Film Language Tag: prop, metaphorical
Objects reinvented or employed for an unexpected, even magical, purpose - like Gene Kelly's umbrella - or invested with metaphorical meaning.
"Singin' in the Rain", Singin' in the Rain
Don (Gene Kelly) sings on his way home from Kathy's (Debbie Reynolds).
A Game Lost, The Seventh Seal
Antonious Block (Max von Sydow) finishes his game with Death (Bengt Ekerot) to let Jof (Nils Poppe) and Mia (Bibi Andersson) escape.
Always Green, Everliving, Vertigo
Scottie (James Stewart) and Madeleine (Kim Novak) wander together, walking amongst the redwoods.
An Accident (with Refrigerators), Il Sorpasso
Bruno sees an opportunity in a highway collision involving a truck full of refrigerators.
Anna's Death, The Conformist
Anna is chased and killed by fascist agents.
Antique Store, The Night Porter
Lucia visits an antique store and finds a pink negligee.
Arm and Poppy, Meshes of the Afternoon
An arm enters the frame from above and places the poppy on the road.
Avalyn and Brian Discover Dead Deer , Mysterious Skin
After meeting to discuss shared memories of alien abduction and violation, Brian (Brady Corbet) and Avalyn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) encounter a dead deer she says was experimented on by aliens and then left in the field near her home. When she presses Brian to insert his hand into an incision in the body, he experiences flashbacks of past alien abduction and violation -- with a young Neil (Chase Ellison) appearing in them alongside his own past self (George Webster)
Bicycle Thieves , Bicycle Thieves
Antonio is apprehended while attempting to steal a bicycle.
Bill's Art, Blow-Up
Bill describes his artistic process to Thomas.
Celebration With Italo, The Conformist
Marcello joins Italo at a celebration with other blind people.
Closing Scene, The Night Porter
Max and Lucia dress up and leave the apartment.
Closing Sequence, Don't Look Now
John follows the red-hooded figure while Laura races to catch up to him.
Closing Sequence , Hell-Bound Train
Death flags down the hell-bound train as it enters Hell.
Closing Sequence, Frances Ha
Frances settles down at a new desk job at the dance company, gets her own apartment, and showcases a new dance she choreographed.
Closing Sequence, Blade Runner 2049
Deckard meets his daughter, Ana, for the first time.
Closing Sequence, Pan's Labyrinth
Ofelia makes the ultimate sacrifice and Vidal receives an appropriate punishment.
Competition, The Heart of the World
Osip and Nikolai showcase their talents to compete for Anna's love.
Damien's Dream, The Exorcist
Damien dreams about his mother and foresees her death.
Drunken Dreams, The Last Laugh
The drunk doorman dreams of having his health and job back.
Eva's brain, Ex Machina
Nathan explains how he created Eva.
Every Rose Has Its Thorns, Pan's Labyrinth
Ofelia talks to her brother through her mother's womb and tells him a story.
Fallible Memory (Gallery), The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
As the investigators inspect the scene of Monica's attempted murder, Sam tries to remember what he saw.
Final Battle, Perfect Blue
Mima is confronted by her roommate Rumi, who has adopted Mima's pop idol persona and seeks to kill and replace her.
Find Yourself Another Job, The Matrix
Neo is castigated by his boss, Rhineheart, for arriving late to his job at Metacortex.
Follow the White Rabbit, The Matrix
Neo sells black market digital goods to Choi, and then joins him and Dujour for a night out.
Hannibal and Clarice Meet, The Silence of the Lambs
FBI trainee Clarice Starling visits the psychotic killer Hannibal Lecter in prison.
Houses at the End of the Line, Ratcatcher
James (William Eadie) takes a random bus to the end of the line and discovers half-built houses and a field of wheat.
I'm Erasing You and I'm Happy!, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Joel confronts Clementine about erasing her during the memory of their break-up and Stan and Patrick continue their 'work.'
J2's Death, Archive
J2 kills herself by drowning.
June Receives her Mother's Feather, The Joy Luck Club
June’s father (Chao-Li Chi) gifts June (Ming-Na Wen) a swan feather. June’s mother, Suyuan (Kieu Chinh) intended to give the feather to her daughter as a symbol of her hope and pride, but passed away prior to this gifting.
Kansas is Going Bye-Bye, The Matrix
The Matrix threatens to consume Neo as Morpheus and his team seek to pinpoint his real location.
Lights Off, No Country for Old Men
Lleewelyn discovers transponder and awaits the arrival of Chigurh.
Look Who's Here, Inception
Cobb awakens from limbo and returns home to his family... or does he?
Mankind's Leap, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Mankind makes the leap from bone clubs to space travel.
Marcello and Manganiello, The Conformist
Manganiello confronts Marcello in the dance hall's kitchen about his intentions.
Mima's Performance, Perfect Blue
Rumi and the rest of the staff watch and choreograph Mima throughout multiple takes of a rape scene.
Ministry, The Conformist
Marcello visits the fascist regime's Ministry.
Myrna Goldfarb, Bamboozled
Consultant Myrna Goldfarb outlines a media strategy to Pierre and Sloan.
No Trespassing, Citizen Kane
Kane's residence, Xanadu, is established as the setting and Kane speaks his dying words.
On the Production Line, Modern Times
The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) gets stuck in his role on the assembly line and suffers a nervous breakdown.
Opening Sequence, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
An unknown, black-gloved assailant plans a murder and takes photos of a potential victim as the movie begins.
