Helm's Deep
The brutal battle for Helm's Deep has been named the top rain scene in film - according to a poll of avid film fans. This rain-drenched clash of 10,000 Uruk-hai against a mere 300 Rohirrim from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers beat the renowned dance scene from Singin' in the Rain and the classic upside-down kiss from Spider-man to claim the top spot with 26 per cent of the votes.
As the UK continues to be soaked by seasonal April showers in one of the wettest weeks of the year so far, LOVEFiLM - Europe's largest subscription service instantly streaming films and TV series over the internet and sending DVDs and games by post - asked over 2,000 people to vote for their favourites from a list of the best rain scenes.
The moving 'tears in the rain' encounter at the end of Blade Runner took the second spot in the chart with 18 per cent, while the gruelling prison escape from The Shawshank Redemption thoroughly deserved third place with 15 per cent of the votes.
The image of Andy Dufresne raising his arms triumphantly as the rain pours down on his smiling face and he experiences freedom is one that we won't be forgetting any time soon.
Gene Kelly's toe-tapping-turn in 50s hit Singin' in the Rain, twirled into fourth place with 14 per cent of the votes. Kelly's performance here has long been considered as one of the ultimate rain scenes, but faced with thunderous competition it failed to claim a spot in the top three - despite the rumour that the scene was apparently filmed in one take.
Yet another battle - this time with the computer virus from hell - from Matrix Revolutions has hacked its way into fifth place with eight per cent. The Neo vs. Agent Smith fight scene takes place in a fierce storm with lightning and pelting rain which emphasises the sense of impending doom as the film draws to a close.
"We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain . and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath." Forrest Gump's time in Vietnam is characterised by a relentless downpour, and perhaps its sheer persistence has pushed the scene into sixth place, with five per cent.
The emotional rowing boat revelation scene from The Notebook ("You wrote me?") took seventh place with four per cent of the votes, while eighth place was held by yet another heartfelt performance - Holly Golightly frantically looking for her cat in a torrent of rain at the end of Breakfast at Tiffany's, with three per cent.
The list ends with a couple of kisses, the first being the famous upside-down smooch between Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire in Spider-man in ninth place with two per cent, while in tenth place is the kiss between Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral. "Is it still raining?" asks McDowell's Carrie, while being drenched in a typical British shower, "I hadn't noticed." We had.
The top ten Rain Scenes are:
1. The battle for Helm's Deep scene, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - 26%
2. Tears in rain scene, Blade Runner - 18%
3. Escape scene, The Shawshank Redemption - 15%
4. Dance scene, Singin' in the Rain - 14%
5. Fight scene, Matrix Revolutions - 8%
6. Vietnam scene, Forrest Gump - 5%
7. Rowing boat scene, The Notebook - 4%
8. Final scene, Breakfast at Tiffany's - 3%
9. Upside-down kiss scene, Spider-man - 2%
10. Kiss scene, Four Weddings and a Funeral - 1%
Other - 4%
Helen Cowley, Editor of LOVEFiLM, commented: "With rainy April upon us once again, we thought it only fitting to look at how directors have used rain in our favourite films.
"Whether it's a trickle or a storm; providing a backdrop to an epic battle or a brief romantic encounter, rain scenes add something to our films that is far more enjoyable than getting caught without an umbrella in real life."
Tagged in Forrest Gump Lord of the Rings