Best Beginnings in Film?

[Wavy_Blue]

So there was a thread in Office Party about the best movie endings, so I thought it'd be fun to start a conversation about the best movie beginnings!

To start off, I thought the beginning to I Am Legend was really well done. Really, it was the high point of the movie; it all went downhill from there.

So, what're yours?

[AryaT92]

Lord of War, The Dark Knight, Fight Club.

[PoppysInARow]

I'd vote for Fight Club. Also, V for Vendetta.

[AryaT92]

V is definitely a good one.

[Exir]

The Dark Knight is good.

Vastly different, but also a wonderful opening, is Ivan's Childhood.

[maestrowork]

Star Trek

[Zoombie]

I loved Lord of War's opening.

And because I am a huge Avatar fan, I'd say that that opening, with the eye-symbolism, then the awesome spaceship vista, then the easy introduction to the backstory of Jake and then the amazing view of Pandora...

Sucked me in like a Dyson Sphere Vacuum Cleaner.

[kuwisdelu]

The opening credits to Watchmen.

[CaroGirl]

Apocalypse Now.

The opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, however I find I can no longer watch that movie. For some reason, it upsets me too much.

[childeroland]

Watchmen
The Dark Knight
Silent Light
2001 A Space Odyssey
The Seventh Seal

[Shakesbear]

Hitchcock's Rebecca. It lulled me into a false sense of security as Mrs Danvers scared me witless and it was years before I could watch the film again.

[Jcomp]

I missed a best movie endings thread? Dang it all...

As for best beginnings... Gangs of New York immediately pops to mind.

Star Wars, just based on how my dad always described that opening as being amazing for audiences at the time with the giant Imperial ship moving into and occupying the screen.

The opening sequence in Scream is outstanding. I always thought the rest of the movie was a bit too uneven but that opening is a great mesh of the humor, self-awareness and horror that they were going for.

Oh, and the opening scene for Jaws is forever classic.

[Gravity]

Full Metal Jacket. R. Lee Ermy (as Gunnery Sargeant Hartmann) owned that scene.

[Lady Ice]

Hitchcock's Rebecca. It lulled me into a false sense of security as Mrs Danvers scared me witless and it was years before I could watch the film again.

Danvers is well scary.

I like the beginning of Sunset Boulevard, and Brief Encounter. Actually quite like the beginning of American Beauty too.

[SirOtter]

Star Wars, just based on how my dad always described that opening as being amazing for audiences at the time with the giant Imperial ship moving into and occupying the screen.

I'd have to agree. I saw it the third day of release. It's the only movie I've ever sat through twice. It was stunning, light decades beyond anything seen before. The closest comparison I had at the time was to 2001, which I also saw on a big screen in its first release. Star Wars was way beyond that.

And yes, that damned Imperial cruiser that just kept on crossing the screen for what seemed like hours. That knocked us all out of our seats back in 1977. There hasn't been a quantum leap in special effects of that magnitude since, not even with CGI. I'm glad I was there to see it.

[shawkins]

The Road Warrior / Mad Max 2 - Camera pulls back out of the supercharger & there's Max, followed closely by homicidal mohawks.

Halloween (the original) - Cute kid. Cute knife.

Opening credits of Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Johnny Cash FTW.

[Zoombie]

Ah, some other favorite openings: Shawn of the Dead for being hysterical and having an incredibly catchy beat.

The original Star Wars for sucking you into the action so well.

Up. <sniffle>

[Jcomp]

Up. <sniffle>

Dammit, just like that my day is saddened....

[maestrowork]

Raiders of the Lost Ark

[Shakesbear]

Danvers is well scary.

I like the beginning of Sunset Boulevard, and Brief Encounter. Actually quite like the beginning of American Beauty too.


Yep! Sunset Boulevard!

[Zoombie]

Dammit, just like that my day is saddened....

<bursts into tears>

<gets Up>

<watches and eats ice cream>

<While crying>

[AuburnAssassin]

Gotta agree with Star Wars. It was light years beyond anything anyone had ever seen before. Even the prologue letters moving out into space on an angle was so cool.

I've always had a soft spot for the opening of Romancing the Stone where we are in the silly romance novel as she's writing it then the story pulls back and we see the author in tears as she types "The End".

[Zoombie]

The Opening of The Matrix reminds me of a wonderful, carefree time where that premise had seemed totally awesome and not riddled with plotholes, and when we didn't even imagine a sequel could come out...nor that it would SUCK SO HARD!

[alleycat]

I throw in the opening to Goodfellas.

I think the opening of To Kill a Mockingbird is fairly good, although it's not completely the way Horton Foote wrote it.

