Breakfast Club: Running Movie Scenes
breakfast club
running, ideas, culture
Trainspotting | Miramax
Movies and running . . . what’s not to love?
Running is an elemental part of the human experience: we run toward what we desire, from things we fear, and in pursuit of the better good. So, it’s no surprise that an activity so essentially human winds it way into cinema.
I’m no film buff, but I enjoy a good flick. And I take notice when characters launch themselves into flight. So this week, we’re taking a break from ponderous ponderings for a light-hearted review of the best running scenes in American cinema.
Some ground rules . . .
To count as an exceptional running clip, each scene should do three things:
Add pace. The running should accelerate the speed and tempo of the film. The scene should elevate the heart rate of both character and viewer.
Reveal setting and place. Running covers ground. So a good running scene highlights the setting or environment of the film: we gain a sense of the characters’ location and placedness.
Dr…
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