Scene Standoff: Schindler's List vs. Ghost
The moment in 'Schindler's List' where Liam Neeson watches a young girl in a bright red coat run through a black & white landscape vs. that infamous potters wheel in 'Ghost'.
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The Girl in the Red Coat - Schindler's List
Liam Neeson's Oskar Schindler stands looking over a town, where a bustling community push past each other and amongst all the chaos, a young girl in a red coat goes about her day without a care in the world. Visually stunning, and pivotal to the film.
- Gareth's scene
The Potters wheel - Ghost
As Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers plays overhead, a romantic moment that went down in history ensues. As Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore badly shape a pot on their pottery wheel, they end up in a right state and finish the moment with a kiss, ignoring their not so glorious artwork.
- Ellis' scene
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Ellis - italics
Gareth - bold
PERFORMANCE
The girl in the red coat just walks around essentially.
However is it Neeson or Fiennes who has the reaction to it?
I think it's Big Liam.
It's a very moving reaction. In Ghost the performance is what it is. They're not great at making the pot.
If I'm honest I mainly remember the parodies.
SCHINDLER'S LIST - 3/10 GHOST - 5/10
NECESSITY
This scene in Schindler's List is absolutely necessary. The only light relief in the film is this bright colour.
It provides a bit of hope. Whereas Ghost, the first 15 minutes of the film are brilliant and then after that I lose interest. This scene is the most memorable part of that opening 15 minutes.
SCHINDLER'S LIST - 7/10 GHOST - 6/10
REFERENCABILITY
The pottery wheel scene has been referenced in pop culture so many times.
And I don't know as you really can reference Schindler's List.
No, I don't think I've ever seen it referenced.
Well how could you?
SCHINDLER'S LIST - 1/10 GHOST - 10/10
POPULARITY (using Letterboxd for reference)
So for Ghost the average rating is a 3.4.
Got a feeling I'm going to wipe the floor with you here.
Will it bear 'Into the Spider-Verse' which got a 4.4 average rating?
Well...Schindler's List has a 4.4 too, what are the chances?!
SCHINDLER'S LIST - 4.4 GHOST - 3.4
ICONIC RATING
On a scale of crockery, how iconic is this scene? So the lowest being a shot glass, and the highest being a large dinner plate.
This scene in Ghost is a cup and saucer. It's as iconic as they come.
The saucer bit is useless but the cup is pivotal.
Yeah the cup is the scene and the saucer is the rest of the film in this instance.
I'm going to go for a standard plate for Schindler's List. You can't be without it but it's not necessarily iconic.
SCHINDLER'S LIST - standard plate GHOST - cup and saucer
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THE FINAL STANDOFF
Schindler's List 2-3 Ghost
Although all round we clearly believe that Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List is a better film, it doesn't compare to Ghost when talking about iconic movie scenes.
Patrick Swayze was one of the greats of the 80's and 90's, and this role is one of his most memorable. It's the chemistry between Swayze and Demi Moore that makes the scene so iconic. When people recommend Ghost or talk about how iconic it is, they are more often than not just referring to this scene. It's simple in concept, but brilliant in execution.
Ghost is one of the strongest contenders of the competition so far, but how will it fare against some of the other greats: The Shining, E.T, Toy Story, Rocky and so many more are awaiting their next competitor.
Current Standings: G - 5 E - 8
NEXT BATTLE:
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK VS. GLADIATOR
Ghost available now on NowTV and Sky Cinema