We are now 46 days into the year that is 2022. If 2022 was a movie, we would still be in the opening scene, meaning there is plenty of time left to find our destinies, make new alliances, overcome obstacles, and reach those goals. The opening scene for a year is vital, just as it is vital for a film. And that bring us to Reel Speak’s Top 10 Best Opening Scenes.
The Opening Scene for any film has a lot to do; establish characters, its world/universe, the overall situation, and atmosphere. If it succeeds, the audience is hooked. If it fails, the movie can be lost. The Opening Scene can do this through action, narration, or even no dialogue at all. The best of the lot are the ones that hook us hard right away, firmly establish situation, character, and atmosphere…and over time, have earned a place in history.
Let’s open with…
10. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (1966)
Sergio Leone’s iconic Western opens with a desert landscape, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of a weathered cowboy in a stunning transition that goes from wide shot to close-up without cutting away. From there the scene unfolds in a patient, slow burn…leading to a bloody gunfight and a smashing introduction to one of the principal players in the film, known as The Ugly. This opening scene succeeds in preparing us for the patience we would need for this Western, and prepares us to expect the unexpected.
9. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
The hills are certainly alive with the sound of music as the practically perfect Julie Andrews sings, dances, and twirls across the beautiful hills of Austria. Robert Wise uses his time wisely here, providing stunning backdrops and establishing the character of Maria, who would much rather be dancing around the fields than tending to her duties…and that is a good thing. Iconic, memorable, and not-to-mention an everlasting internet meme.
8. GOODFELLAS (1989)
Three men in a car at night, interrupted by a strange noise. They stop, open the trunk, and holy shit there’s a guy in the trunk! They take care of the problem, which leads us to one of the most memorable movie quotes of all time: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” It was a trademark for director Martin Scorsese, who loves to start his films right in the middle of the action. The scene firmly nailed down the bloody and bonkers world of gangsters, and had audiences hooked as we just had to sit tight and see how that guy wound up in the trunk…and why it was so important to start the film that way.
7. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
Peter Jackson brilliantly and succinctly sums up the history of the Rings of Power, which includes over 3,000 years of Middle-Earth history and thousands of characters; not an easy feat considering the depth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s immense writings. This is more of a wide-reaching prologue than a single scene, but it still counts as it is vital to the film and it’s two sequels. It gets us into this world right away and schools us on the Rings, their importance, and stuns us with amazing visuals that were new at the time and still holds power 20 years later.
6. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007)
Paul Thomas Anderson establishes the hardships and dangers of mining in the late 1800's in this quiet, yet effective opening sequence that doesn’t have a word of dialogue for what seems like a very long time. Daniel Day-Lewis is as committed as ever, and we have no doubt that his character was down in a hole for hours at a time digging through solid rock by hand for a handful of silver. The near-disaster that his character goes through pushes him to do better and move on, which sets up the rest of this masterful film.
5. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
Anderson was clearly channeling his idol Stanley Kubrick when he filmed THERE WILL BE BLOOD, because Kubrick’s sci-fi masterpiece has the same style of prologue. For over 10 dialogue-less minutes we spend time with stone-age apes as they fight for territory and learn violence when a mysterious object appears. It seems simple on the surface, but the deeper message of apes becoming humans when they learn to kill is enough to spin heads, and set the stage for the rest of the cerebral film. Not to mention the sequence, called The Dawn of Man, ends with one of the best transitions ever put to film.
4. JAWS (1975)
Steven Spielberg’s JAWS has scared people from going in the water for over four decades now, and that all started with this first scene of a beach girl swimming at night and attacked by a killer shark. It establishes the danger that is lurking underwater while we engage in one of our favorite past-times, and John Williams’ foreboding score lets us know that something is coming. Expertly shot and edited with a dose of humor, Spielberg got his teeth into us here and never let go.
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola shows great patience in establishing the world of THE GODFATHER; beginning with a man asking Don Corleone for justice. Shot with as little light as possible, an endless zoom-out, and acted perfectly, this opening scene establishes the great amount of respect the Sicilians earned and gave out, and showed that The Don understood the difference between justice and revenge. The opening line of “I believe in America” is a double-edged sword, as all the players in THE GODFATHER believe this is a country of opportunity, but they’re going to do it their own way. Everything we need to know about the business of The Don is summed up here.
2. THE LION KING (1995)
Walt Disney Pictures’ majestic, game-changing, and pop-culture altering animated film starts off with a sunrise, and then kicks into a powerful soundtrack capped with Elton John’s iconic Circle of Life. Stunning animation of birds and beasts follows, presented in ways we had not seen before; tremendous depth-of-field (how do you rack-focus on a cartoon???), and endless horizons. It’s an opening sequence that can still bring the emotion after 20 years and countless viewings, and one that everyone is familiar with.
1. STAR WARS (1977)
Long-time friends of Reel Speak may say “of course he picked STAR WARS”, but there are good reasons for it. George Lucas’ space-epic and fantasy, which changed filmmaking forever, disturbs the peace of the vastness of space with a clap and thunder of a space battle, thundering over our heads in a way that has us ducking for cover. The brilliant design of the Star Destroyer provides converging lines; a classic technique for drawing our eyes inward, and the outstanding sound effects coupled with John Williams’ score brings it all together. The universe of STAR WARS is established as a dangerous, yet fun place, and audiences then and now are along for the ride from the first frame. The year of 1977 was the year movies were changed forever, and that renaissance began with this scene.
REEL SPEAK'S TOP 10 BEST OPENING SCENES
- STAR WARS
- THE LION KING
- THE GODFATHER
- JAWS
- 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
- THERE WILL BE BLOOD
- THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
- GOODFELLAS
- THE SOUND OF MUSIC
- THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
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