Five of the Best Lift Scenes on Film
The humble elevator - known as the setting for awkward small talk with your boss as well as a quick and easy way to get from A to B. A lift is pretty much standard in any high rise office or building, but the cramped quarters and dizzy heights make it an ideal setting for many of film’s most dramatic scenes. From the iconic lift shaft scene in a Bruce Willis classic to one of the most memorable scenes in horror, see below for just five of the best elevator scenes on film.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka’s ‘Wonkavator’ doesn’t just go up and down, but "sideways and slantways and longways and backways and squareways and any other ways that you can think of." The golden glass lift is the setting for the climax to the 1971 film, as Charlie and Willy Wonka push the lift to its limits and smash through the ceiling.
The beautifully shot lift scene from Nicolas Winding Refn’s stylish 2011 drama is romantic, hypnotic - and very, very violent. The contrast of the slow-motion kiss between Ryan Gosling’s Driver and Carey Mulligan’s Irene, and the violence following it, is one of the best, most shocking scenes of the film and it provides a tragic turning point in the couple’s love story.
This scene isn’t set within a lift but it’s one of the most dramatic and memorable scenes in horror. The blood elevator scene (also known as the ‘river of blood’) from Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation is intense, horrifying and full of dread and unease. Young boy Danny has a vision showing the elevator doors of the Overlook Hotel as they open and blood gushes out, covering the floor, walls and eventually the camera, leaving viewers in darkness. Over 3,000 gallons of fake blood were used until Kubrick was satisfied with the final shot.
There are actually several elevator scenes in Christopher Nolan’s ambitious sci-fi fantasy from 2010 and many people interpret the lift as a symbol for the different levels of dreaming in the film. Leonardo DiCaprio’s protagonist Cobb rides a lift through a haunting collection of his memories, and there’s more lift action later on as Joseph Gordon-Levitt attempts to navigate an elevator in zero gravity.
We couldn’t leave out what’s arguably the most famous lift shaft scene of all time, when unlikely hero John McClane (Bruce Willis) confronts Alan Rickman’s villain Hans Gruber. Rickman was told he’d be falling anywhere from 20 to 40 feet down the lift shaft, but the crew dropped him before the ‘on the count of three’ they’d agreed, meaning that the look of shock on his face is entirely genuine.
Your own lift encounters might not be as dramatic as any of the above, but it’s still vital to keep on top of lift repair and maintenance to ensure the safety of you and your colleagues. If you’re looking for professional lift installation, maintenance and repair, get in touch with the experts at ADL Lift Services. As one of the leading companies in Scotland, we’ve installed and maintained lifts all over the UK, so give us a call today or visit our website to find out how we could help you.
