Whether it’s the distinctive filming style or the over-the-top-ness of his brilliant characters we love a good Wes Anderson film. It would have felt rude not to include The Grand Budapest Hotel in our list after the success of Anderson’s latest film. This film actually displays a few fantastic lifts scenes: the iconic funicular, the memorable interaction between Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton and the infiltration of M. Gustave and Zero into the hotel, not to mention the use of dumb waiters! This film is rich with lifts and elevators galore!
Another iconic, and equally strange, lift scene is that featuring Buddy the Elf in the Empire State Building after arriving in New York City from the North Pole. The essential context for this lift scene is to know that Buddy the Elf has never seen anything quite like crowds, taxis and skyscrapers before and, consequentially, isn’t exactly versed in “keeping his cool”.
Our third most memorable lift scene is that potentially awkward exchange between Summer Finn and Tom Hansen in the 2009 film 500 Days of Summer. It’s the moment that sees gooey romantic Tom fall in love with straight-talking Summer, leading to 500 days of rollercoaster romance. It’s a scene filled with romantic tension, melancholic music and a teasing snippet of Zooey Deschanel’s wonderful singing voice (which is showcases further in Elf!)
An incredibly iconic lift scene, and number two on our list, is the climax of the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Based on Roald Dahl’s incredible book the film showcases many weird and wonderful things, including an elevator breaking through a glass ceiling and flying over the tiny town below. Gene Wilder’s incredible characterisation of Wonka and the amazing imagination of Dahl make this one of the most iconic lift scenes in existence!
As the second newest film in our list it seems incredibly impressive that Catching Fires’ elevator scene would top our list but, for anyone who’s seen it, it may seem like a clear winner. From Jena Malone’s incredibly casual disrobing to the amazing, wonderfully characterised, reactions of Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch it’s not surprising that this scene has quickly gained iconic status. There’s really nothing more we can say about this scene but: watch for yourself!