Greatest opening scene of a film?

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The poll feature allows only 10 choices, so the hell with the poll feature. Here are some suggestions, please add your own, for the best opening scene of a movie.

Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Alive
Apocalypse Now
Blue Velvet
Broken Blossoms
Cliffhanger
Contact
Diva
Eraserhead
Goldfinger
Goldmember
Ice Age
Jaws
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Magnolia
Memento
Monsters Inc.
Much Ado About Nothing
Once Upon A Time In The West
Patton
Raging Bull
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rebel Without A Cause
Reservoir Dogs
Saving Private Ryan
Star Wars
Super Troopers
Suspiria
Swordfish
The Butterfly Effect
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
The Killers
The Matrix
The Searchers
The Sound of Music
Tomorrow Never Dies
Top Gun
Touch of Evil
Trainspotting
Un Chien Andalou
X2
1941
2001: A Space Odyssey

[jobycom]

1. Lilo and Stitch!!

[catbert836]

2. Pink Floyd The Wall

A combination of a somewhat comatose Pink in a hotel room while in another time his fans break through the gate to go to his show while in yet another time his father is killed on the battlefields of WW2. Quite powerful.

[meegbear]

14. That's my vote!

:thumbsup:

[enigmatic]

3. Betty Blue

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=3558

[ForrestGump]

4. Agree with many on your list. The opening of "Apocalyse Now" (there were

no opening credits and, in fact, the movie's title doesn't appear until you see it painted on rock at Kurtz' holiday camp) is perfect, and it's what "The End" was recorded for, even if the Doors didn't know it at the time.

The pre-credits scenes in James Bond movies, of course (I'm talking the Roger Moore ones, that're what I grew up with, and iterations since) are a subgenre unto themselves, as are their opening credit sequences, and one of the best and most effective title sequenced I've ever seen was the one in Casino (created by a couple who did some of the best ever...forgot their names).

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5. I should do a thread about best title or opening credits. Ruthless People

would be one of them.

[ForrestGump]

8. Yeah!

And the Pink Panther movies.

The Naked Gun had a pretty funny pretitle sequence.

And I just thought of School of Rock as an example of something cool I've also seen, I think, before: the camera entering the club and all the opening titles being plastered on the walls of the corridors.

[Blue_Tires]

10. yeah, i agree

I've always loved the James Bond openings and title sequences...


Goodfellas has a good opening also

[livetohike]

6. Contact gets my vote n/t

[ChickMagic]

7. Gosh, so many

I'd have to say:

Contact
Blue Velvet
Lord of War
Pulp Fiction
Trainspotting
and probably a lot more I can't think of.

[ForrestGump]

9. Ooo...nobody's mentioned "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" yet

One of the best openings (not that there was really any dead wood that followed...pretty much every scene was a classic) in one of the best movies ever filmed.

[terrya]

11. The opening to "Contact" is superb.

And I saw some James Bond movies in your list. I would add "The Spy Who Loved Me" to the list. A great opening scene.

[peekaloo]

12. Fight Club

[Wetzelbill]

13. Goodfellas and Happy Gilmore

are too of my favorite opening scenes ever.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

15. I love Happy Gilmore

[Courtesy Flush]

16. "Rope" -- Hitchcock didn't waste time getting to the action.

[rug]

17. The Lion King.

[HEyHEY]

18. In the name of the father

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

19. "I believe in America" (Godfather)- Amerigo Bonaserra's tale of woe

[progmom]

20. A Touch of Evil

brilliant. :thumbsup:

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. That gets my vote!!!

Fucking BRILLIANT opening!!

God, I wish we had an Orson Welles in this generation.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

26. That's the one!

I don't think any movie opening can really top that one -- ever.

[Mad_Dem_X]

21. Jaws, baby!

I've seen it so many times, but that opening scene still gives me chills. :scared:

[Rabrrrrrr]

23. I also nominate The Thing - really sets the tone for what's gonna come.

Between the music, the font style of the credits and the way they appear, the darkness of space with the slightly lit saucer flying into earth...

maybe not so interesting in and of itself, but in terms of getting the audience into the mood of the movie, it's one of the best ever openings.

[ghostsofgiants]

24. The opening title sequence in Seven is brilliant, if that counts.

And I love the cinematogaprhy in the opening scene for November.

[Radical Activist]

25. Powaqqatsi

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Romancing the Stone.

It's such a great concept to start with an enactment of one of her novels and then switch to real life.

When I first saw it in the theater years ago, I thought I'd come in the wrong door!

I still LOVE this movie.

[taterguy]

28. For righteous politics I vote Billy Jack

Go ahead and hate your neighbor go ahead and cheat a friend
Do it in the name of heaven you can justify it in the end

All while those gorgeous horses get chased by the red necks

[Hissyspit]

29. "Once Upon A Time In The West"

[myrna minx]

30. The Player...

I couldn't imagine trying to rack focus for that scene. BUt the best, by far is Touch of Evil.