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Best film opening scenes

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estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
Can anything beat the opening scene of Apocalypse Now where Martin Sheen is phucked out of his tits and he Doors are playing the soundtrack?
 Peakpdr 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The Italian job... End of thread
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to pauldr:

I could wind you up by asking original or remake?
In reply to pauldr: Pish. Dougal and the Blue Cat is better than that, *and* it has a dog* in it.

T.
* not a real dog, obviously.
 Blue Straggler 21 Feb 2013
In reply to pauldr:

What is the opening scene of The Italian Job? Most people remember the ending.

I'm going to say Cliffhanger, by the way. Seriously. It takes you by surprise with a bit of a shocker, the first time you see it, and it is SUPERBLY shot. Ignore the "bolt gun" that is only used at the top of the mountain to, er, attach the helicopter...
 Blue Straggler 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Opening of Planet Terror, with Rose McGowan pole dancing?
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:

It is a great opening scene, buckle slowly undoing...
 DaveHK 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Star Wars.
 Tom Valentine 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Cutter's Way' Slow motion of a girl dancing at a fiesta; haunting Jack Nitzsche music, possibly zither and glass harmonica.
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to DaveHK:
Which one?
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

A very shallow but amazingly well made film..Saving private Ryan..Has a great opening sequence.
 dek 21 Feb 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:
Jackie Brown opening scene with Pan Briars, Mmm! And the 'Across 110 street' soundtrack..Bobby Womack.
 tony 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Once Upon a Time in the West.
 mark s 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: when i saw the thread title i thought the same as what you replied.
the film is full of iconic scenes.
the attack on the beach village is my fav scene in any film,uber genius
 DaveHK 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
> (In reply to Dave Kerr)
> Which one?

You are clearly taking the piss and I will not dignify your post by answering it.

estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to mark s:

With flight of the valkyries blasting from the speakers. This film has so many iconic scenes.
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to DaveHK:

Sorry, couldn't resist it.
 Bossys gran 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: "any of you fu*king pr*#ks move and I'll execute every mother fu*#ing last one of you!!!!!!!!

We have a winner...
 Bossys gran 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: technically not the start of the film though.....?????!!!!!
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to Bossys gran:

Which one?
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to Bossys gran:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal) "any of you fu*king pr*#ks move and I'll execute every mother fu*#ing last one of you!!!!!!!!
>
> We have a winner...

Or do we? Being eaten by a shark in Jaws could also be a contender.
No. A drug induced mindf*ck beats them all.
 Bossys gran 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: sorry meant pulp fiction scene, technically not the start...
In reply to estivoautumnal: I think he said "Blessed are the Greek"...

T.
 colina 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:.
the first 15 minutes of skyfall was great unfortunately the rest of the film was absolute sh1t
estivoautumnal 21 Feb 2013
In reply to colina:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal).
> the first 15 minutes of skyfall was great unfortunately the rest of the film was absolute sh1t

No. Just no!
 Fredt 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Trainspotting.
In reply to estivoautumnal: the matrix - esp seeing for first time
ice.solo 21 Feb 2013
In reply to Fredt:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
>
> Trainspotting.

Yes.
And in the name of the father.

Tho apocalypse now is my favourite film, that first scene i dont think is all that special.
In reply to estivoautumnal:

> With flight of the valkyries

Do women have wings now?

T.
Ah...
 marsbar 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: The beginning of Goldeneye with the bungee jump from a dam is pretty good. Got to agree that trainspotting has a great beginning too in a different way.
 nufkin 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Is it 'Snake-eyes' that has an opening sequence that's one shot, lasting for 15 minutes or something like that? Not the best ever, but pretty slick
myth 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Full Metal Jacket - BULL SH1T, I bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose!
 Blue Straggler 21 Feb 2013
In reply to nufkin:

It is. It's closer to 20 minutes and is actually about three shots with some devious little editing tricks - stunning bit of choreography regardless. The director, Brian DePalma, is (in)famous for ambitiously complex and (in storytelling terms) utterly pointless long camera shots and he pulled out all the stops there. His opening scene for The Bonfire of the Vanities is an overlooked one.

You just reminded me by the way: Strange Days. About 4 minutes of frantic action all shot from the point of view of one character, seems like a single shot but again cleverly edited. It is so frenetic, when I saw it at the cinema, in the front row, I thought I was going to hurt my neck
 Blue Straggler 21 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Savior has an impactful opening scene.

