Image by Razi Marysol Machay on Flickr.com
Famous lines from movies (or movie quotes) are a fundamental part of everyday English language and culture. People often remember famous movie lines and use them in their own lives when the moment is appropriate. Often people quote movie lines, but don’t even know what movie the line comes from, they have just heard the lines so many times they start using it. So, it is fair to say that movie quotes have become an important part of our modern culture and vernacular. So, let’s take a look at this piece of American culture and learn a little about the movies that five famous movie lines come from. I’ve chosen five quotes for us to look at today, but if this is a post you enjoy and you’d like to see another one like it (with different famous movie quotes) let me know, by leaving a comment below.
Note: Spoiler alert! In talking about famous movie lines and the movies they come from and in doing so I definitely give away what happens in the movies.
“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”
This quote comes from the movie Dirty Harry. The actor Clint Eastwood, the star of this film, says this line. This movie is about a serial killer and the police detective (played by Clint Eastwood) who tracks him down. This line in the movie comes near the end, when Clint Eastwood, the inspector, says “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?” to the serial killer before killing him.
“If you build it, he will come.”
This line comes from the movie Field of Dreams. Kevin Costner is the actor who says this line, in his role as an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella. In this film Kevin Costner’s character starts hearing voices, while working in his fields. The voices say the line quoted above. He interprets these voices as commands to build a baseball diamond in his cornfields. After some chastising, and with some help, he builds a baseball field in his backyard and the Chicago Black Sox come and play!
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
This quote is from the classic movie The Wizard of OZ. The actress Judy Garland, who plays the roles of a girl named Dorothy, says this line. In this film, Dorothy, a farm girl from the state of Kansas gets swept away by a tornado to a magical land called OZ. When she lands in OZ and sees this land for the first time, she says this line to her dog Toto. Then she sets out on a journey to find the Wizard of OZ to see if he can help her return home.
“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
This movie line is from the film The Godfather. This film is about the mob or the mafia. In this movie the actor Marlon Brando, plays the role of an aging patriarch in a crime family. He is the person who says this famous line. In this film, Marlon Brando’s character is transferring the control of his mafia empire to his son.
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
This, perhaps the most famous movie quote of all time, is from the movie, Gone with the Wind. This is a very old film about the life of a rich Southern woman during the American Civil War. The film follows the rise and fall, or ups and downs, of her life. This quote is from an interchange between the main actress, Vivien Leigh, and the main actor Clark Gable. Leigh’s character asks Gable’s character “Where shall I go? What shall I do?” and he responds by saying, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
