The 10 greatest opening shots in movie history
As anyone and their dog knows, first impressions are everything, and you won’t get far in a movie without a killer first sequence that establishes the mood of the piece. As well as setting the tone, a great introductory scene will spark the story’s first morsels, priming intrigue in the audience for the hopeful masterpiece they will soon witness. Just ask the master of such moments, such as David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick or Francis Ford Coppola.
The very best opening movie scenes of all time include such classic films as the ‘Best Picture’ nominee Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese and the world’s very first blockbuster, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, which launched the audience into a coastal murder scene of gushing blood and aquatic terror.
But what about the very first impression? A great introduction is one of the most important parts of any film, but a fantastic first shot will stun you to attention or awaken you from lethargy, demanding your vision. This list will explore the ten greatest opening shots of all time, being incredibly strict as to what is and isn’t included, with only the very first shot after (or before) the credits being considered.
These shots can last for a mere split second or a number of minutes, depending on when the director and editor choose to cut the moment and move on. Predictably, the list will include some of the most impressive directors of all time, who put visionary filmmaking above all else, with names including the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Orson Welles and many more.
Take a look at the full list of the ten greatest opening shots in cinema history below.
The 10 greatest opening shots:
10. Climax (Gaspar Noé, 2018)
The opening of the 2018 gem Climax by Gaspar Noé will forever go down in the history books as the greatest introductory scenes of all time. It all begins with a frenetic dance of baffling energy that sees the young characters introduced one by one as they take to the floor, all scored to ‘Supernature’ by Cerone. Yet, whilst many movie fans will remember this scene, it is not actually how the film begins.
It all starts with a bleak long shot in which the Argentine filmmaker follows a young girl as she drags her body through the snow, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. With the haunting sound of Gary Numan’s ‘Trois Gymnopedies (First Movement)’ in the background, the whole shot is utterly captivating, with Noé utilising a familiar swirling camera that aptly plunges us into his hellish drama.
9. Jackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)
For those of us who don’t love the schtick of Quentin Tarantino, his 1997 hit Jackie Brown is the perfect flick. Toning down his style a little, taking a longer, drawn-out approach to the drama, Jackie Brown tells the story of a flight attendant who gets nicked by the authorities for smuggling drugs across the border. Instead of going to prison, she agrees to become an informant for the dealer she works for, setting off a chain of hair-raising events.
Indeed, the film’s opening also demonstrates the very best of Tarantino without all the ‘bang bang, blood, guts’. The intro scene sees Pam Grier’s title character arrive at the airport and step onto the moving walkway, with the director using this moment to capture a panning shot of the star whilst ‘Across 110th Street’ by Bobby Womack blares in the background. The moment pays homage to the intro of the ‘Best Picture’ nominee, The Graduate, with both characters drifting down the stream of life without taking proper agency.
8. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
There’s no question that the British director Ridley Scott created two of the best sci-fi movies of all time in the late 20th century, helming the extra-terrestrial horror Alien and Blade Runner, based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Whilst the plot is ingeniously rolled out throughout the runtime and the characters remain gripping enigmas throughout, the world that Scott builds proves to be the most enduring aspect of the film.
The claustrophobic scurries through the markets and side streets do well to build a sense of space, but few scenes do the film’s world justice better than the very start when we are introduced to its baffling skyline. Gliding above the spiked buildings, we see a dark vista that flashes with billowing flames, a shot of lightning and a solitary flying car drifting through the fog, all set to the otherworldly music of Vangelis. It is simply spectacular.
7. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
From one master of sci-fi to the next, whilst many would predict that the iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey would make this list, it misses out to another of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpieces. Released in 1971, A Clockwork Orange was one of the most controversial movies of its time, telling the story of a gang of violent thugs with a love of Beethoven and “a little of the old ultraviolence” who terrorise a futuristic version of London.
Adapted from the novel by Anthony Burgess, the provocative movie is, at its heart, a stylish movie about free will, with Alex (Malcolm McDowell) being the central figure, a complex man who adores both high art and carnal lusts. Kubrick begins the film within his mind, placing the camera right in Alex’s face, with his decorated eye being the focus, before pulling out and showcasing the strange beauty of the Korova Milkbar.
6. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
Forget one of the single greatest opening shots of all time; the whole introductory scene to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is a masterpiece. Yet, for the sake of this list, let’s keep our focus on the opening shot. “I believe in America,” Don Vito Corleone’s begging associate pleads from across the desk, asking for advice as to how to deal with a man who beat up his daughter.
