#WordWeek: Favourite Film Quotes

“No one puts Baby in a corner.” “Shaken not stirred.” "You talkin' to me?" Often all it takes is a single line to conjure up recollections of an entire film, whether it’s a moment of comic perfection (think the old lady on the neighbouring table to Meg Ryan’s climactic Sally, who declares, “I’ll have what she’s having”), an infallible delivery à la Marlon Brando’s Vito Corleone promising an offer that can’t be refused or a beautifully universal truth like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates analogy. Brilliant one-liners are cinema at its most magical and memorable – fleeting moments reliant upon great acting, powerful screenplays and skilled direction yet made to look entirely spontaneous and effortless. Sometimes they are words that we aspire to speak, at others, ones we may have spoken – or perhaps the echoes of a voice we have heard before. So, as part of our #WordWeek celebrations, we thought it only fitting to pay homage to the iconic words of film, from King Kong to Casablanca to Clueless. Which is your favourite?

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." – Rhett Butler, Gone With The Wind (1939)

"Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." – Carl Denham, King Kong (1933)

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more." – Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz (1939)

"You had me at hello." – Dorothy Boyd, Jerry Maguire (1996)

"Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." – Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

"He is not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!" – Brian Cohen's mother, Life of Brian (1979)

"My Mama always said, life was a like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." – Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump (1994)

"I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers." – Blanche DuBois, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

"You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" – Charlie Croker, The Italian Job (1969)

"Go ahead, make my day." – Harry Callahan, Sudden Impact (1983)

"Now, you've got a corpse in a car, minus a head, in the garage. Take me to it." – The Wolf, Pulp Fiction (1994)

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that – he's gone." – Roger 'Verbal' Kint, The Usual Suspects (1995)

"There once was a very lovely, very frightened girl. She lived alone except for a nameless cat." – George Peppard, Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

"A census-taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans, and a nice Chianti." – Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

"Dionne and I were both named after famous singers of the past, who now do infomercials." – Cher Horowitz, Clueless (1995)

"Here's looking at you, kid." – Rick Blaine, Casablanca (1942)

"Elementary, my dear Watson." – Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929)

"Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." – John Keating, Dead Poet's Society (1989)

"This isn’t flying, this is falling with style." – Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story (1995)

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!" – Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride (1987)

Text by Abigail Gurney-Read