Visual Impact (e.g, the opening scene in Patton)

The first thing that came to mind doesn't really signify anything--but the wall of water rising above Clooney's boat in The Perfect Storm.

I'll see if I can think of a more symbolic one.

The upended Titanic just before it split in half.

OK, that bone twirling in the air, after the minkey was framming it in the first display of violence...? 2001: A Space Oddysey...

From "Death in Venice" the scene where von Aschenbach is sitting dead in his beach chair, the cholera induced fever having caused the black hair dye to drip down his face, the uneaten strawberrys in cream at his side. Switch to a hazy shot of the "beautiful" Tadzio, the indirect cause of his death, standing knee deep out in the water. I must admit that there is an auditory emotional boost from Mahler's 5th.

King Kong blinking in astonishment at the first glimpse of Fay Wray nestled in his hand.

The yellow daffodils scene and the ice laden interior scene, especially the ice crystals forming on the window in "Dr. Zhivago."

The opening scene of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the final Star Child scene. The scene where HAL is reading the astronaut's lips. So many in that film because it relied on imagery with little dialogue or plot (but some pretty deep storytelling -- going from man as primate and man traversing space in another dimension).

"Chinatown" when Jack Nicholson gets his nose slashed and by the director no less.

"The Pianist" when the Nazi officer gives away his jacket.

"The Fifth Element" The Blue Diva, of course!

The scene in "Room at the Top", where Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret are sitting in a convertable on a hilltop, at night. He lights her cigarette. The eroticism in that scene was pappable, and the intensity of it has stayed with me to this day.

LW-- Beautiful Dr. Zhivago scenes. You reminded me of another--the shot of the blood spattered snow (parade), and the crushed tuba.

Lawrence of Arabia: Close up of a match being lit that blends into a desert scene.

Psycho- Janet Leigh's open, unseeing eye at the end of the shower scene.

Of course, Orson Welles appearing out of the shadows of a doorway in "The Third Man." And ripping apart a room in "Citizen Kane."

The first, fast approaching close-up of John Wayne in Stagecoach.

The one that really sticks and fits the description in Roberta's first paragraph:

In Shane, there is a scene where in the foreground where several people are carrying on a conversation, blah, blah, --but behind them in the background the two gunfighters are having a staring down contest. That's where the real scene was happening. Excellent!

The two bookend scenes in "Night of the Shooting Stars," looking out of the window at a night sky. It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

The scene on the island after the female member of their party turns up missing and the entire group is standing pensively trying to figure out what to do next in "L'Aventura." Also the deserted town of white buildings and the black train that meanders through -- highly symbolic and like the rest of the movie, I'm still trying to figure it out.

The scene where Richard Chamberlain emerges from the caves where he's just seen all the Aborigine drawings on the wall, the huge shadow crossing his face and the sand in "The Last Wave." Chills me to the bone.

The scene in jaws where the head pops out of the hole in the boat? That has been scarred in my brain for many years. Damn shark!!! LOL!

Potent stuff here. I agree that 2001 has amazing imagery. Interesting that I can "see" the scenes you're referring to (assuming that I saw the movie in question).

Another scene that sticks in my head is from The Ghost and the Darkness. The lion is walking through tall, lion-colored grass. It's just a shadow figure. And the wonderful African music. This scene burned itself into my brain.

"The Ghost and the Darkness" is based on a true story which was filmed before in 3D as "Bwana Devil," not nearly as suspenseful as the remake and with an Oscar winning score. There were several scenes which would make me apprehensive even visiting a zoo. Of course, one thing I remember going to the San Diego Zoo with friends was the experience of going into the walk-in bird cage where even Condors were flying overhead. One of the smark alecks in our groups after we had left the gigantic cage said, "Now let's go through the walk-in lion cage..."

I had not been to that many movies when I first saw King Kong. The scariest scene I had seen up to then was the witch in Snow White. I had no notion what I was in for. With Fay Wray screaming like that while something obviously monstrous crashed through the trees, I began to get scared. As soon as the ape burst into full view and the camera gave a full face shot I became thoroughly terrified. The kid next to me asked if I would save his seat; he vanished never to return. Through the rest of the film I had to look at the screen using peripheral vision, for Kong was too terrible to look at face on.

The Exorcist (I was 16, and had sneaked past the 'R' sentry.)

Alien, when the alien exited John Hurt's chest cavity.