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Greatest film openings.

Started by astrozombie, October 10, 2011, 02:58:47 AM

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astrozombie

October 10, 2011, 02:58:47 AM
Post youtube links to what you believe to be the greatest film openings.

I watched "Drive" tonight in the cinema and that had an amazing opening scene. When I got home I watched another film by Nicolas Winding Refn, here's the opening to it, amazing watch all 6 minutes of it then try and find it on DVD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzXyPFtzBw0

Other good ones of the top of my head. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM65MPPn4PA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c2EjjLCdfM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW-jSa9_k3M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t8SxGw9JEE - MORE REFN!

I give up, most of what I want isn't on youtube. People need to infringe copyright more often!

madhair60

#2
October 10, 2011, 12:59:24 PM

Jemble Fred

#3
October 10, 2011, 01:05:55 PM
Having obviously not bothered to click on a single one of the plain, unexplained links on this thread, I will make the second nomination... Trading Places.

The third nomination is Ghostbusters.

I cannot think of the opening to any movies which don't feature Dan Aykroyd. But Trading Places especially is my personal favourite, I could watch it daily. In fact, I would like to wake up to it daily.

phantom_power

#4
October 10, 2011, 02:18:29 PM
I love the opening to the Royal Tenenbaums, charting the rise and fall of the Tenenbaum children to the strains of an orchestral cover of Hey Jude. Rushmore is pretty awesome as well.

Then there is Magnolia, with all the recreations of coincidences. Anderson's know how to start a film.

holyzombiejesus

#5
October 10, 2011, 02:56:47 PM
Although the film was flawed as a whole, the opening set up for Inglorious Basterds was up there with the best moments from any of Tarantino's films.
The beginning sequence of 'Up' springs to mind, as do the kids hiding in the tree perving over the undressing woman at the start of Gregory's Girl. "Tits, bum, fanny, the lot!"

CaledonianGonzo

#6
October 10, 2011, 03:30:04 PM
Well - there are plenty you could choose from films that are great all the way through, but I think it's maybe more interesting to discuss films that have great opening sequences that the rest of the movie struggles to match.

In which case, Minority Report is a cracker.  The rest of the film is alright, I suppose, if not really worth revisiting, but the opening 15 minutes or so almost works as a standalone piece - it's complex, arty, thrilling, juddery, jolting and one of the best bits of film that Spielberg's ever assembled.  I've only seen it the once, mind, but at the time I thought it was a tour-de-force.

In fact, now that I've thought about it I actually quite fancy seeing the whole film again.

alan nagsworth

#7
October 10, 2011, 03:31:26 PM
Fuck off with your blank youtube links nobody clicks them.

Neomod

#8
October 10, 2011, 04:03:22 PM
I always love the graphical nature of 60's film titles usually by Saul Bass or Maurice Binder.

Charade
http://youtu.be/yjGDjwxRwpI

Billion Dollar Brain
http://youtu.be/efvhQ8kWIEY

Murderers Row
http://youtu.be/0UE4Vpv-YMs

Alfie
http://youtu.be/48oLsDImC5A

Eis Nein

#9
October 10, 2011, 06:34:29 PM

Eis Nein

#10
October 10, 2011, 06:36:03 PM
The Dawn of the Dead remake opened and closed strongly - entertaining between, but not remarkable.

Serge

#11
October 10, 2011, 06:48:38 PM
'Touch Of Evil' is an great one, starting with a shady character putting something in the boot of a car, which is then driven away by an unsuspecting couple and followed in an unbroken tracking shot for three minutes, during which time Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh walk past the vehicle, before it drives offscreen and blows up. The fact that the rest of the film is just as good is no indictment against this amazing opening.

I've mentioned on here before how I knew that I was going to love 'Kick Ass' as soon as I saw the opening scene. I won't spoil it here, but if you haven't seen it, you really should.

