Falling Chandelier of Doom: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

{{quote|''For some reason Agnes's practical eye was drawn to the huge chandelier that hung over the auditorium like a fantastic sea monster. Its thick rope disappeared into the darkness near the ceiling....

 

When in high-class surroundings, the standard way to create chaos or kill people is inevitably to drop the enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. This is usually intentional on the part of the character (and strongly indicative of [[Badass]]itude), but occasionally it happens by accident. A frequent comedic subversion is for the hero to accidentally drop the chandelier on his own allies.

* In the original ''[[Golden Sun]]'' commercial, a woman faced an animated chandelier [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOvwdVp8Fvo DRAGON!] Years later, it made it into the games themselves as a summon in ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn]]''.

* In the trailers for ''[[Lilo and Stitch (Disney film)|Liloand Stitch]]'' Stitch interrupted famous songs and scenes from previous [[Disney]] films. One was the ballroom dance from ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'' where Stitch causes [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twZJu9vb1z8 the chandelier to fall] almost crushes the two dancing below.

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* In [[Haikara-san ga Tooru]], {{spoiler|local [[Ill Girl]] Larissa dies as she pulls a [[Diving Save]] to rescue Shinobu from one and gets hit instead.}}

 

* Subverted in ''[[The Emperor's New Groove|The Emperors New Groove]]'', where [[Punch Clock Villain]] Kronk tries to drop a chandelier on his boss Yzma, but she's so skinny [[By Wall That Is Holey|she slips through a hole in it]] and emerges unscathed.

{{quote|'''Kronk:''' Strange... that usually works.

* ''[[Cinderella (Disney film)|Cinderella]]'': [[Goofy|"Yaahh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!!!"]]

** Subverted, as the "victims" in question are sitting astride the chandelier before it falls. Both survive, though it is implied that it hurt. [[Captain Obvious|A lot.]]

* ''[[The Phantom of the Opera]]'' might or might not be the [[Trope Maker]]. (The page-quote is from a book which is largely a parody of ''Phantom of the Opera'')

* In ''[[Die Another Day]]'', [[James Bond]] casually shoots down a chandelier made of ice which lands on [[The Dragon]] after a long battle trough a melting ice palace in cars, armed with stinger missiles and mounted machine guns. The water turns red almost immediately.

'''Aramis:''' Congratulations, Porthos. You brought down the house.

'''Porthos:''' Oh, drat. I was trying to hit Rochefort. }}

* In ''[[What a Girl Wants]]'', the chandelier at [[Theme Naming|Peach and Pear's]] coming out party crashes down from the thumping of the rock music and dancing after Daphne livens up the party.

** Made a little funnier when, earlier, Henry tells Daphne not to mention the chandelier within earshot of Peach & Pear's father, as he could tell you the whole story revolving around it. It seems to be a [[Priceless Ming Vase|priceless artifact]].

 

== [[Literature]] ==

** In a ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' parody of Broadway, the Phantom loses patience with his fellow Broadway characters, and uses his light fixture collapsing power on them. However since they are in a diner, the results are unimpressive.

* [[Discworld]]:

** And in book 5, Peeves is trying to drop one at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall quietly gives him some advice when he's not getting it:

{{quote|'''McGonagall:''' It unscrews the other way.}}

* The second [[World of Tiers]] book ends with the villain accidentally cutting down a giant chandelier and being crushed with it. {{spoiler|She}}, however, is still alive and manages to struggle free and attack the protagonists who's trying to help {{spoiler|her}}, only to be finished with {{spoiler|her}} own weapon.

 

* ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' has a funny, non-combat-related version [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcW-IrZe6aI here].

** This was based on a real dropped chandelier. The episode was written backwards to get there.

** Averted in "Smashed". Spike weakens a chandelier while swinging from it to kick Buffy in the face, including a closeup showing how it's been pulled out of the ceiling. By the time it falls however neither of them notice, [[Coitus Uninterruptus|because they're too busy having passionate sex]] up against the wall.

* In the ''[[MacGyver]]'' episode "The Coltons", Jesse Colton takes out a gunman who has taken cover behind a table by shooting out the chandelier above him so that it falls on him.

 

== [[Music]] ==

{{quote|"Unfortunately, due to the lack of funds for maintenance, there aren't as many chandeliers now as there used to be." CRASH!}}

* A scene in the [[Meat Loaf]] video "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" has a chandelier fall on the cops searching the castle. The Literal Video version has [[Teen Girl Squad]] type commentary "CHANDELIER'D!" "Ow! My only scene!"

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* In ''[[Syphon Filter]]'', you have to drop an ''[[Made of Explodium|exploding]]'' chandelier on a pair of guards in Rhoemer's stronghold.

* During the first visit to Beast's Castle in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'', both the Shadow Stalker and Dark Thorn Heartless use the chandelier in the ballroom as a part of their attacks. Sora too can use it during the Dark Thorn fight in order to make him visible. Unlike most other chandeliers associated with this trope, this one has an extendable chain and returns to the ceiling once the attack is complete.

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* A chandelier falls on a [[Mook]] in [[The New Batman Adventures]] in the episode Joker's Millions

* ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'': Batwoman attempts to use one to stop the Riddler in "The Criss-Cross Conspiracy!". She misses.

 

== [[Real Life]] ==

* At the Theatre-Lyrique in Paris (an opera house), some portions of the glass chandelier fell on the audience, but no one was killed. (Novello, 'The Musical World'). Then in October 1888, according to 'The Times', one of the chandeliers fell and did kill a man.

* Norwegian author Jens Bjørneboe is supposed to have tried to kill his parents this way when he was 8 years old.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fight Scene]]

[[Category:Doomed Tropes]]

[[Category:Film Tropes]]

[[Category:Falling, Dropping, and Plummeting]]