Few dramatic devices can strike at a film’s thematic heart
quite like a great speech. Whether it’s a pre-battle rallying call or a tender soliloquy, the cinematic monologue can shape a character, mark a
crossroads or conveniently tie up loose ends just in time for the final
curtain call. It’s true it can be a tightrope; get it wrong and an entire
film can descend into melodrama. But get it right, and the cinematic
speech can be a thing of beauty, making for some of the medium’s most memorable
moments. Here’s my top 15:
