Biopics, movies that tell the story of someone’s life, have been popular with filmgoers since the 1920s. Some biopics focus on presidents such as Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy, while others hone in on ordinary people, including mathematicians and mobsters.
Here are five memorable monologues from modern biopics:
1. “Goodfellas” (1990)
"Goodfellas," which tells the story of Irish-Italian-American mobster Henry Hill, is based on a true story. In one scene, Hill, played by Ray Liotta, says: “You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, ‘You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a good fella. He’s one of us.’ You understand? We were good fellas. Wise guys. But Jimmy and I could never be made because we had Irish blood. It didn’t even matter that my mother was Sicilian. To become a member of a crew, you’ve got to be 100 percent Italian so they can trace all your relatives back to the old country. See, it’s the highest honor they can give you.”
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2. “Schindler’s List” (1993)
Oskar Schindler, portrayed by Liam Neeson, says goodbye to his factory employees as he proclaims Germany’s surrender during World War II. Schindler says: “The unconditional surrender of Germany has just been announced. At midnight tonight, the war is over. Tomorrow, you’ll begin the process of looking for survivors of your families. In most cases, you won’t find them. After six long years of murder, victims are being mourned throughout the world. We’ve survived. Many of you have come up to me and thanked me. Thank yourselves. Thank your fearless Stern, and others among you who worried about you and faced death at every moment. I’m a member of the Nazi party. I’m a munitions manufacturer. I’m a profiteer of slave labor. I am a criminal. At midnight, you’ll be free and I’ll be hunted.”
3. “A Beautiful Mind” (2001)
Russell Crowe plays John Nash, a mathematician who earns the 1994 Nobel Prize in “A Beautiful Mind.” He declares his love for his wife, Alicia, who is sitting in the audience: “I've always believed in numbers and the equations and logics that lead to reason. But after a lifetime of such pursuits, I ask: ‘What truly is logic?’ ‘Who decides reason?’ My quest has taken me through the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional -- and back. And I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life: It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found. I’m only here tonight because of you.”
4. “Lincoln” (2012)
Daniel Day-Lewis portrays 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln.” He says: “I decided that the Constitution gives me war powers, but no one knows just exactly what those powers are. Some say they don’t exist. I don’t know. I decided I needed them to exist to uphold my oath to protect the Constitution, which I decided meant that I could take the rebel’s slaves from them as property confiscated in war. That might recommend the suspicion that I agree with the rebs that their slaves are property in the first place.”
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5. “Mommie Dearest” (1981)
Based on the life of actress Joan Crawford, “Mommie Dearest,” starring Faye Dunaway, is featured this famous scene with her adopted daughter, Christine: “No … more … wire … hangers! What’s wire hangers doing in this closet when I told you: ‘No wire hangers ever? I work and work ‘till I'm half-dead, and I hear people saying, ‘She’s getting old.’ And what do I get? A daughter ... who cares as much about the beautiful dresses I give her ... as she cares about me!”
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