Your favorite scenes of waltzing in movies

October 26, 2015 8:29 AM

I saw Crimson Peak over the weekend, and, separately, I've had the Sleeping Beauty waltz in my head all morning. I'm in a waltzy mood, and want to watch youtube clips of beautiful, cinematic, sweep-you-off-your-feet waltzes from the movies. What are your favorites?
posted by ocherdraco to Media & Arts (14 answers total)

I think this Austrian folk dance would qualify (Maria and Captain Von Trapp from the Sound of Music). Very romantic.
posted by LauraJ at 8:34 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]

Here's the ballroom scene from Russian Ark. It's a mazurka, not a waltz, but that's pretty close. The clip is dubbed in Italian, but there's not much dialog.

The whole movie is one single shot. It's pretty amazing.
posted by hydrophonic at 8:51 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

The Fisher King.
posted by Lemmy Caution at 8:58 AM on October 26, 2015 [5 favorites]

Allegro Non Troppo included a lovely piece based on Sibelius's Valse Triste.
posted by ubiquity at 10:01 AM on October 26, 2015

This scene from the Keira Knightley version of Anna Karenina is what made me want to see the movie.
posted by stellaluna at 10:20 AM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

Bud & Sissy's wedding waltz scene from Urban Cowboy. (Fast forward to the 1:00 min. mark.) Cheesy, I know, but I absolutely love this movie!
posted by ATX Peanut at 10:52 AM on October 26, 2015

Not technically waltzes but Old Hollywood is SO good for that romantic, cinematic dancing feeling, especially if you don't mind some singin' with your dancin'

There's a big waltzy bit in the King and I during "Shall We Dance" You'll want to fast forward to 3:35

From Singing in the Rain "You Were Meant For Me" at 2:40

Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire in Funny Face: "He Loves and She Loves" at 1:50
posted by kitkatcathy at 11:12 AM on October 26, 2015

I personally really love 10 Minutes Ago from Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and I *think* it's a waltz (or at least eventually has a waltz portion) so maybe it would qualify?
posted by Hermione Granger at 11:43 AM on October 26, 2015

I loved the dance of Baron Munchausen and Venus, but only a partial scene is available on youtube >:(
posted by JulesER at 2:42 PM on October 26, 2015

I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady is in waltz time though the usual choreography is not a traditional waltz.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:40 PM on October 26, 2015

Dancing in the Dark kills.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:58 PM on October 26, 2015

Response by poster: Thank you all! These are wonderful.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:48 PM on October 26, 2015

This is just a nice waltz not the movie dancing but I thought it was neat that Anthony Hopkins composed a waltz back when he was very young and finally had the guts to share it with someone and they thought it was great and put on a show and recorded it.
posted by Wretch729 at 8:34 AM on October 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

The ball scene from Waterloo is splashily cinematic and gorgeously shot (if you're okay with cutaways to dialogue, and the abrupt ending of this snippet the moment the muddied Prussian officer enters). Waltz section starts at 2:03.

Longer excerpt of the same here (waltz section starts at 3:02), though the quality's not quite as good.
posted by Morfil Ffyrnig at 3:28 PM on November 14, 2015