But are we looking for IMPACT, or "best"? Some of the best can be subtle, or at least "non-showy", I reckon (someone already mentioned Once Upon A Time in the West, a good call)
 Al Evans 22 Feb 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler: 2001, great music to image movie magic.
 Tom Valentine 22 Feb 2013
In reply to nufkin:

I think the longest shot in films is the 17 minute one in "Hunger" where Bobby Sands is talking to his priest.
xyz 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Betty Blue!
 Messners Yeti 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
The opening scene of Inglorious Basterds? The rest of the film is fairly unmemorable (in fact I can't remember anything of the rest of it) but the tension in the opening scene in the french farm house has stayed with me.

Pete
 paul-1970 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
Easily the best and most enthralling opening scene I've seen (check the homophone!), is 'Manhattan'.

Woody Allen getting all studious and wrapped up in trying to find the right opening lines ("Chapter One. He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved. Behind his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat. Oh, I love this! New York was his town, and it always would be..."),

...and then we're off into stupendous montage shots of Manhattan city-scapes serenaded by wonderful blasts of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'.
 Trangia 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan is, in my opinion, one of the most poignent war film scenes I've ever watched. It made me realise how lucky I was not to have been born at a time when I couild have been conscripted into the forces to face that sort of hell.

There were some chavs making a row in the back of the stalls when the film started, by the end of that scene you could have heard a pin drop.

 Blue Straggler 22 Feb 2013
In reply to Tom Valentine:

There are entire films that are a single shot. I guess you mean "longest moving shot" (as the camera very slowly zooms in on that scene, which is more like 10-11 mins, not 17) but even then, Russian Ark (which I have not seen, to my chagrin) "beats" it...if this is a competition

Speaking of 17 minutes, does the whole first 17 mins of "There Will Be Blood" count as an "opening scene"? If so, well I might just nominate it.

Or The Player.

Oh there are loads.
 Bulls Crack 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
>
> A very shallow but amazingly well made film..Saving private Ryan..Has a great opening sequence.

Shallow?
 ripper 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I can't remember if it's the actual opening shot but the camera swooping over and around the car travelling up to the Overlook Hotel in The Shining always impresses me. Also - again a long time since I've seen it but I seem to remember a long opening sequence in Le Samourai where it feels like you're about ten minutes in before the first word of dialogue.
 Alyson 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Boogie Nights has a brilliantly choreographed long take opening which not only sets the tone but intoduces most of the main characters and immerses you very quickly and successfully into the world of the film. It's beautifully done.
 foxjerk 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: goonies gaol break. "the longer you animals bark, the colder your lunch gets"
 LennyJ1 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Mission Impossible 2's was great climbing scene, shame the rest of the film was CR*P
 Tradlad 22 Feb 2013
In reply to winhill: Class Movie! ...


 Tradlad 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Think this clip youtube.com/watch?v=lpYUW0ekPSA& should have been in the Ridley Scott movie ' Prometheus' at the very beginning
 monkeyboy3000 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Its got to be the opening scene / credits of easy rider. Amazing music, cool as f*ck motorcycles nuff said
 CBA 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Blade Runner.Still looks stunning now,even in these days of CG,and it was done with bluescreen and a matte painting background.
Big Z 22 Feb 2013
In reply to Messners Yeti: 100% agree with you. The opening scene is amazing, and i think Christoph Waltz is my new favorite actor after seeing him in Django Unchained.
 paul-1970 22 Feb 2013
In reply to xyz:
> Betty Blue!

And Gregory's Girl too

 Toby_W 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Laurence of arabia.
2001

Cheers

Toby
 Blue Straggler 22 Feb 2013
In reply to Toby_W:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
>
> Laurence of arabia.

Really? An overhead shot of a man polishing his motorbike is a "Best Opening Scene"?
 Deviant 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The first 10 minutes of Cliffhanger, no comment about the rest !
 Tom Valentine 22 Feb 2013
In reply to Messners Yeti:

You didn't find the scene in the bar at all tense?
 Toby_W 22 Feb 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Doh, doh, I was thinking of making an entrance and the scene with Omar Sharif.

Doh again.

Cheers

Toby
 Alyson 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Has anyone mentioned Up? Not many films can have you (well, me) weeping 10 minutes in with barely a word of dialogue being said.
 flour 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
Aguirre the wrath of god .
 MonkeyPuzzle 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The Untouchables?

