Number Four: Wit

If you don't watch any of the other clips we posted, watch this one (it's seven minutes). If you don't watch this one, go get the whole movie and watch that. And if you do watch this one, still go get the whole movie and watch it. This movie is... amazing. And not many people have seen it (it's an HBO film) which is really a shame. Emma Thompson plays a highly intelligent and clever and successful literature professor battling ovarian cancer, largely on her own. I think it was Roger Ebert who said of the movie that it "first breaks the funny bone, then breaks the heart." There are so many clever and funny things to laugh with—then such profound things to feel and reflect on. We can't recommend this movie enough. (We bought the DVD online a few years ago—Walmart or Amazon or something—for $4, I think. It's probably easier than trying to rent it. And you'll want to own it anyway!)

This scene comes in a rare moment when her tenacity and wit are all but gone—and when things have been the hardest, she's still been alone. Her old mentor from her youth tries to visit her at the university, and learns she is in the hospital. (When she asks about Donne, in the movie you've already heard Emma Thompson's character talk a lot about Donne—whose poetry she loves—in her conversations with herself.) Obviously, since it's in this list, it's one of our favorite scenes ever. While we're actually watching it, we'd probably have to call it number one. :) (And it's made all the more beautiful with the Arvo Pӓrt music—one of our favorite composers. You might not be able to read The Runaway Bunny again without wanting to shed a tear or two...!) Go find and watch this movie. You'll be so glad you did.