[blacbird]

Apocalypse Now.

Echo. I was about to make the same nomination.

caw

[Zoombie]

GOLDFINGER!

Sean Connery sneaks around, blows stuff up, avoids an assassin, quips, awesome and evocative opening song...perfect Bond.

[ClaudiaGray]

Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Conversation
2001: A Space Odyssey
Singin' in the Rain
Up
Star Trek (2009)
Star Wars
Blood Diamond
Pulp Fiction

[DeeCaudill]

Touch of Evil and its long tracking shot ending with the explosion

Gold Diggers of 1933 where Ginger Rogers belts out "We're in the Money" until the creditors show up to shut down the show

All About Eve - the shot of all the principals during Anne Baxter's acceptance speech, especially Bette Davis's simmering hate

Maybe I can think of a color film if I try hard enough.

[SirOtter]

Gold Diggers of 1933 where Ginger Rogers belts out "We're in the Money" until the creditors show up to shut down the show

And wearing nothing but big silver dollars. :D

Which for some strange reason reminds me of a naked Cloris Leachman (believe it or not, just a couple years after being a beauty pageant winner) dashing out of the night and nearly getting run over by Ralph Meeker at the beginning of Kiss Me, Deadly.

[Kathleen42]

The Royal Tenenbaums
Amelie
Star Wars

[ClaudiaGray]

Oh, and how could I forget Raising Arizona? The greatest pre-credits sequence ever.

[Nightfly]

Some great ones already. A few more:

Jaws
Kill Bill
Reservoir Dogs
The Holy Grail (twice - the coconuts & before that, the wrong film)

[williemeikle]

The Big Sleep
Citizen Kane
The Curse of the Demon
DOA
Them!
The Day the Earth Stood Still (original version)
The Thing

[triceretops]

Second The Thing. Star Wars, fer sure. Wall-E.

[Exir]

Citizen Kane's opening was completely hooey.

*ducks*

[Zoombie]

Did we say Up already?

We did?

Can I say Up fifty billilion more times, cause its just that good.

[NewKidOldKid]

American History X. Very powerful.
One of my favorite movies of all times.

[Justin91]

The Godfather
Resevoir Dogs
The Departed (if you do not mind a little cursing!)
Tropcal Thunder (The begining was actually about the only part I enjoyed)

And i am sure I am missing a million...

I agree with Goodfellas, Star Wars, UP and Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark.

[Celia Cyanide]

Battle Royale.

And, you know, the obvious. Dark Knight.

[SirOtter]

Citizen Kane's opening was completely hooey.

*ducks*

You are right to duck. In fact, you might want to keep up the evasive action for the forseeable future.

[Shadow_Ferret]

Did we say Up already?

We did?

Can I say Up fifty billilion more times, cause its just that good.

You can say it as many times as you want, I still don't remember it, even thought my youngest got it for Christmas and kept watching it all the time.

[maestrowork]

You don't remember it, Ed? That montage in the beginning is so poignant. If you're not touched by it, I somehow have to wonder about you.... ;)

[Shadow_Ferret]

...I somehow have to wonder about you.... ;)

I thought you already wondered about me.

[childeroland]

La Dolce Vita, how could I forget that *facepalm*

[Zoombie]

You can say it as many times as you want, I still don't remember it, even thought my youngest got it for Christmas and kept watching it all the time.

Proof: Ferret's have no souls.

[SirOtter]

Proof: Ferret's have no souls.

And plurals have no apostrophes. :Þ

[Zoombie]

And spelling is my arch-nemesis.

[SirOtter]

And spelling is my arch-nemesis.

Tune in next week as Zoombie's arch-nemesis, the resurrected corpse of Aaron Spelling, pursues her across the desert towards the Lost City of Opar. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel...

[shawkins]

You can say it as many times as you want, I still don't remember it, even thought my youngest got it for Christmas and kept watching it all the time.

I just read a biography of Paul Dirac. You remind me a lot of him (in a good way). It's like you walk around with a slightly invisible sign over your head that says "Yes. Yes, this is my own @#$^ing perspective on things. No, I'm not really interested in discussing it."

It crossed my mind to suggest that you print up cards to that effect or get a t-shirt or something to save the general public some confusion, but then I came to my senses.

Rock on, Ferret. Send me a postcard from Stockholm.

[Silver King]

Touch of Evil and its long tracking shot ending with the explosion...
I was going to mention that one also. It's one of the longest scenes in all of cinema, unbroken and without edits, which lasts several minutes and has the viewer truly living in real time for all of those moments.

[Nightfly]

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.