The Top Five Hottest Scenes Ever Filmed, if by "Hot" you mean; sexy, sad, powerful, poignant and full of longing

In a recent post, I claimed that the "Book Scene" from Remains of the Day was the hottest scene ever put on film. I got to thinking about other really incredible love scenes. Scenes that are completely and fundamentally engaging. Scenes full of longing and desire. Scenes that are sexy but not in the easy way. Scenes involving complex relationships. Scenes of deeply moving humanity.

I'm sure I'll think of others that need to be on the list, but, for now, here is my list of the Five Hottest Scenes Ever Filmed.

#5. Harry Potter and Hermione Dancing.
Don't give me that look. This scene is amazing. The main thing that makes it amazing is the song: Nick Cave's O Children. Wow. I'd never heard of Nick Cave. and I think there's a whole group of people who had never heard of him either. I understand that some of his die-hard fans hate the Harry-Potter-given surge of fame, feeling that we don't somehow deserve to know him. We didn't fight for it and we weren't there at the beginning. I get that. But I think I'm cool enough to deserve this song. The amazing thing is that for one moment Harry Potter got to be cool enough to deserve this song. 

This is a love scene because Hermione is full of brokenhearted longing, but not for Harry. The mood of this song is perfect for that odd other-worldly wizardy place and quest. It is dark and soulful and perfect at expressing one of the best scenes of friendship I've ever seen.

Since Warner Brothers seems to be removing all these clips from youtube and claiming copyright infringement, I may not be able to post it. But you know which one I mean. I found this clip, which seems to be raw footage and not directly from the film, so it doesn't have the same style and mood, but at least you can hear the song and get the general idea.

#4 Margaret Hale and John Thornton Balcony Scene in North and South
I wanted to include something from Margaret Hale and Mr. Thornton but had a hard time deciding which vignette. Of course the scene at the train station is more satisfying ultimately, because it is the resolution of their great attraction. But this one is more powerful and heady. There is an angry mob. Thornton and Margaret still do not know one another or where they stand. Her act of rushing out to his side on the balcony reads, to the initiated, as a powerful declaration of love, yet she herself doesn't see it that way. She sees it as an act of humanity. When they are grabbing each other, jostling on the balcony, that level of touch is so strong a statement for the period. His hand, almost in her hair after the rock hits her, to the savvy viewer is so intimate.  The scene represents the height of confusion for these characters trying to figure out who the other is and see if they even like each other, or maybe love each other. Or whether their bodies know more than their own minds do about what they should be.

#3 Jane and Mr. Rochester beneath a tree in Jane Eyre
When I first read Jane Eyre as a girl in high school, I remember being blown away by this scene. I was stunned that a dried up old Victorian book could contain anything like this. The revelation that there was this kind of modern feeling, intensity and passion in classic literature was so unexpected, shocking and exciting that it unleashed an enduring interest in classics. These performances move me to tears in one of my favorite scenes of all time.

#2 Ruth and Harry say goodbye in Spooks Season 5

I have not even seen the full episode of Spooks from which this comes. I've seen, seasons 7, 8 and 1-3 in that order so I know I haven't "gotten to" the good stuff between Harry and Ruth yet.  (Doing any reading about the series leads immediately to "Harry and Ruth" tags, so its impossible to be completely unaware of their continually thwarted love if you are a Spooks fan).

My first exposure to them together was in season 8 when, under tragic and deeply distressing circumstances, Ruth rejoined the team. The marvelous acting of Nicola Walker and Peter Firth told me immediately that these characters had History. Now, with these earlier seasons for my evenings viewing, I am finding myself really drawn to Ruth - her brilliance and quirkiness; she's cute as hell, funny and always brings the team to reality and sanity. I just couldn't wait for their relationship to unfold so helped myself now by plunging in headlong to the Youtube wealth of video on these two. This scene is stunning! Even if you don't know the full back story -- which I don't --,  even if you know nothing about them, it would be hard to stay unmoved by these performances. I don't think I've seen anything more touching and heartbreaking than this goodbye, not to mention, just plain old sexy. Look how close the camera is... how you can hear Harry breathing when they kiss. A truly awesome scene.

