The 15 Most Iconic Moments From Vintage Cinema

There are several things that make a moment iconic, but the key factor is time. We can’t know for sure what will be considered iconic in the future, since we’re living in the present. We do remember the past, and when something is repeated enough, it becomes part of the wider consciousness.

Repetition isn’t enough, though, since the moment needs to also be significant or groundbreaking. As such, there are the most iconic moments from movies of the past, the ones that keep dictating what the future will bring. Endlessly referenced, and eternally quotable.

Shower Scene Terror in Psycho

In Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Psycho, Marion Crane is attacked in the shower. The infamous sequence turned into a pop culture phenomenon and remains one of the best known scenes in film history.

Window Shopping in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

The film Breakfast at Tiffany’s opens with Holly Golightly enjoying coffee and a Danish while looking into a jewelry store window. The scene helped cement Audrey Hepburn as a lasting style icon.

Riding the Bomb in Dr Strangelove

At the end of the 1964 comedy Dr Strangelove, Slim Pickens accidentally drops out of a plane while sitting on a bomb. He rides it all the way down in a heavily copied sequence.

Singing on the Mountain in The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music opens with an unforgettable sequence. Maria, played by Julie Andrews, sings “The Sound of Music” while spinning around with her arms spread wide across lush green hills and sprawling meadows.

Final Graveyard Standoff in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The 1966 Western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly features a climactic Mexican standoff at a cemetery. Blondie, Angel Eyes, and Tuco face off in a tense three-way duel for buried gold.

Statue of Liberty Reveal in Planet of the Apes

The original 1968 film Planet of the Apes gave audiences one of pop culture history’s most memorable twists. The shocking ending featuring the Statue of Liberty is still referenced by fans decades later.

Running up the Museum Steps in Rocky

In the 1976 film Rocky, Sylvester Stallone runs up 72 steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art during intense physical training. The triumphant run quickly became one of modern film history’s most recognizable sequences.

Mad as Hell Speech in Network

A frustrated news anchor delivers a passionate rant on live television, urging viewers to get out of their chairs and yell out the window. This unforgettable speech perfectly captures the anger of an entire era.

Talking to the Mirror in Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is a psychological drama starring Robert De Niro. He plays Travis Bickle, who in the iconic scene confronts his own reflection as practice for using his gun.

Dance Floor Solo in Saturday Night Fever

John Travolta takes over the floor to the song “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees. The 1976 track perfectly scores the moment, defining the cultural explosion of the disco era.

Helicopter Attack in Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 epic war film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Inspired by an 1899 novella, the movie shifts the setting to the Vietnam War and features an intense aerial assault, made unique by its stellar scoring.

Axe Through the Door in The Shining

A terrifying pursuit through an isolated hotel reaches its peak when a desperate man chops his way through a bathroom barrier. The chilling unscripted introduction he gives remains a staple of pop culture.

Running from the Boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark

The 1981 action film Raiders of the Lost Ark stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in 1936. The globetrotting archaeologist narrowly escapes a booby trap by sprinting ahead of a massive rolling stone.

Tears in Rain Monologue in Blade Runner

In the 1982 film Blade Runner, dying replicant Roy Batty delivers his monologue during a thunderstorm. Rutger Hauer performed the scene, which became a defining moment of his acting career.

Final Mansion Shootout in Scarface

A cornered mob boss makes a massive final stand in his extravagant home. He introduces his heavily armed attackers to his ‘little friend’ in an explosive confrontation that forever cemented his ruthless legacy.