"Hey Mister! You forgot your b..." KABOOOOOM!
 ollieollie 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: layer cake, although it should have been an audi ad it looks good
 mbambi 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
Opening scene of Sexy Beast, The Stranglers playing Peaches and a lardy Ray Winstone sunbathing in budgie smugglers.
 ripper 22 Feb 2013
In reply to flour:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
> Aguirre the wrath of god .

And pretty much everything you see in that film was actually happening, no trickery - the shots with the rafts in that raging river are bloody terrifying
 sbc_10 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Tony has it spot on...Once Upon a Time in The West

youtube.com/watch?v=fx15s_HAkgU&

"Did you bring a horse for me?......"
 sbc_10 22 Feb 2013
>
> "Did you bring a horse for me?......"

...and he ain't talking Tesco's beef sandwiches either.......

 Blue Straggler 22 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Not so much opening SCENES, but opening SHOTS:

Contact
And similarly one of the Trek TNG films - possibly First Contact - with the zoom-out from (inside?) Picard's eye when he is assimilated into a Borg spacecraft and the zoom-out just goes on and on.
 Gudrun 23 Feb 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:

Wasn't the whole of the start of Touch of evil revolutionary in that it was all filmed with one moving camera?Which travelled from a close up of the guy planting the bomb panning out then sweeping up high and across the street to eventually meet Vargas and Janet Leigh before following them along the street right up to the bomb blast.
Its one of those old film noir's that i love.
Flatus Vetus 23 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

2001

Up

Lost in Translation - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WItDXIyh1g4&feature=player_embedded#!

Snatch

Life of Brian

Assault on Precinct 13

The Good, The Bad...

Watchmen


 Blue Straggler 23 Feb 2013
In reply to GudrunEnsslin:

Thanks ! Not sure that it was "revolutionary" but certainly impressive. And that's another film I can add to "classics that you've never seen" :-/
 Messners Yeti 23 Feb 2013
In reply to Tom Valentine:
Off the back of this thread, I watched some youtube clips and yes, but not as memorable as Christopher Waltz changing languages.
abseil 23 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

1. A Clockwork Orange
2. Apocalypse Now
3. 2001
4. Citizen Kane
5. Trainspotting
 tonyw 23 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
The Blues Brothers
 Blue Straggler 23 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Bit obscure and I am cheating a bit (the very first scene in the computer control room is terrible), but "So Close" might be a winner.

Oh..just checked, I am cheating too much, the lame first scene is about 3 minutes long. Have it anyway
youtube.com/watch?v=tfMw-rx0zLM&

and as compensation, Unleashed:
sorry can't find a good clip, ,this will have to do
youtube.com/watch?v=S9z5aWAQQ34&
 Blue Straggler 23 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The Wild Bunch
 Thrudge 23 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
> Can anything beat the opening scene of Apocalypse Now where Martin Sheen is phucked out of his tits and he Doors are playing the soundtrack?

No one mentioned X-men 2 yet?
 Blue Straggler 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I won't call it a contender for "best", quite, but just a striking one that I happened to see recently.

Richard III (the Ian McKellen adaptation from 1995).
Rumble. Crush. Wall. Tank. Gas mask. Assassination. Boom!
 Phil1919 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: I always remember the opening of Where eagles dare. The mountains, the aeroplane, and the music.
 Albert Tatlock 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The opening drill scene in A Few Good Men,was impressive.
 Steve Perry 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The nightclub scene at the start of Blade is petty good with New Order playing and blood coming from the ceiling, cool.
 butteredfrog 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Have we had the opening sequence of Master and Commander.. yet?
 Blue Straggler 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I thought the UKC pervs would have been all over Lost In Translation...
 Blue Straggler 24 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Raiders of the Lost Ark!
 panz 25 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:
Sleepless in Seattle-
The first shot is at the cemetery.
Then the camera rises
and you see the city with the buildings for tombstones
and understand that all the world is a cemetery.
Cornelius Kite 25 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Laugh all you like, but the first few minutes of Cliffhanger are gripping.
 John Ww 25 Feb 2013
In reply to Cornelius Kite:

Laugh even more, but the opening shots of "The Sound of Music" will always do it for me.
Cornelius Kite 25 Feb 2013
In reply to John Ww: The opening 'shots'? I always liked the closing 'shots' of the Directors Original Cut - the one where the Nazis machine-gun the Von Trapps as they attempt to climb over the mountains to Switzerland.
 Steve John B 25 Feb 2013
In reply to paul-1970:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
> Easily the best and most enthralling opening scene I've seen (check the homophone!), is 'Manhattan'.
>
> Woody Allen getting all studious and wrapped up in trying to find the right opening lines ("Chapter One. He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved. Behind his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat. Oh, I love this! New York was his town, and it always would be..."),
>
> ...and then we're off into stupendous montage shots of Manhattan city-scapes serenaded by wonderful blasts of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'.


