Cinema can be quite beautiful especially when small moments are executed to perfection. Like these:
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The Wizard in Wizard of the Oz
Despite being referenced by many in the wizarding world, the mighty wizard was actually seen by no one, including the film’s audience, until the very end. Some considered him a big myth, which was eventually accurate as behind the curtain, he was just an ordinary man pretending to be far mightier than he was. But he was as wise as you would expect a wizard to be!
Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird
Boo Radley was considered a maniac by many who only used to come out of his house after dark. But when Radley came to save the kids who used to fear him, as a mystery man, the movie’s message was solidified in that moment to never judge a book by its cover.
Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now
The face reveal of Colonel Kurtz is still considered to be one of the great images of cinema. In the movie, Kurtz had lost his mind and had started to wage a war of his own. He was constantly mentioned but never seen until the final act when we see him emerging from the darkness after conversing with Martin Sheen’s character. The audience immediately identified Marlon Brando’s voice but seeing him was still surprising.
Darth Vader in The Return of Jedi
Vader was this menacing figure that haunted our childhood with his short-breathed voice. After the final duel with his son, Luke, we see Vader’s mask come off, both literally and figuratively. After being defeated, we see that Vader was just half a man as the rest of his body was amputated. But with his final lines with Luke, contemplating life and his choices made us relate to him emotionally.
John Merrick in The Elephant Man
The build-up to the deformed man’s face reveal was not dramatic, rather very simple. A nurse accidentally walks into the room of the hospital in which John Merrick was. This was a very clever move as we, as the audience, were as clueless about what was about to happen as the nurse. Its dramatization would’ve ruined it.
Mrs. Bates in Psycho
Throughout the film, Mrs. Bates continued to be shown in silhouette — or from up top, or behind. But in the end, with the fear of her life, when Vera turns Mrs. Bates’s chair, she sees not her but her skeleton sitting. When she turns around, she sees Norman dressed as a woman, revealing that he was the one playing his mother all along.
Predator in Predator
The alien is invisible for a large part of the film, making it particularly frightening when we finally see the Predator in its physical form. To have a final bout with Arnold, he removes his mask, revealing a truly grotesque alien face with snarling external teeth.
Harry Lime in the Third Man
In the movie, Lime is referenced too many times that you could practically visualize him yourself. He was supposed to be dead, but halfway through the movie, it was revealed that he is not only alive and well, but also played by Orson Welles. One of the most respected actors of all time.
Which moment of reveal made you gasp the loudest in the theatres?
