Great Opening Scenes: ---by Cameron @ Eastern

Great Opening Scenes:

I’ve always hated arriving late for a film. Whether on the big screen, or on the TV, if I miss the beginning, I’d rather not even see the movie. The corollary to this is that if the opening sequence is wasted, ill-conceived, or useless, I know I can pretty much quit watching. The opening scenes are crucial to understanding the language of film. The opening shots establish the theme, mood, look, and overall message of a movie while preparing the viewer for the experience to come. A good beginning signals a well-thought out and worth-while film. That being said, I’d like to list out some of my favorite opening scenes, with youtube links.

Barry Lyndon



All of Kubrick’s films have masterful opening images, but I like this one the best. The use of dramatic music, the painterly image, the detached narration, and, yes, the humorous timing of the action all combine to prepare us for a period film unlike any other.


Aguirre the Wrath of God



In essence, this is Werner Herzog’s philosophy in filmed form: the vastness of nature and its dominance over humanity. The porters and soldiers struggle up the incredible South American mountain, looking like little more than ants. How puny they are. And how ambivalent are their surroundings to their collective plight.

Silent Light


Opening Sequence in Werckmeister Harmonies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcDVjCNTVP8

This one takes a while, and the youtube compression doesn’t help matters, but, trust me, the shot is well worth the time. It’s a wonderfully conceived tracking shot that doubles as a time-lapse, almost casually overwhelming us with the beauty of everyday nature. Again, a shot that encapsulates, in a great way, the theme of the film: that everyday occurrences, despite their seeming normalcy, are often miraculous.

The New World

I couldn’t find the complete opening on youtube, so here they are split up a bit.





This is a masterful visual montage. Notice that the narration doesn’t actually detail any events taking place on screen. The narration only clues us in on the interior world of the characters. The visuals deliver all the plot details that are necessary. The sense of discovery that both these cultures share in exploring their respective “new worlds” is remarkably captured in just a few frames.

Werckmeister Harmonies



This one, of course, is a bit of a cheat. The first shot of this film comprises a good chunk of the movie. But, its seeming simplicity as a long take is belied by the complex choreography and the profound elucidation on the order of the solar system.

Of course, there are as many good film openings as there are good films, and not all of them are available on youtube, but I wanted to show off some of my favorites.

----Cameron at Eastern in Las Vegas