Highest-Rated Movies about 'Leitmotif'

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars (1977), Citizen Kane (1941), Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), Vertigo (1958), Dances with Wolves (1990), Jaws (1975), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Leitmotif movies.

#1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Storyline: Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi Master's help will Luke survive when the Dark Side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader.

Plot Keywords: rescue, part of trilogy, duel, sword fight, space opera, bounty hunter, good versus evil ...

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#2. Star Wars (1977)

Storyline: The Imperial Forces, under orders from cruel Darth Vader, hold Princess Leia hostage in their efforts to quell the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, work together with the companionable droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess, help the Rebel Alliance and restore freedom and justice to the Galaxy.

Plot Keywords: rebellion, science fantasy, space opera, princess, lightsaber, empire, sword duel ...

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#3. Citizen Kane (1941)

Storyline: A group of reporters are trying to decipher the last word ever spoken by Charles Foster Kane, the millionaire newspaper tycoon: "Rosebud". The film begins with a news reel detailing Kane's life for the masses, and then from there, we are shown flashbacks from Kane's life. As the reporters investigate further, the viewers see a display of a fascinating man's rise to fame, and how he eventually fell off the top of the world.

Plot Keywords: new york, journalist, marriage, new york city, adultery, suicide attempt, newspaper publisher ...

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#4. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)

Storyline: Luke Skywalker battles Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader to save his comrades in the Rebel Alliance and triumph over the Galactic Empire. Han Solo and Princess Leia reaffirm their love, and team with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, the Ewoks, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 to aid in the disruption of the Dark Side, and the defeat of the evil emperor.

Plot Keywords: villain turns good, space opera, father son relationship, brother sister relationship, tragic villain, father son estrangement, final battle ...

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#5. Vertigo (1958)

Storyline: John "Scottie" Ferguson is a retired San Francisco police detective who suffers from acrophobia, and Madeleine is the lady who leads him to high places. A wealthy shipbuilder who is an acquaintance from college days approaches Scottie and asks him to follow his beautiful wife, Madeleine. He fears she is going insane, maybe even contemplating suicide, as he believes she has been possessed by a dead ancestor who committed suicide. Scottie is skeptical, but agrees to the assignment after he sees the beautiful Madeleine.

Plot Keywords: vertigo, 1950s, acrophobia, mental breakdown, deception, actress playing multiple roles, fear of heights ...

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#6. Dances with Wolves (1990)

Storyline: Lt. John Dunbar is dubbed a hero after he accidentally leads Union troops to a victory during the Civil War. He requests a position on the western frontier, but finds it deserted. He soon finds out he is not alone, but meets a wolf he dubs "Two-socks" and a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly makes friends with the tribe, and discovers a white woman who was raised by the Indians. He gradually earns the respect of these native people, and sheds his white-man's ways.

Plot Keywords: friendship, native american, 19th century, cult film, military officer, club, directorial debut ...

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#7. Jaws (1975)

Storyline: It's a hot summer on Amity Island, a small community whose main business is its beaches. When new Sheriff Martin Brody discovers the remains of a shark attack victim, his first inclination is to close the beaches to swimmers. This doesn't sit well with Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen. Brody backs down to his regret as that weekend a young boy is killed by the predator. The dead boy's mother puts out a bounty on the shark and Amity is soon swamped with amateur hunters and fisherman hoping to cash in on the reward. A local fisherman with much experience hunting sharks, Quint, offers to hunt down the creature for a hefty fee. Soon Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper from the Oceanographic Institute are at sea hunting the Great White shark. As Brody succinctly surmises after their first encounter with the creature, they're going to need a bigger boat.

Plot Keywords: shark, beach, blockbuster, fishing, based on novel, loss of son, shark attack ...

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#8. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Storyline: Sir Robin of Locksley, defender of downtrodden Saxons, runs afoul of Norman authority and is forced to turn outlaw. With his band of Merry Men, he robs from the rich, gives to the poor and still has time to woo the lovely Maid Marian, and foil the cruel Sir Guy of Gisbourne, and keep the nefarious Prince John off the throne.

Plot Keywords: swashbuckler, vigilante justice, poetic justice, vigilantism, justice, shield, murder ...

