Help! What film speeches are "motivational"?
 

Hi, all.

I teach a Psychology of Motivation and Behavior college course, and as a neat little exercise to make the Summer class a little more interesting (and to share my love of films), each day I was going to play one short clip (5 minutes or less, if possible) from a film and discuss how the character's words, tone, mannerisms, etc. might or might not motivate one to do something and why. I'll need about a dozen or so. For example, I considered:

* Patton - Opening speech by G.C. Scott
* Glengary Glen Ross - Baldwin's rant to the sales team
* Animal House - Belushi's Pearl Harbor rant
* Compulsion - Welles' closing arguments (which gave me the initial idea for this assignment)

What other ones do you think I might be able to use (for the life of me I'm having a hard time thinking of others, and I don't know why)?

Thanks.

the tom cruise speech at the begining of magnolia (well, you may have to tone down the lanugage)

Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday before the big game.

Bill Pullman as the Prez in INDEPENDENCE DAY

Mel Gibson in BRAVEHEART

HAROLD AND KUMAR
Kumar: So, you think this is just about the burgers, huh? Let me tell you, it's about far more than that. Our parents came to this country, escaping persecution, poverty and hunger. Hunger, Harold. They were very, very hungry. They wanted to live in a land that treated them as equals, a land filled with hamburger stands. And not just one type of hamburger, okay? Hundreds of types with different sizes, toppings, and condiments. That land was America! America, Harold! America! Now this is about achieving what our parents set out for. This is about the pursuit of happiness. This night . . . is about the American Dream! Dude, we can stay here, get arrested, and end our hopes of ever going to White Castle. Or, we can take that hang glider and make our leap towards freedom. I leave the decision up to you.

Speeches that are actually motivational, or that are supposed to motivate the characters in the movie even though they're really cheesy, like Bill Pullman in Independence Day?

Any Given Sunday - Al Pacino
Miracle - Kurt Russell
The Rock - Michael Biehn
Kingdom of Heaven - Orlando Bloom

JFK-closing argument

Tons of them here: http://www.filmsite.org/bestspeeches.html

I like Morgan Freeman's speech at the end of Deep Impact.

Kenneth Branagh in Henry V

Lee Ermey going off on private pyle

Yoda in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Jim Carrey in The Majestic.(final courtroom scene.)

Inigo Montoya: Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father: prepare to die. Now, offer me money.
[slices Count Rugen's cheek]
Count Rugen: Yes.
Inigo Montoya: Power too. Promise me that.
[slices Count Rugen's other cheek]
Count Rugen: All that I have and more. Please...
Inigo Montoya: Offer me everything I ask for.
Count Rugen: Any thing you want.
Inigo Montoya: I want my father back, you son of bitch.
[stabs and kills Count Rugan]

:clap:

Seriously, Hoot's speech towards the end of Black Hawk Down.

Samuel L. Jackson in DEEP BLUE SEA...save for the very end of it...

Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society

Mr. Smith goes to Washington - filabuster speech at the end
Scent of a woman - Al Pacino courtroom speech

Remember the Titans? - I think Denzel had a speech in there somewhere
Lean on Me - Morgan Freeman had a couple good ones

Already mentioned - Mel Gibson in Braveheart at the first battle

And I think Gladiator had one before the opening battle.

Seconded.

The Return Of The King
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)

-the one that concludes with:

"A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight!"

No votes for "greed is good" from Wall Street ;)

Pulp Fiction - Samuel L. Jackson's scripture based speech. That would motivate me to do a lot of things

While this is the more famous one, the one I like better from Wall St. is the limo speech. This is after Bud loses some $$ on the dog stocks and he wanted a 2nd chance. "Get dressed and I'll show you my charts!!" Bud proceeds to get sucked in by GG by the end of the limo ride and he gets dropped off in the middle of no-where.

I don't know the exact phrase, but that was Michael Douglas at his best.

Don't forget Jimmy Stewart's filibuster in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"!

Other than Braveheart that was the second one that came to mind. I mean there is another movie "Boiler Room" that the characters disect, eat, sleep and breath that speech. It's all about that speech baby.

Almost every courtroom or law movie was some sort of climatic motivational speech or summation. 12 Angry Men is good. My favorite is probably Gary Cooper's defense trial statement as Howard Roark in The Fountainhead.

Truer words were never spoken.

I was going to say this one. Here's a transcript and mp3 of it.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/Movi...ntainhead.html