In THE BEACH (2000), I think Oscar Winning director Danny Boyle does a masterful job of building suspense for the reveal of the titular BEACH. From Robert Carlyle's initial, dream like description of a beach beyond anything you could imagine, to the entire epic, romantic journey to get there, the movie builds wonderfully towards the big reveal sequence. By the time the secret cove is discovered by our heroes, I think Boyle's direction is evocative of Spielberg in the way it uncovers the beach a piece at a time through a series of master shots, combined with close ups of the characters faces looking in awe. It's all blended with what I consider to be the perfect music for the moment, and even after having seen the movie many times, I still find it to be a stunningly effective piece of cinema
The image of the walled cove is I think fairly iconic, and is as perfect a depiction of a literal island paradise as I've seen in film. The fact that no such place exists on earth, and Boyle used special effects to close off the beach from the ocean, makes it a greater accomplishment, IMHO. The effects are seamless eleven years later







