortured, and after the PT it's even easier to imagine (ten to one he's seeing his long-ago visions of Padmé dying). And after watching to what lengths Palpatine manipulated Anakin and those he loved, it's even more satisfying now to watch my boy finally rise up and do what he should've done over 20 years before. I've seen RotJ probably a hundred times and I still cheer here every time.
2. Padmé's Ruminations/Anakin's Fatal Decision, RotS
GL has often said the SW movies are more a visual story than a dialogue-driven one, and almost no scene in the series hammers that home more than this one. Anakin and Padmé, miles apart, still manage to sense one another's anxiety through the powerful connection between them. Neither of them say a word, nor are any necessary: you know exactly what's going through their heads, and I'm always all but pulling my hair inwardly screaming "NO ANAKIN, DON'T, DAMMIT! Go to HER, not PALPY!" And the music, especially that eerie female solo... my blood chills every time. This scene also marks the beginning of the true non-stop downhill slide of RotS: Anakin believes his last hope has been exhausted, has resigned himself to selling his soul, and with visible torment very literally turns away from Padmé, from the daylight, and towards Palpatine.
3. Birth of Vader/Birth of Luke & Leia/Death of Padmé, RotS
Years before RotS came out, I remember thinking how cool it would be to have the symbolic death of Anakin/birth of Vader intercut with the birth of the twins, but the reality went beyond my imagining. The implicit symbiotic connection still between Anakin and Padmé as they each lie suffering and struggling on brutally sterile operating tables light-years apart (I'm convinced Padmé's visible agony in that scene is not just the childbirth but feeling Anakin's own pain as well). The soft heartbeat that plays over both of their moments, slowing and finally stopping as Padmé dies - not coincidentally, instants after Anakin is sealed in his living coffin. Back before RotS came out I found myself speculating that maybe Padmé's final words would echo some important line from the OT, to at least subtly keep her presence alive in those movies. But knowing she was the first to say "there is good in him," to know that it's really her Luke is instinctively remembering (even if he doesn't realize it) when he voices those same words... again, it went beyond anything I could have hoped for.
4. The last five minutes of AotC
With most of the rest of the movie being frustratingly choppy (dammit, keep Ben Burtt in the sound editing room), the editing in the film's final moments is absolutely flawless. The quietly ominous music slowly rising throughout the Jedi Council scene, building up to that explosive rendition of the Imperial March as Palpatine surveys his vast new army... while Bail Organa bangs his fist against the railing in quiet frustration. One tiny moment, and we know we've just seen the birth of the Rebellion. Then the switch to a much more intimate yet equally galaxy-defining moment, Anakin and Padmé's wedding. One scene grand and majestic and the other quiet and private, yet both ultimately the same at their core: heralding not only the destruction of the galaxy as we know it, but its salvation as well.
5. "I am your father." TESB
C'mon, seriously, who doesn't put this one? Even if you're like me and came in one generation too late for this to be the shocker it was to everyone who heard it the first time. This was the moment, the one that set the stage for everything that came after, including Anakin's journey in the PT.
Next up: Top 5 Female Characters, Top 5 "The Office" quotes, Top Five Harry/Luna Fics/Fic Scenes. :)
Also, SQUEE, at last a premiere date for season 2 of Clone Wars! October 2, you can't get here soon enough. :D One possibly spoilerish bit of spec based on that summary, though... "The lives of the Jedi become more complex as secret and forbidden relationships are revealed." Almost certainly, this includes the ChristianObi-Wan/Sateen backstory hinted at in the S2 trailer... but "relationships," plural? That would absolutely have to include the Official Poster Couple for Forbidden Jedi Lurrve, but since they're still skulking about in RotS... perhaps this means lil' Snips finally learns about Master Skywalker's after-hours activities? ;)