THE BLACK STALLION (1979, Carroll Ballard/Francis Ford Coppolla). As a late-night storm rages outside their ocean liner, 11-year-old Alec and his father sort through winnings from a poker game earlier in the evening– including a small golden figurine of Bucephalus, steed of Alexander the Great.

Great performance by the father, played by country music singer Hoyt Axton. He is only in the film briefly, but this scene gives the whole story a mythic charge: the storm outside, the exotic poker winnings, the golden Bucephalus figurine, and Axton's warm, slightly boozy storytelling combine in a way that has made me remember this scene for decades.