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10 Great Revelation Scenes

By Meredith Alloway · January 10, 2012

Some of the most crucial scenes in cinema come when important information is revealed to us. This key information can be learned at the same time the character does, it can be revealed to us before the character finds out, or we may discover it after the character already knows. Often, however, the revelation occurs with the character because when it’s a simultaneous discovery, we empathize, often experiencing the exact same emotions that the character feels, and this usually creates a closer connection to that character. But regardless of how we find out, an good revelation scene is not just about the moment when the twist occurs, when things are revealed and surprise ensues, but also about what leads up to this scene. If characters are developed properly, and the information is withheld until the right moment in the plot, BAM! Revelation!

10. Fight Club (1999)

This revelation scene is both jarring to the narrator (Edward Norton) and the audience. Up until this point, the narrator is influenced by the stronger, better looking and more ferocious Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). In the last scene of the film, however, when Tyler has the narrator at gunpoint, the narrator knowing that his alter-ego is in fact Tyler, he realizes that if he shoots himself, there is a chance that the potentially lethal act may destroy Tyler. And that’s exactly what happens. The bullet passes through the Narrator’s cheek, leaving him alive, but what he sees is a bullet wound in the back of Tyler’s head. In one scene the Narrator is able to defeat the evil part within himself, and finally, Tyler is dead.

9. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Who can forget one of the most classic scenes in cinema when the great and powerful Oz is revealed? Dorothy (Judy Garland), the Cowardly Lion, (Bert Lahr) the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) and the Tin Man (Jack Haley) have made it all the way to Emerald City in order to meet the Wizard of Oz. When they finally make their way into his chamber, they’re greeted with a green looming face, surrounded by fire and a boisterous, intimidating voice. When Toto senses something from behind a curtain on the other side of the room, he pulls it back to reveal an old man. The man is speaking into a machine and says, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” Dorothy and her friends realize that the old man is in fact Oz (Frank Morgan). We also experience the shock and disappointment that the powerful god-like figure we’ve been working towards meeting the entire film, is just a regular guy. Dorothy’s dreams of finding a way home are dashed. This revelation serves as a wonderful twist to the movie and also allows Dorothy to discover that all along she had the power to make her way home.

8. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Dr. William Harford (Tom Cruise) trusts his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), more than anything. One night they decide to get high and Alice ends up revealing something William never expected. She tells him that one time in the past, when their child was very young, she met a man who tempted her to cheat on William. She talks about how captivated she was with him and says, “I would have given up everything, my whole future, for one night with him.” This shocks both William and us, as the audience, who viewed Alice as faithful and honest. This scene is a revelation for William, that his wife has secret sexual desires, and launches him into a dangerous exploration of his own.

7. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

For months Jacob (Ryan Gosling) has been teaching the newly single Cal (Steve Carrell) how to pick up women. He’s given him all the tricks of the trade, so when we first meet the talked-of-but-never-seen Hannah (Emma Stone), Cal and his wife Emily’s (Julianne Moore) daughter, there is a truly shocking revelation. Hannah has brought her new boyfriend home to meet the family, and it happens to be Jacob. As Cal puts two and two together, we do too. Cal is outraged that Jacob is seeing his daughter and can only manage to utter the word, “No” over and over. How could his daughter be dating the biggest player of all time!? Knowing how Jacob usually operates with women, treating them like objects, he will never approve of his relationship with Hannah. This scene is both hilarious and brilliantly comes out of nowhere-we would have never guess Hannah was Cal’s daughter.

6. Shutter Island (2010)

This film is a wonderful example of the “you’re actually the crazy one” revelation scene. The doctors tell Teddy (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is convinced he is U.S. Marshall, that he is actually a patient on Shutter Island.  He reaches the lighthouse to find Dr. Cawley (Ben Kinsey) and Dr. Sheenan (Mark Ruffalo), who had been posing as Teddy’s partner Chuck, waiting to reveal the truth. Dr. Cawley tells Teddy that he has been a patient for two years and that the last couple of days was an attempt to do a massive role-play by the staff to get him to finally admit his identity. Teddy begins to panic and reaches for his gun, but when he goes to shoot Dr. Cawley, nothing happens and the gun crumbles in his hand. The weapon was a toy. Still unable to grasp the situation, Cawley shows Teddy photographs of his dead children, urging him to embrace their existence. If Teddy cannot admit that he killed his wife after she murdered their children, the doctors at Shutter Island will lobotomize him. This scene is so exhilarating because we discover the truth at the same time as Teddy, and feel that we struggle to grasp the terrifying facts as much as he does. “US Marshall Teddy” was fantastically convincing throughout the film and admitting it was a lie and he is a murderer, is jarringly good and thought provoking as we ask the same question as Teddy does: “Is it better to live a monster or die a good man?”