Good call!

The first 15 odd minutes of Silence of the Lambs is wonderfully put together - great momentum.

And the first 15 seconds of Mean Streets is awesome - Martin Scorcese's staccato voiceover (You don't make up for your sins in church. You do it in the streets. You do it at home. The rest is bullshit and you know it) followed by the glorious intro to "Be My Baby"
 Blue Straggler 25 Feb 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Blow Out
andrew breckill 26 Feb 2013
In reply to Blue Straggler:
> (In reply to nufkin)
>
> It is. It's closer to 20 minutes and is actually about three shots with some devious little editing tricks - stunning bit of choreography regardless. The director, Brian DePalma, is (in)famous for ambitiously complex and (in storytelling terms) utterly pointless long camera shots and he pulled out all the stops there. His opening scene for The Bonfire of the Vanities is an overlooked one.
>
> You just reminded me by the way: Strange Days. About 4 minutes of frantic action all shot from the point of view of one character, seems like a single shot but again cleverly edited. It is so frenetic, when I saw it at the cinema, in the front row, I thought I was going to hurt my neck
Strange days! love it, just bought it on German blue ray (uncut) I liked it as had on laser disc and its use of 1st person perspective and my newly installed Dolby digital amp circa 1996 with stero surround was perfect for the accompanying dialog and effects placement. Although the blueray does not have the two extra scenes the American NTSC laserdisc has.
mgco3 07 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

The Sound of Music??

I'll get me coat!!
Andrew Murray 22 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: The opening chase in Mad Max 2.

youtube.com/watch?v=M-QJou7ST_8&
 Blue Straggler 23 Mar 2013
In reply to Andrew Murray:

I haven't seen it for a VERY long time but I don't need to click your link to say with conviction "good call"
 Al Evans 23 Mar 2013
In reply to John Ww:
> (In reply to Cornelius Kite)
>
> Laugh even more, but the opening shots of "The Sound of Music" will always do it for me.

At last somebody admitted it, they are tremendous.
 peppermill 23 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: Layer Cake, but then again the whole film is full of amazing shots.
 Lew13 24 Mar 2013
In reply to Mighty Max:

Seconded.

I like the start of Pulp Fiction too.
 Postmanpat 24 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Once upon a time in the West.

When the camera pans round to show tht the killer of the children is..............Henry Fonda.
 Chay 24 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal: What about Debbie Does Dallas? Wins for me.
 Chay 24 Mar 2013
In reply to Chay: But if we must be serious: Goldeneye is pretty awesome, Pierce Brosnan dam scene.
 John Ww 24 Mar 2013
In reply to Al Evans:

>The opening shots of "The Sound of Music" will always do it for me.

>At last somebody admitted it, they are tremendous


Cheers Al - we stand together among the Phiistines!



 SteveOc 24 Mar 2013
In reply to sbc_10:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
>
> Tony has it spot on...Once Upon a Time in The West
>
> youtube.com/watch?v=fx15s_HAkgU&
>
> "Did you bring a horse for me?......"

Too right, the greatest ever.

"you brought two too many"



 lemonparty 25 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Pirates 2: Stagnetti's Revenge, with Jesse Jane.
 Dominion 25 Mar 2013
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned


Kung Fu Panda

yet...

There is no charge for awesomeness...



Yes, it's a cartoon, but it is a classic of the genre - I think, anyway - and it does have some very good "cinematography"

And nowadays, even real films with real actors have a lot of CGI. Someone has already mentioned Star Wars in this thread, if that is allowed, then so is a "cartoon"...
 Dominion 25 Mar 2013
In reply to Dominion:

On a more serious note

Kill Bill Vol 1

 Pem 25 Mar 2013
Jane Fonda in Barbarella.

youtube.com/watch?v=Tw6WMdrzbJw&


Gets me every time!
 Blue Straggler 02 Apr 2013
In reply to Postmanpat:
> (In reply to estivoautumnal)
>
> Once upon a time in the West.
>
> When the camera pans round to show tht the killer of the children is..............Henry Fonda.

That's not the opening scene.
SteveP40 04 Apr 2013
In reply to Stewy12:

Agree, has to be Pulp Fiction!
 Baron Weasel 04 Apr 2013
In reply to SteveP40: Fear and Loathing anyone...?

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