Opening Sequence, The Joy Luck Club
June (Ming-Na Wen) recounts an allegory following a woman immigrating from China to the US. She brings a swan with her, intending to gift it to her future American daughter. However, an immigration officer confiscates the swan, and the mother is left with a feather.
Opening Sequence, Don't Look Now
While Christine and Johnny play near the pond outside their home, Christine accidentally falls into the pond.
Opening Sequence, Moonrise Kingdom
A symphonic record plays as the Bishop family starts their day on New Penzance Island.
Opening Sequence, The Seventh Seal
After returning from the Crusades, Antonious Block (Max von Sydow) begins a game of chess with Death (Bengt Ekerot).
Our Daily Bread, Battleship Potemkin
The crew has refused to eat the borscht and chooses to instead eat bread and water. A sailor smashes a plate with the inscription, "Give us this day our daily bread."
Primal Scene, Citizen Kane
Mrs. Mary Kane makes arrangements with Mr. Thatcher about raising young Charles in the city, while Charles plays outside.
Retrieving The Key, Pan's Labyrinth
Ofelia completes the first task and retrieves the key from the giant toad.
Rosebud Recovered, Citizen Kane
After Susan leaves him, Kane destroys the things in her bedroom and finds a snow globe that says "rosebud".
Rosebud Reveal, Citizen Kane
Kane's belongings at Xanadu are catalogued or discarded, and the truth behind "rosebud" is revealed to the audience.
Scientific Rigor, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Sam discusses the revelations made by analysing the assailant's glove with the investigators.
Searching for Guilia, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Sam tries to find Guilia.
Sentenced to Six Months, The Learning Tree
Marcus Savage (Alex Clarke) is sentenced to 6 months in Spitz Reformatory for beating Jake Kiner (George Mitchell).
Silver-Tongued Devil, Django Unchained
Doctor Schultz reunites Django and Broomhilda.
Stalker Attack, Perfect Blue
A strange-looking Mima superfan attempts to rape and murder Mima as per his instructions in emails from "the real Mima."
T'Challa's Vision, Black Panther
T'Challa is met by his father in the Ancestral plane after taking the heart-shaped herb.
That Ain't No Way to Treat Your Wife, Mulholland Drive
Adam (Justin Theroux) finds his wife (Lori Heuring) cheating on him with Gene (Billy Ray Cyrus).
The Atlantic, The Last Laugh
The doorman aids guests outside The Atlantic hotel on a rainy night.
The Compass, Beau Travail
Sentain (Gregoire Colin) collapses in the salt flats. The legion finds his compass among trinkets at a local sale.
The Escape, Candyman
Helen summons Candyman to prove to her psychiatrist that he is real.
The Eye, Un Chien Andalou
Luis Buñuel cuts the eye of a woman with a sharpened razor.
The Godfather of Soul, BlacKkKlansman
Ron teaches Flip to talk like him with the help of the lyrics from James Brown’s Black Power anthem “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”.
The Hand, Landscape in the Mist
Orestes (Stratos Tzortzoglou), Voula (Tania Palaiologou), and Alexandros (Michalis Zeke) watch a huge marble hand lifted out of the sea by a helicopter.
The Honeymoon, The Heart of the World
Anna strangles Akmatov on their honeymoon.
The Kragle, The Lego Movie
Lord Business (Will Ferrell) shows Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) how the Kragle works by demonstrating on Bad Cop's parents.
The Man Upstairs, The Lego Movie
The Man Upstairs (Will Ferrell) is upset that his son, Finn (Jadon Sand), has been playing with his Lego city.
The N Word, Bamboozled
Dunwitty explains to Pierre why he has a right to use "the 'N' word."
The Snail, Landscape in the Mist
Voula (Tania Palaiotogou) and Orestes (Stratos Tzortzoglou) find Alexandros (Michalis Zeke) and take a walk at night.
The Stockholders, Strike
While the stockholders meet over drinks and cigars to discuss the workers demands, the police raid the workers.
The Third Dream, Meshes of the Afternoon
The woman tries to kill her own sleeping body but is awakened by the man who leads her upstairs.
The Tornado, The Learning Tree
A tornado tears through Cherokee Falls, and Newt (Kyle Johnson) is taken to safety by Big Mabel (Carol Lamond).
The Wilson Family Encounters Their Doppelgangers, Us
Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) and Jason Wilson (Evan Alex) are in a room with their clones. Adelaide’s clone forces Jason Wilson and his clone to play while the clone gives her life story. Simultaneously Umbrae (Shahadi Wright) and Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke) fight their respective clones, finding crafty ways to outmatch their opponents. Eventually the family finds each other and leaves, surviving the encounter.
Tom Doniphon, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Ransom (James Stewart) and Hallie (Vera Miles) go to the funeral of their old friend Tom Doniphon (John Wayne).
Ventimiglia, The Conformist
Marcello is ordered to assassinate Professor Quadri.
Welcome to Bricksburg, The Lego Movie
Emmet (Chris Pratt) wakes up and follows his instructions to have another wonderful day in Bricksburg.
Welcome to the Desert of the Real, The Matrix
Morpheus reveals to Neo the truth behind the Matrix.
You Don't Have to Be the Bad Guy, The Lego Movie
The Man Upstairs (Will Ferrell) forgives Finn (Jadon Sand) for playing with his Legos while Emmet (Chris Pratt) convinces Lord Business (Will Ferrell) to put the piece of resistance on the Kragle.