5. Legally Blonde (2001)

Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) goes to dinner with her boyfriend, Warner (Matthew Davis). She prepares all day to have the perfect proposal. At dinner, he begins talking about their relationship and Elle’s anticipation grows. At the moment he seems to be popping the question, he reveals that he wants to break up with her to go to law school. She is devastated and begins crying in the restaurant after he drops the relationship bomb on her. The comedy of the scene amps up as Warner tries to explain her behavior, revealing to the customers around them that she got a “bad salad.”

4. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

“Joker” (Matthew Modine) is set on fire-watch on his last night in basic training. He has been helping Pvt. “Gomer Pyle” (Vincent D’Onofrio), who was lagging behind the rest of the unit throughout the duration of basic training. Initially, Joker is worried that Gomer can’t hack it in the Marines. He is proven right, when on his fire-watch, Gomer is sitting in the bathroom with his gun (the first bomb.) Joker tries to talk Gomer down, but he seems to have lost his grip on reality. The drill instructor (R. Lee Emery) is woken up by the commotion and Joker reveals that Gomer’s weapon is loaded (the second bomb.) The drill instructor takes charge of the situation, but Gomer shoots him (the third bomb.) Joker is stunned as Gomer turns the gun on himself and commits suicide (the fourth bomb.)

3. The Sixth Sense (1999)

One of the best twist endings in cinema comes at the end of the film when both Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) and the audience realize he is dead. As Crow watches his wife Anna (Olivia Williams) sleeping, she mumbles, “Why did you leave me?” He replies that he didn’t leave her just as a wedding ring falls to the ground. He looks at her hand, but her ring is still on, it’s his wedding band that has fallen. His naked finger shocks him, and he begins to recall what his patient Cole (Haley Joel Osment) kept saying, “I see dead people. They don’t know they’re dead.” Crowe begins to play over in his head the past events, and we now see them with new eyes too. When he was shot, the wound was fatal. In a panic, sliding up the stairwell, Crowe reaches to his back and sees that his wound is still fresh. He is actually dead. This revelation had to happen for Crowe to move on and to bring peace to his wife. Clues planted earlier on in the film let us enjoy the shock revelation, and it all finally makes sense in the end.

2. Psycho (1960)

Hitchcock is the master of suspense, and therefore when something is revealed, the payoff is huge. The entire film has puzzled us, who is the mysterious Mrs. Bates and why won’t Norman (Anthony Perkins) let anyone see her? When Lila (Vera Miles) and Sam (John Gavin) venture to the Bates Motel, in search of clues regarding Marion’s disappearance, they meet the fragile, suspicious Norman. Sam talks to him while Lila breaks into the back of the house to investigate. She sees that the cellar door is open and cautiously makes her way down the stairs. There, at the bottom, is the figure of an old woman facing into the corner. Lila approaches her saying, “Mrs. Bates?” As she spins the old woman around, we see that it is a rotting skeleton! Lila screams and Norman runs into the cellar behind her yielding a large knife and dressed in his mother’s clothes. As Sam grabs Norman from behind, his wig falls to the ground, and we realize that Norman is the killer. Lila looks at him bewildered and horrified. Mrs. Bates is clearly dead and Norman has been pretending to be her when he kills his victims. Talk about a revelation.

1. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Luke (Mark Hamill) has just returned from Dagobah and has rejoined his team on the forest moon of Endor. Stepping out from the Ewok party, he stands alone in deep thought as Leia (Carrie Fisher) joins him to ask what’s wrong. Luke explains that he has to face Darth Vader alone because Vader is his father. He then continues to reveal that “The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it, and… My sister has it.” And as the words sink in for her, he clarifies, “Yes. It’s you, Leia.” Clearly, Luke has dropped a bomb – two actually. We knew Vader was Luke’s dad, but we didn’t know Leia was his sister, yet poor Han (Harrison Ford) doesn’t know anything, so when he sees Luke kiss Leia on the cheek and leave, we enjoy Han’s misunderstanding.