Drinking coffee is such a deeply rooted habit in our daily lives that we often times don’t pay attention to it. Instead, it is a gesture rich in meaning that many directors have decided to include in the sequences of their movies. Sometimes coffee remains only in the background, as part of the set, and is used to make the scene appear natural and familiar. Other times it becomes the protagonist, acting as a trigger for dialogues and scenes that have become iconic. Let’s take a look at our favorites together.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
In the first few minutes of the movie, when the credits are still rolling, there are already so many details that would make the history of cinema and fashion. Audrey Hepburn, along Fifth Avenue at dawn, wears the iconic Givenchy dress paired with pearls, eats a croissant and drinks a coffee from a take-away cup, in front of Tiffany’s windows.
Coffee and Cigarettes
How many times has a cup of coffee been just an excuse to chat? Coffee and Cigarettes brings together eleven short films where the characters do nothing but discuss the meaning of things and life: the actors change, the locations and points of view alternate, but at the center of the scene there’s always coffee, which offers the opportunity for a conversation.
Once upon a time in America
One of the longest minutes in cinema: Robert de Niro stirs in absolute silence his cup of coffee in scene, to assess his power. All that can be heard is the tinkling of the teaspoon on the ceramic, which marks the time and adds suspense. It seems that this scene was proposed by the actor himself as a tribute to the dilated times typical of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns.
Dance with the Wolves
Among the technological marvels that Lieutenant John Dunbar offers to the Native Americans to win their trust, there is a coffee grinder. Having gathered the tribe’s representatives around the fire, he prepares the beverage and offers it as a western alternative to the peace pipe. From that moment on, he will be accepted and welcomed as a friend among them.
Mediterraneo
When a group of Italian soldiers end up on a remote Greek island during World War II, they have to deal with customs and rhythms different from those of their homeland. Surrounded by the sea, the beauty and the kindness of the inhabitants, the soldiers try to get used to the slow flow of the days. And when someone complains about the taste of Greek coffee – just because he didn’t give the funds time to settle – the companion responds, “Savor the aroma and wait, the pleasure is all there.”