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#9. King Kong (1933)

Storyline: Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location; Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This 'soon-to-be-unfortunate' soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann in it's grasps. Carl and Ann's new love, Jack Driscoll must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts.

Plot Keywords: empire state building manhattan new york city, falling to death, tyrannosaurus rex, orchestral music score, blonde woman, woman in jeopardy, blonde ...

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#10. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Storyline: After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott. Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie, and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

Plot Keywords: empathy, extraterrestrial, blockbuster, california, 1980s, child swearing, teasing ...

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#11. Happy Together (1997)

Storyline: Yiu-Fai and Po-Wing arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong and take to the road for a holiday. Something is wrong and their relationship goes adrift. A disillusioned Yiu-Fai starts working at a tango bar to save up for his trip home. When a beaten and bruised Po-Wing reappears, Yiu-Fai is empathetic but is unable to enter a more intimate relationship. After all, Po-Wing is not ready to settle down. Yiu-Fai now works in a Chinese restaurant and meets the youthful Chang from Taiwan. Uhf zacnjb-Fai's life takes on a new spin, while Po-Wing's life shatters continually in contrast.—Perry Yu <perry@pobox.com>

Plot Keywords: loneliness, fellatio, buenos aires argentina, time lapse photography, internal monologue, gay couple, happiness ...

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#12. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Storyline: It is the 23rd century. Admiral James T. Kirk is an instructor at Starfleet Academy and feeling old; the prospect of attending his ship, the USS Enterprise--now a training ship--on a two-week cadet cruise does not make him feel any younger. But the training cruise becomes a deadly serious mission when his nemesis Khan Noonien Singh--infamous conqueror from late 20th century Earth--appears after years of exile. Khan later revealed that the planet Ceti Alpha VI exploded, and shifted the orbit of the fifth planet as a Mars-like haven. He begins capturing Project Genesis, a top secret device holding the power of creation itself, and schemes the utter destruction of Kirk.

Plot Keywords: desert, revenge, funeral, cheating, birthday, brainwashing, teleportation ...

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#13. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Storyline: In Coruscant, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker rescue the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from the Separatist General Grievous' spaceship and Anakin kills Count Dooku with his light-saber after a fight; however Grievous escapes from the Jedi. When they land on Coruscant, Padmé Amidala comes to tell Anakin that she is pregnant. Soon he has premonitions of his wife dying during the delivery. Palpatine requests that Anakin join the Jedi Council against the will of the members but he is not promoted to Master and stays at the rank of Knight; further they ask him to spy on Palpatine. Anakin is manipulated by Palpatine about the true intentions of the Jedi and is tempted to know the dark side of the Force that could be capable of saving Padmé. Further Palpatine discloses that he is Sith Lord Darth Sidious. What will Anakin do?

Plot Keywords: personality change, tragic villain, spaceship, adoption, hologram, wilhelm scream, no opening credits ...

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#14. Score: A Film Music Documentary (2016)

Storyline: For a predominately visual medium like cinema, its musical component plays a vital role as well, especially its score. In that essential musical accompaniment, the soul of the film is expressed whether it be sweepingly majestic fanfares or delicate lyrical pieces. This documentary explores the artistic role of this special musical discipline that completes the cinematic artistic creation process and the artists who have devoted their careers to this contribution. We explore the form's history and examine the masters who defined it with their own distinctive artistic vision. In doing so, the various components of this delicate creative process are revealed as they create a musical compositional work that has inspired a popular appreciation of music in all its forms, which gave some old musical ways their own new lease on life.—Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Plot Keywords: film history, filmmaking, film clip, reference to alfred hitchcock, reference to facebook, reference to the beatles, archive footage ...

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#15. The Informer (1935)

Storyline: Dublin, 1920. Gypo Nolan, strong but none too bright, has been ousted from the rebel organization and is starving. When he finds that his equally destitute sweetheart Katie has been reduced to prostitution, he succumbs to temptation and betrays his former comrade Frankie to the British authorities for a 20 pound reward. In the course of one gloomy, foggy night, guilt and retribution inexorably close in...—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Keywords: national film registry, fog, execution, drunkard, irish republican army, informer, ireland ...

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