Five Great Movie Dads

Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) – To Kill a Mockingbird

Arguably the greatest on screen Dad ever, Atticus is a man who believes in the word of the law and is willing to defend an innocent black man on trumped up charges, for this his is willing to incur the wrath of the hostile town folk. Meanwhile he’s trying to raise his children single handed and set a positive example for them- through his compassionate actions and his campaigning for justice, Atticus is a father than any child would be proud to call their own, the scene as he exits the courtroom to the respect of African-American town members, you can feel the pride beaming from his daughters face.

Guiseppe Conlon (Pete Postlethwaite)- In the Name of the Father:

Wrongly imprisoned along with his son Gerry (Daniel Day-Lewis) for being one of the alleged Guildford Four bombers, Guiseppe is the very definition of hard working and he is forever appealing for their innocence to be heard despite fighting a terminal illness. Althroughout Gerry scoffs at his wise advise due to his free spirited nature, but before long he begins to realize just how much the old man has sacrificed for him and begins to pick up the fight himself. Guiseppe is the kind of world weary father we can all relate to having and one that we should always listen to because their words may guide us away from trouble.

Henry Jones Sr (Sean Connery) – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: 

Ok, as a young man, Indiana Jones probably didn’t have it easy with Henry Jones Sr due to his reclusive nature and his obsession with the Holy Grail. But you would be hard pressed to find a father you finds a more exciting adventure for father and son than this man! But upon reflection- Indy learns whats a good father Henry was when he says “Did I ever tell you to eat up, go to bed, wash your ears, do your homework? No, I respected your privacy and I taught you self reliance.” In Last Crusade, the two men are continually at odds with each other, but underneath the competition lies a deep and binding love. Just watch the relief and joy on Henry’s face when he sees his son alive.

Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) – The Godfather

A fierce believer in the notion of loyalty and the family, Vito Corleone will go to great lengths to ensure the safety of his own family. In business, there is no length to which he will not sink to get what he wants- cue the horse’s head in the producers bed! But although he has blood on his hands from past events, Vito is unwilling to allow his son Michael (Al Pacino) to get involved in his world and yearns for him to break free and become honest. When his son finally kills for the family, his devastation goes all the way to the core. Though compared to his old man, Michael becomes a great deal worse!

George Bailey (James Stewart) – It’s A Wonderful Life

Forever putting his happiness before others, George Bailey to see his family survive has given up many chances for fortune and glory. But despite having a loving family and many equally caring community members, George still wishes they had never existed and that his family would be better off without him! But when George sees what his life would be without his wife or kids, his desire to get them back again is powerful and the finale scene where they reunite is the perfect example of just how far his love for his children goes and his relief at having a chance to see them grow- despite his mid film rant denouncing them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Movie Speeches

 

Good Will Hunting

Gus Vant Sant’s movie has many moments and speeches that are quotable- but none stand out more than the Park Scene where through one excellent monologue, Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) cuts Will Hunting (Matt Damon) down to size. After their previous session where Will mocked his life- Sean comes back with speech that slices through him like a laser where he points out that outside of his book smarts and swaggering attitude, Will has never been beyond his neighbourhood and knows nothing of the world or the pains that Sean has seen. But the line that hits home most is “I don’t see an intelligent, confident man… I see a cocky, scared shitless kid.” In this moment Will has found his equal and for once he is reduced to being speechless!

Any Given Sunday

Before an all important AFFA playoff game against the Dallas Knights, the Miami Sharks old time coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino) rallies the troops with a speech that is truly inspiring as he encourages them to forget about playing for themselves and “Inch by Inch” learn to play like a team. This fiery and impassioned moment also forces D’Amato to re-evaluate his own life as he confesses that he has driven away everyone who has loved him and made a lot of wrong choices! But as he tells the team to fight for the inches- the hairs stand up one our neck as D’Amato cries “Because we know when add up all those inches, that’s gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing!”

