The Last Laugh [1924]
1. He comes in to get out of the rain for a moment, sits down. His leg is acting up again. The bellboy gives him a quick drink. Meanwhile, the manager shakes his head disapprovingly and writes something down in his notebook.
2. He looks up. A building begins to topple.
3. He nods and smiles: a bottle of Mumm Champagne.
3 Women [1977]
1. Dr. Maas shakes the timecard as if it were a Polaroid.
2. The wines for the evening: Tickled Pink and Lemon Satin.
3. On the corkboard in the bedroom, a cutout from a magazine declares: “Clean is sexy.”
Sweet Smell of Success [1957]
1. He snaps one, two, three and the bass player swings into action. The camera pans across the band.
2. Car exhaust on his pant leg.
3. “What am I, a bowl of fruit? A tangerine that peels in a minute?”
But really there are a million things about this movie.
The Longest Day [1962]
1. “Wounds my heart with a monotonous languor.”
2. Click-click of the rifle.
3. The end credits take great care to let us know that everything is “alphabetically listed.”
Bonus: the presence of two Bond villains and Sean Connery himself. None of them share screen time.
Potiche [2010]
1. She opens up a desk drawer, takes out a can of hairspray, and gives herself a quick touchup.
2. A suede-wrapped telephone?
3. She suddenly appears in the market, surrounded by members of the press. He looks at her from a distance, warily sizing things up, then tells his staff, “Keep canvassing.”
Manhattan Murder Mystery [1993]
1. “I can’t listen to that much Wagner. I start to get the urge to conquer Poland.”
2. A tight, thick skirt. And booties. With little socks.
3. The men watch Angelica Huston as she walks to the ladies’ room. Diane Keaton rolls her eyes and says, “I’m surprised you two didn’t drool yourselves to death.”
11 Harrowhouse [1974]
1. Candice Bergen driving a fast red sports car, a copy of the I Ching on the seat beside her.
2. John Gielgud shouts, “I don’t care if they’re on pot!”
3. Champagne bottle nestled in the box of diamonds.
Eastern Promises [2007]
1. “You might want to leave room.” He puts the cigarette out on his tongue, throws his tie over his shoulder, and takes up the pliers. He begins to snip off the corpse’s fingers.
2. He delicately places a rose petal on the pastry.
3. A carpet knife in the back of the head.
The Small Back Room [1949]
1. Jazz screams all around him. He sits alone in a tight little corner.
2. The empty picture frame displays a reflection of his own face.
3. He thinks it’s Wednesday. She tells him it’s Tuesday. They ask a passing man what day it is and he tells them it’s Monday.
California Suite [1978]
1. Pictures by David Hockney over the opening credits.
2. She makes her way down the hallway, foraging for snacks among the room service carts. A drumstick, a bagel, a large bottle of Lowenbrau.
3. “A hysterectomy. It’s nothing serious. I have one every year.”