And I love the opening scene of 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind', where Lacombe's research team find Flight 19 in the Sonoran Desert, some thirty years after they allegedly disappeared. It ends with my favourite lines of dialogue from a film: "He says the sun came out last night. He says it sang to him."

the midnight watch baboon

#12
October 10, 2011, 06:56:53 PM
I have never seen Lord of War but I read recently that it has a pretty nifty "birth of a bullet" opening, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHn1zogeyO4

Warning: Contains Nicolas Cage (who I like)

Gulftastic

#13
October 10, 2011, 07:33:03 PM
Sorry. My choice (post #2) is 'A Clockwork Orange'.

NoSleep

#15
October 10, 2011, 08:21:28 PM
The Player, for being one single unedited shot for the first 6 minutes of the film despite a constantly moving camera from place to place on the way, and including a conversation between two characters about such things being a thing of the past in modern Hollywood.

CaledonianGonzo

#16
October 10, 2011, 08:26:38 PM
Threads that alternate between discussing opening scenes and opening credits.

NoSleep

#17
October 10, 2011, 08:31:43 PM
Well, mine's both.

Noodle Lizard

#18
October 11, 2011, 01:55:46 AM
I could name many, but the one on my mind at the moment is Melancholia, which may be one of the best I've seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KER_IcHQYcA

It somehow sums up the entire film before it's even started.

Hundhoon

#19
October 11, 2011, 03:03:05 AM
Blade Runner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaR5wVL9x2I

Just........mindblowing opening....the music, that epic shot of Los Angeles.
Very Commanding, sucks you right into its world..........So good.
Would have loved to have seen this in a theater in 1982.

Noodle Lizard

#20
October 11, 2011, 05:23:29 AM
Quote from: Hundhoon on October 11, 2011, 03:03:05 AM
Blade Runner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaR5wVL9x2I

Just........mindblowing opening....the music, that epic shot of Los Angeles.
Very Commanding, sucks you right into its world..........So good.
Would have loved to have seen this in a theater in 1982.

Didn't they re-release it in cinemas when that super-epic-awesome-final-ultimate director's cut was released?

Chutney

#21
October 11, 2011, 08:19:37 AM
Touch of Evil is a natural choice, always enjoyed the start of Raising Arizona myself.  Don't know how well it qulifies as simply an "opening", as there's close to 20 minutes before the credits kick in, but those are 20 minutes of breathless, manic energy and fun...

Kane Jones

#22
October 12, 2011, 12:39:08 PM
Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

jutl

#23
October 12, 2011, 03:19:17 PM
I know I'm always going on about it, but..

A Matter of Life and Death

Lord Mandrake

#25
October 12, 2011, 03:53:39 PM
The first 30 mins of The Bourne Identity are flawless.

Lt Plonker

#26
October 12, 2011, 05:01:56 PM
The Long Goodbye

Marlowe ventures out at 3am to pick up some cat food.

Petey Pate

#28
October 12, 2011, 06:00:28 PM
Citizen Kane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqz2rekeYMc

Obvious choice, but it does deserve a mention. It's foreboding and draws in your curiosity, then suddenly it cuts to a newsreel where most of your questions are revealed.  And there's that amazing reflected shot of the broken globe on the floor.

astrozombie

#29
October 12, 2011, 08:23:58 PM
Quote from: Jemble Fred on October 10, 2011, 01:05:55 PM
Having obviously not bothered to click on a single one of the plain, unexplained links on this thread, I will make the second nomination... Trading Places.

The third nomination is Ghostbusters.

I cannot think of the opening to any movies which don't feature Dan Aykroyd. But Trading Places especially is my personal favourite, I could watch it daily. In fact, I would like to wake up to it daily.

Sorry to all for not describing them, I thought it would be a nice surprise.

But anyway here's the reveal

Bleeder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzXyPFtzBw0

Dead of Alive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM65MPPn4PA

Terror Firmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c2EjjLCdfM

Once Upon a Time in the West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW-jSa9_k3M

Pusher 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t8SxGw9JEE
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