Five Iconic Coffee-Related Movie Scenes

This is a guest post by David Showell. Learn more about how you can guest post for Daily Shot Of Coffee.

There’s nothing quite like a cup of Java, of course, especially when it’s accompanied by a top quality movie. Whether you’re savouring a decaf with a drama or a cappuccino with a comedy, the combination of the silver screen and a perfect roast is truly wonderful. Here are five famous movie moments that feature our favourite drink.

The Godfather Part II

For many people the finest movie ever made, The Godfather Part II continued the saga of the Corleone family. There are several flashbacks in the film to Vito Corleone’s early days, including the details of his rise to power in the New York underworld. In one famous scene, he meets Don Fanucci, the local mafia boss, in order to make a payment.

In a local restaurant, Vito talks the Don into accepting a lower payment, and promises to pay more next time. The Don finishes his coffee, gives the younger man a knowing sneer and heads outside to enjoy the parade that’s taking place outside. Later, Vito (played by Robert De Niro) shoots him dead as he returns to his apartment.

Amélie

One of the most charming movies of them all, Amélie delighted audiences all over the globe when it was released in 2001. The French movie stars Audrey Tatou in the title role, and serves as a timely reminder of just how beautiful the city of Paris is. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to catch it as soon as possible.

Amélie spends much of her time fixing relationships between other people, and in one scene she arranges an impromptu meeting between one of the customers in the cafe in which she works and her colleague. Her method involves spilling hot coffee over her friend, who then has to retreat to the toilet area to clean herself up. Needless to say, the customer is already in there.

Glengarry Glen Ross

An ensemble cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon helped to make Glengarry Glen Ross one of the most talked about films of the 1990s. The script reputedly included the most swear words ever heard in a major movie, which merely added to the tense atmosphere of this intriguing drama.

Set in a real estate agency, the desperation for sales among the staff is evident from the opening scenes. At one point, Lemmon is helping himself to a much-needed cup of Java when Baldwin tells him in no uncertain terms “Put that coffee down. Coffee is for closers”. A Simpsons character, desperate salesman Gil Gunderson, is based on Lemmon’s portrayal in this movie.

Notorious

The great Alfred Hitchcock gave us so many iconic moments, from attacks by birds to sinister shower scenes, and Notorious, starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, is one of his finest offerings. It was made in 1946, during a period which many people consider to be the golden age of Hollywood.

Bergman became the victim of a poisoning attempt in this film, thanks to the coffee that Claude Rains, Cary Grant’s rival for her affections, made for her. As the scene unfolded, she tried to make it to her bedroom but collapsed in the hallway instead.

Pulp Fiction

A gritty, no-nonsense movie that spawned a whole new generation of crime movies, Pulp Fiction is a classic now and will continue to be for the next hundred years. It starred Uma Thurman, John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson, as well as a host of other big names in supporting roles.

One of the most famous scenes, known to fans as The Bonnie Situation, sees Travolta and Jackson discussing the quality of the coffee at Jimmie’s house. Jimmie, played by the movie’s director Quentin Tarantino, is impatient to shut them up and to talk about the more pressing situation of the dead body they have brought with them.

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David Showell is a fan of coffee and movies, and works for a company that provides car hire deals for visitors to Bordeaux.