Breaking Dawn Part One has been one of the most followed films in production in the past few years. There was speculation about the dress, the wedding, the birth, where the film would split the book in half, etc. Well, now we have to move on to speculating about Breaking Dawn Part Two because Breaking Dawn Part One premiered yesterday, November 18, 2011. The film as a whole is sure to do well, but there are a few scenes that stand out from the others.
*Spoilers Ahead*
In the beginning of the film, just after the wedding, which does not make this best scenes list, is the wedding reception. At Bella and Edward’s wedding reception, the filmmakers decided to add a montage of sorts that included wacky speeches from wedding guests. In the montage, Charlie mentions he is a cop and has a gun, Renee sings drunkenly, Emmett makes suggestive comments, Jessica makes herself look like an idiot and Edward gushes about his wife. It is a funny scene, but what makes it special is that it is entirely unexpected. It did not happen like that in the book.
Another scene that is light-hearted and helps remove the viewer from the horror of Bella’s pregnancy and birth is a scene where she is getting ready to go be with Edward sexually for the first time. She is freaking out, brushing her hair, shaving her legs and trying to find the right outfit. It is no cinematic masterpiece, but it puts you in Bella’s shoes as a human girl who just got married for a moment.
Of course, the scene where Edward and Bella are finally intimate has to be on this list. It may not be the hottest sex scene to come out of Hollywood and it may be a little hyped, but there is no denying that girls around the world have been waiting for this scene. It has to be on this list if only for the fact that it is part of the reason why young ladies were freaking out about this film. There is side nudity, back nudity, lots of kissing and innuendo.
There is one particular scene after Bella gets pregnant that is kind of touching. Rosalie is helping Bella into the tub when the camera falls on Bella’s reflection in the mirror and her back. She is severely emaciated. In the background, Edward is standing there staring at her, obviously afraid of what is happening. Because the film makes Edward out to look like kind of a putz, whereas he was not mean to Bella at all in the novel, it is redeeming to see him standing there concerned.
Not long after the bathroom scene, Bella is standing, talking about baby names, when she drops her drink and her back visibly breaks. She contorts and falls to the ground. The scene does everything to convey the reactions of Jacob, Edward and Rosalie. It also adds the gruesome sounds of Bella’s bones breaking.
The last scene on this list and probably the best of the whole movie is the scene where Edward and Jacob deliver Renesmee. It is bloody, it is scary, it is emotional, the camera angles and effects are gritty and almost nauseating. It is truly a well shot and well acted scene. From the beginning of the process to Edward and Jacob desperately trying to save a dead Bella, it is a scene to remember.
There were scenes in the film that were not so great, but it was a valiant effort to recreate the first half of the novel. It will be interesting to see what is done with the second half of Breaking Dawn and if it will be on par with Breaking Dawn Part One.