juggling goes to the movies

November 21, 2002 5:11 AM

Someone's magnificent obsession: an exhaustive list of movies which have contained jugglers, or scenes involving juggling. There are many, many more than you could have possibly imagined, if you're the type who actually spends times imagining such things. There are also lists of movies which contain bagpipes, accordians, librarians, and math.
posted by iconomy (20 comments total)

FACT:
"The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh is reported to contain juggling."
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:18 AM on November 21, 2002

While we're on the subject of librarians, was anyone else a little bit unnerved by how often high school language textbooks refer to libraries? I love libraries as much as anybody, but every other page it was:

"¿Hola Juan, cómo es usted? "

"¿Muy bien, y usted? "

"Bueno, gracias. ¿Adónde usted va hoy?"

"Voy a la biblioteca. "

All the damn time. Those Latin American libraries must be happenin' joints.
posted by jonmc at 5:53 AM on November 21, 2002

I thought the bagpipes list might be useful for me to help guide myself away from inadvertent and unwanted encounters with my least favourite musical instrument. Alas, the layout of the site and the shockingly large amount of bigpipe-related material therein made it difficult to use even for this pupose. My plea to the world's magnificent obsessives: make your scary lists more easily searchable!
posted by misteraitch at 6:05 AM on November 21, 2002

Fun links, iconomy! I would add the ever popular socks on film...and for all our British friends, there's also Maths in the Movies.
posted by madamjujujive at 6:17 AM on November 21, 2002

The Highlander III - another sequel, according to Patrick Hutchinson who did the piping in it, this may well be the worst movie ever made!!

Boy, that bagpipes list is pretty thorough ;)
posted by yhbc at 6:30 AM on November 21, 2002

I worry that I may be on my way to turning into a tinfoil-hat poster child, but it seems that every time something catches my attention in real life (no matter how minute, bizarre or arcane) I will very soon thereafter end up (seemingly) quite accidentally at some web site addressing the subject...

A couple of days ago I was intermittently watching some movie in which the villain casually but elegantly juggled something (fruit?) while ever-so-politely threatening dire harm to the (bound?) protagonist, and it struck me as yet another example of a classic device (such as carrying and sniffing at a single, perfect cut flower, listening with devoted concentration to an exquisite aria, lavishing affection on a pet, etc) designed to provide a bit of tension vis-a-vis the high relief rendering of the psychopathic killer who nevertheless has such refined tastes/playful humor/nostalgic sentimentality/etc., a la Hannibal Lecter, et al...

So who here besides iconomy is reading my thought waves? And why?
posted by taz at 6:46 AM on November 21, 2002

That's nothing. How about compiling a list of Hollywood movies that contain violence? Now *that* would be an exhaustive task, brother.
posted by 111 at 7:04 AM on November 21, 2002

Anything remotely fetish-related has a list, too. For example, hypnosis and women smoking.
posted by waxpancake at 7:09 AM on November 21, 2002

And of course the Whipping Scenes in Movies Database.
posted by jammer at 7:20 AM on November 21, 2002

What I want to know is when the last time someone had Gazpacho soup in a movie...
posted by KnitWit at 8:02 AM on November 21, 2002

accordions in movies

This one doesn't answer one of my many pet peeves: why, when movie-makers generally go to great pains to make simulated violin and piano playing look authentic, do movie-makers fail to tell their actors that you need to move your fingers to play an accordion or concertina? Back to thread: barefoot movies (not fetishist, the maintainer assures us), piano movies, dog movies ...
posted by raygirvan at 9:02 AM on November 21, 2002

Must have overlooked Sabata for juggling scenes (and general acrobatics in a Western).

And how can anybody over look the bagpiping scene in Fantasy Mission Force for the sheer absurdity of watching a Chinese UN military force parading around to the sound of the pipes while doing silly Benny Hill impersonations?
posted by infowar at 10:10 AM on November 21, 2002

Oh, these links are rich. Nice contributions, everyone. I am going to get fired for spending all day looking at weird movie links. :D
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:34 AM on November 21, 2002

From Godfry Daniels' vastly entertaining site see his magnificent obsession: an exhaustive list of movies which have contained the Deuce of Clubs playing card visible on camera.
posted by DBAPaul at 11:51 AM on November 21, 2002

err, that should read "one of his magnificent obsessions. GD seems to have many.
posted by DBAPaul at 11:54 AM on November 21, 2002

I'm surprised that, with this worldly-wise crowd, nobody yet has brought up perhaps the most elemental of these things. "The Pee Movie List is intended to be the world's most comprehensive and thorough guide to urination in the cinema." Brought to my attention several years ago by an insurance agent in northern Ohio who loves movies.
posted by LeLiLo at 12:41 PM on November 21, 2002

Thanks. My GF's family is almost entirely comprised of librarians, her included, and the list will just make their day.
posted by risenc at 1:42 PM on November 21, 2002

risenc: I'm surprised that, with this worldly-wise crowd ...

I think this depth is easiest plumbed by a Google search on the phrase "in mainstream movies".
posted by raygirvan at 4:56 PM on November 21, 2002

Quicksand in the movies, complete with vidcaps for those who, uh, like that kind of thing. What I'm really hanging out for, though, is a list of movies which have their visual and narrative rhythms entirely disrupted by a gratuitous rendition of 'Danny Boy'.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:09 AM on November 22, 2002

... and plumbing in the cinema (NSFW).
posted by raygirvan at 4:14 AM on November 22, 2002