Already establishing the power of whoever this man is looking at, Coppola pulls away, gradually getting closer to Corleone, who has not yet been seen on screen. For a while, we do not see him at all, with just his shadowy figure being set in the foreground like a towering figure in contrast to the pleading man. Here is a boss of elegant power who commands a space and Coppola’s opening shot translates this effortlessly.
5. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
As has already been detailed in this list when discussing the wonderful intro for Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, sometimes a sweeping establishing shot is precisely what a movie needs to set its tone and setting. But, back in the 1950s, the same technology wasn’t around in the late 20th century, so filmmakers had to get resourceful, which is exactly what Orson Welles did during the making of 1958’s Touch of Evil.
Despite the technological advancements since the 1950s, the opening of Welles’ Touch of Evil remains remarkable, welcoming the audience to his crime-noir with an extensive one-take sequence that sees a crane shot gliding over a cityscape. Opening with an unseen man setting an explosive before placing it in a car boot, we then follow the car over cars and buildings, moving with a smooth elegance that had hardly been seen before in contemporary cinema, before ‘boom!’. It’s a beautiful sight to behold.
4. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)
Speaking of long establishing shots that immediately shove the viewer into the world of this movie, American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson did just this in the making of his 1997 film Boogie Nights, starring Mark Wahlberg, Julliane Moore and Heather Graham. With many iconic scenes in the movie, the opening may just be the very best, leading the audience by the hand into the Californian nightclubs of the late 1970s.
Letting the camera roam off the leash as if it itself is as drunk as the late-night partygoers, Anderson follows the punters into the nightclub Hot Traxx. Here, we are introduced to some of the key players of the film, including Burt Reynolds’ Jack Horner, John C. Reilly’s Reed Rothchild and Don Cheadle’s Buck Swope. As a piece of masterful filmmaking, it’s genius, and as an establishing scene that introduces the characters, it’s remarkable.
3. La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
The Italian movie maestro Federico Fellini was certainly known for his ability to start a movie. Indeed, his 1963 fantasy drama 8½ begins with one of the most unique and influential introductions the medium has ever seen. Yet, his very best opening shot has to be for 1960’s La Dolce Vita, which starts the romance flick with the strange and mysterious sight of a helicopter carrying a statue of Jesus over Rome.
Constructing a poignant message about the presence of religion in post-war Italy, this shot also highlights how faith and authenticity play a key role in the central romance of the movie. Setting a clear contrast between the past, with the historic arches of the city in the foreground, and the present, thanks to the helicopter, Fellini has our brains hooked in before a single word is uttered.
2. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
Talking about saying a lot with just a little, David Lynch is something of a master in this field. Whilst he began his beloved 1986 masterpiece Blue Velvet with a ravishing opening shot that established the world of American suburbia, there is nothing quite as transporting as the introduction of 2001’s Mulholland Drive. Telling the story of a young woman who hopes to find a career in the twisted world of Hollywood, the opening dance number demonstrates the optimism of where she begins her journey.
Showing various dancers performing the Jitterbug over a purple background, the sequence establishes the psychedelic, dreamlike setting of the movie, where much of the action takes place in the head of the protagonist. Dance, in itself, is an abstract expression of self, with the gymnastic routine working well to demonstrate the inner turmoil, excitement and obsession of the protagonist.
1.Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, 2000)
The Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr is a director who simply doesn’t get his due praise in contemporary cinema despite being responsible for making some of the most remarkable features of the modern industry. Whilst his masterpiece is up for debate, there is no doubt that the opening shot of 2000’s Werckmeister Harmonies is the finest of his filmography and perhaps of the whole history of the craft.
The strange film tells the story of a small Hungarian town whose community is upended by the arrival of a strange travelling circus and a giant stuffed whale. To open the movie, however, the protagonist, János, conducts a performance that explores the cosmic phenomena of a solar eclipse with the drunken men of a bar, with each one representing a different planet or star in the solar system.
“All I ask is that you step with me into the boundlessness, where constancy, quietude and peace, infinite emptiness reign,” János utters, with the men staring back at him with staggered silence as they perform. It’s a transporting scene that is, in equal measure, hopeless and inspiring, speaking to the boundless optimism of humanity in an unjust and absurd world.
