MovieChat Forums > Mrs. Miniver (1942) Discussion > Vicar 's speech not on AFI 100 Quotes?

Vicar 's speech not on AFI 100 Quotes?

posted 16 years ago by ghetarr2001
4 replies | jump to latest

Just saw this movie for the first time, I recently saw The Best Years of Our Lives, and since it was just so frickin amazing I had to rent this too. Anyways, long story short this movie was great, I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
I'm wondering, what you think of the fact that even though it was nominated as one of 400, the speech at the end did NOT make the top 100 AFI list. Now, say what you want about those lists, and how many omissions they make,(Inherit the Wind anyone, not a top 10 courtroom drama?) but for the most part AFI does a good job of making sure the "essentials" are on the lists. I don't understand how, "Love means never having to say you're sorry" is #13 all time. What a horrible job by AFI of picking a mindless quote (Love Story) over one that inspired the country, and was beloved by FDR! Is there any quote more inspiring than this, considering the context? Is there any reason why this didn't make their list? And is "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" really THAT much better of a "war quote" that it ranks in their top 20, yet this quote can't even crack the top 100?

[–] mark-1589 16 years ago

The reason may be that, although the speech is amazing and hugely dramatic in the film, still it is fairly long and the only pithy phrase I can remember from it is, "This is the peoples' war." I think the big thing about top quotes is that they have to be quotable, which means pithy like, "Here's looking at you kid". One sentence, tops. So the most perfect speech ever in a film, even if it is as great as Hamlet's soliloquy or Marc Antony's funeral oration in, "Julius Caesar", it still would be unlikely to make it into the top quotes list.

[–] stargazer1701-1 15 years ago

The vicar's speech was defintately inspiring.

Smoke me a kipper. I’ll be back for breakfast

[–] gribfritz2 13 years ago

I just watched it and I can not remember a single word of it. Meanwhile, quotes as insipid as "Hasta la vista, baby" are ingrained in our minds as pop culture icons. Remember, it doesn't have to be good to be a top quote; it just needs to be memorable and, most importantly, quotable. Often, the shorter the better.

[–] marhefka 12 years ago

What do you think about "You're welcome." Bernie LaPlante in the movie HERO. Of course, Bernie was played by Dustin Hoffman.