r/movies • u/Fun_Protection_6939 • 1d ago

Discussion What is the single greatest acting performance you have seen?

What is the single greatest acting performance you have seen?

It's got to be Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice for me. Such a heartbreaking and nuanced portrayal of loss and devastation, and doubly impressive because she had to learn two languages fluently and had to speak German with a Polish accent, when neither language was native to her.

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381

u/Scat_Olympics 1d ago

Inglourious Basterds opening scene

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u/I_FUCKIN_ATODASO_ 1d ago

Idk if you’re referring to just Christoph Waltz, but the actor opposite him in that scene is so good too. Really holds his own

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u/Extension_Device6107 1d ago

That guy is great, just a stoic French farmer who very subtly cracks under the pressure.

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u/yanleystelnats_ 1d ago

Monsieur LaPadite!

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u/thehecticepileptic 1d ago

À votre famille et à vos vaches, je dis: bravo!

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u/Scat_Olympics 1d ago

Absolutely! Well…both actors? The scene as a whole? The beginning of the conversation I was like “okay the farmers got this!” Then he just breaks and it’s absolute heartache on his face! Brilliant scene

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u/HailToTheThief225 1d ago

It’s probably some of the best acting in all of Tarantino’s filmography. Even his historic pieces break reality a little bit, but that whole scene I really felt like I was witnessing something that happened at that point in history. Same for Shoshanna at the cafe with Hans Landa

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u/KoopaPoopa69 15h ago

That cafe scene is one of the most uncomfortable things I’ve ever seen. Nothing happens, it’s just people sitting at a table talking, and yet the tension is suffocating. It’s really incredible.

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u/Brannigans-Law 1d ago

The silent tears were just heartbreaking, I'll never forget how heavy his sorrow felt. Waltz is absolutely a powerhouse, but that scene doesn't hit as well as it does without the right dance partner. Incredible scene.

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u/MTonmyMind 1d ago

Denis Menochet. Just saw him in Monsieur Spade, which also has a wonderful Clive Owen in it.

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u/k80k80k80 1d ago

He has the weirdest little role in Beau Is Afraid.

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u/rezznik 1d ago

Ooooh, I miss Clive Owen. He kinda vanished...

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u/FrankTank3 1d ago

French Liev Schreiber

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u/megladaniel 1d ago

"........yes....."

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u/hackyslashy 1d ago

"You are harbouring fugitives of the state are you not?"

That one line changes the entire vibe.

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u/Scat_Olympics 1d ago

I saw his face when reading your comment

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u/nrith 1d ago

The way his expression changes.

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u/halloweenjon 1d ago

My fingernails were digging into the arm rests during that scene, and all they were doing was talking.

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u/Scat_Olympics 1d ago

It has something to do with SHOWING the Jews hiding and holding their breath that made the scene unbearably tense!

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u/ChanandlerBonng 1d ago

But that's the thing: even before they actually show them hiding, the tension in the scene makes you (if even subconsciously) know that the farmer WAS hiding them..... so it's not even a huge surprise when.the camera pans down to them. It's just perfect filmmaking in every sense.

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u/Scat_Olympics 1d ago

Agreed, tension was already there. Maybe I was still believing that the farmer will come out on top. Like when the farmer pulled out his pipe; I believed he’d be successful. Then Christoph Waltz pulled out his pipe, I started getting nervous

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u/AntRedundAnt 1d ago

I also love how Waltz’s pipe is Sherlockian as he is deducing the situation, subtle visual storytelling that tells you everything you need to know about the character

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u/arggggggggghhhhhhhh 18h ago

And gargantuan (I've always like that word, gargantuan) compared to the farmer's. Like even the farmer's attempt to divert with the pipe will be dominated by Hans having a massive pipe. Like "I'm calmer than you are" in pipe form.

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u/Placide-Stellas 1d ago

Yeah, Quentin really clenched best opening scene of all time with that. I actually can't imagine something better. Hoping a future director can imagine and do something even better.

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u/Ocelot2727 1d ago

I don't think it comes close to this but a great opening scene is from the movie Intermission starting Colin Farrell. Check it out - https://youtu.be/W8EGCC9NNvo?feature=shared

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u/randomusername9284 1d ago

Wait, isn’t it “you are sheltering enemies of the state are you not?”

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u/hackyslashy 1d ago

Possibly - I've had a few beers!

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u/thegreatestajax 1d ago

Quick, what would a German actually say? Don’t give yourself away!

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u/Theslootwhisperer 1d ago

The very subtle change of expression, shifting from jovial to evil is incredible.

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u/numbersev 1d ago

The way his facial expression changed. Anyone watching that while high was in for a trip.

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u/ChanandlerBonng 1d ago

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I was essentially dragged to Inglorious Basterds against my will; I like Tarantino movies, but I usually dislike "alternate history" movies. So I was HEAVILY skeptical going into it.

That opening scene immediately changed my mind and I was 100% on board for the rest of the movie.

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u/horsebag 1d ago

pshh alternate history. everyone knows that Hitler was machine gunned by some Italians!

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u/rwags2024 1d ago

Denis Menochet

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u/Decent-Bear334 1d ago

Shosanna...

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u/centipededamascus 1d ago

Au revoir, Shoshanna!

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u/paper_zoe 1d ago

he was great in The Beasts a couple of years ago too.

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u/OnTheEveOfWar 1d ago

I didn’t even notice I was literally holding my breath during that scene.

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u/Hurt-Locker-Fan 1d ago

Absolutely this. I was amazed by how good an actor Christoph Waltz is.

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u/amo1337 1d ago

He's top notch, but the writing is really what makes that movie so good. They could have done that scene with puppets and the tension would have still been so high.

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u/Scat_Olympics 1d ago

Agreed. Everything, writing. Music. Beethoven’s für elise playing over and over…..Quintin used the same song on the harp in Django Unchained too

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u/EccentricMeat 1d ago

All aspects involved, this is probably (at least for my money) the most “perfect” scene in the history of cinema. The acting, the writing, the set, the character work, the impact to the story, everything. Perfection.