#1 The Book Scene

http://lostinbritishtv.blogspot.com/2011/06/hottest-scene-ever-filmed.html


The Top Five Hottest Scenes Ever Filmed, if by "Hot" you mean; sexy, sad, powerful, poignant and full of longing. LostinBritishTV

It May Sound Crazy but Jane Eyre and the Sound of Music are a Lot Alike

Watching both movies within a short time of each other, and being deeply moved by both, I realized that the Sound of Music and Jane Eyre are a lot alike. Stick with me for a moment and give me a shot at this . . .  I think I'll convince you.

Both Jane Eyre and the Sound of Music feature a young, forthright, devout, honest and simple young woman. Early in their respective stories, each of our heroines lives in a group situation (a convent, Lowood School) that does not suit her depth of feeling or character nor fully appreciate what she has to offer the world.

In each, our heroine goes to the home of a wealthy and socially prominent older man to serve as governess. The hero in each is gruff and distant toward the child(ren) in his care and not fully able to be a loving parent figure. Both heroes are preoccupied with their own troubles (Captain Von Trap, with his grief over his dead first wife and the Nazi presence in his county; Mr. Rochester with the insanity of his first wife and the betrayal by his family into his hopeless situation). Our heroines enter these grand homes undaunted, despite their simple backgrounds, and are perfectly willing to directly speak their minds and express displeasure with the master of the house for how he is raising the child(ren) in his charge.

Both our heroes are immediately interested and attracted to their young governesses and see a glimpse of how life could be with a strong, earnest, caring, simple woman but they do not know how to express it or pursue it. Instead, each pursues a socially appropriate relationship with a woman who is elegant, beautiful and of a similar rank in society.  Socially sanctioned marriage to these women is openly talked of for our heroes and desired by their families/friends. However, the connections are not to be, as our heroes’ feelings forbid them. These attractive rivals are shallow and lack real understanding.

Meanwhile, both our heroines, despite believing *him* to be engaged to another woman, are finding a real home in the house of their hero. Each wishes to stay in this place that has become home and with these people who understand and appreciate her, even if she can’t be with the man she now desperately loves.

The unspoken romance between the master and governess in each story deepens and culminates with an exciting moment where the heroes explain that they are not going to marry the elegant woman, their feelings for the governess are declared, the governess becomes the happiest of women, and marriage is proposed. Both declarations happen in the evening, outside on the grounds of the house they share. 

Though this would be enough to complete a standard love story, in these two stories the romantic climax does not form the climax of the story. Each story continues with a more intense drama.

Here the plot similarities become less parallel, as the Sound of Music features a happy couple together confronting evil in the world and fleeing through the hills to be together and away from the Nazi’s pressures on the Captain. In Jane Eyre, the existence and madness of Mr. Rochester’s first wife is disclosed and Jane flees; her hero languishes. Not until the end are they reunited.

Both stories feature our heroine leaving at some point in the story in order to distance herself from strong and disagreeable feelings; both stories feature a spiritual and emotional growth of the young heroine that allows each to be with the man she wants.  In the Sound of Music, this happens after she begins to feel attracted to him but knows him to be engaged to another and before the Captain’s declaration of love. In Jane Eyre, her leaving occurs after the declaration, on the very brink of marriage, after she learns of his wife still living.

Both stories also feature our hero needing to grow before he can be with the woman he loves. In the Sound of Music this was accomplished much earlier in the story and much more easily, as he became loving toward his children and re-invited music into their lives. In Jane Eyre, the hero’s growth does not take place until the end of the book after having suffered greatly.

Both stories end with the couple removed from their homes. The complexities of life cannot allow them to simply live happily ever after in the comfortable mansion in which they fell in love. But they can be together.


It May Sound Crazy but Jane Eyre and the Sound of Music are a Lot Alike. LostinBritishTV