The King’s Speech

Throughout this superb Oscar winning drama, King George VI (Colin Firth) has had a chronic fear of public speaking due to his stammer (his opening speech at Wembley Stadium is painful personified), but thanks to his unorthodox therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) he has begun to get somewhere. But now comes to the all important address to the nation of the eve of WW1, but unlike his previous attempts, his secret weapon is having Logue standing with him and this gives him the confidence he needs. The speech delivered is one that is truly fit for a King and allows him to become the voice of the war for the nation.

Network

News Anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) has suffered a breakdown and was previous fired due to low ratings- but his reaction even the wisest person couldn’t have predicted. On live television, Beale starts a sizzling rant over his disillusionment with society today at the violence being caused and the generally apathy of the public. But rather than having them riot- he urges his viewers to “get angry” and moments later he delivers the infamous line “I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it and stick your head out, and yell, I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”- soon the audience follows suit and the stunned executives look on in amazement!

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

Fittingly in this adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel, Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) one of cinema’s great heroes delivers one its greatest speeches. Defending Tom Robinson- a black man on a trumped up rape charge, he appeals in vain to the all white jury to set aside their prejudices and instead do the right thing and focus on Tom’s unquestionable innocence, ending with the hard hitting line “In the name of GOD, do your duty. In the name of God, believe… Tom Robinson.” Though his speech ruffles a few feathers in court, Atticus secretly knows he is fighting a losing battle as Tom’s skin colour has already convicted him here!

A Few Good Men

There are plenty of fireworks to be had in Rob Reiner’s courtroom drama, but the big finale occurs when Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) takes the stand, here whilst being hit with questions like bullets by Lt Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) he demands the senior office gives him the truth over the death of a marine- incensed by this line of question Jessup scornfully says “You can’t handle the truth” and bitterly calls out Kaffee for his cynicism against the marines as they provide the freedom he enjoys and that the action he takes saves lives! This speech is all the more memorable as Jessup cares little for his fate and presses home that all he did was given an order- so there! In a brief appearance Nicholson succeeds in giving Jessup a tiny piece of empathy from us.

The 25^th Hour

This speech by Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) will stand as the most bitter and profanity filled one of the lot as in one lengthy oration, Monty address the audience over his hates about every ethnicity, religion, culture and even his friends and family! But there is far more to this speech than just hate and malice, through this we hear all Monty insecurities, fears and his sheer terror at going to prison for the next seven years- but even he doesn’t get off easily in this speech as at the end his image in the mirror disdainfully mocks him for throwing his life away! A classic Spike Lee moment and a reminder what a god actor Norton can be!

Patton

The very beginning of Patton gives an indication of the man we are about to witness- stood before a giant American flat General George Patton (George C Scott) address his soldiers with a bold and passionate speech about how America will bring victory to the war because it is not in their nature to lose as the nation loves a winner and he quotes “That’s why Americans have never lost, and will never lose a war… because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.” First time viewers may just this as being sickeningly patriotic, but even today it makes us sit up and pay attention and through this one scene, it sets up Patton’s never say die attitude.

MoneyBall

Of the all the lengthy speeches on this list, this moment is perhaps the least talky of them all, but through limited dialogue it brings its point across. After losing yet another game, Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) visits the team locker room, only to find player Jeremy Giambi messing around and distracting the team- annoyed Billy turns off his music and casually asks him “Is losing fun?” upon hearing it is not, Billy says to him “Then why are you having fun?” cue ballplayers hanging their heads in shame as silence hangs on the air! This moment proves pivotal to the teams turnaround later in the film and through these few words spoken- Billy point is struck home like a fastball!

Glengarry Glen Ross

Alec Baldwin’s character Blake is restricted to only one scene in this movie, but his impact is unforgettable. Brought in by the big bosses due to a slump in sales, Blake unashamedly rips a room full of old estate agents to shreds and tells them to follow the ABC’s “Always Be Closing!” and informs them they must have brass balls in order succeed, and through Baldwin suave dangerous feel makes this scene compulsory viewing. Just make sure you don’t refill your coffee mug while he’s talking because “Coffee’s for closers only!” just ask Jack Lemmon!