Best intro to a movie or character

[LeafOnTheWind]

I was rewatching Heathers and still love the opening scene. It really set the tone of the whole movie. The bonus is the song playing throughout (Que Sera Sera). I think it's a great summary of the main female characters and really setup the pecking order.

One of the other character introductions I've loved is Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. It also tells you everything you need to know about Captain Jack as he steps onto the dock.

I know I'll think of others as I ponder the topic but I'm curious to know yours? Which movie or character introductions felt perfect to you?



ETA: Already thought of another. Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs. It's perfectly creepy.

 

[Cachoo]

Darth Vader

John Travolta's opening scene to "Stayin' Alive" in "Saturday Night Fever"

 

[MsZem]

When Bud White first runs into Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger) in LA Confidential. Spot-on modern noir.

Lynn (Divine Kim Basinger) meets Bud (Russell Crowe) for the first time

Disclaimer - I own nothing

youtu.be

 

[Wyliefan]

Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in The Third Man. I'll probably list more as I think of them!

 

[Cachoo]

The words that came into my head when I first saw this character was "deliciously evil" and that was Christoph Waltz's Hans Landa in "Inglorious Bastards." It would not surprise me if he received every single Best Supporting Actor vote for that role.

Inglourious Basterds Opening Scene FULL

One of the most astounding opening to any movie in history of cinema - the epic entry of Colonel Hans Landa that takes a small farmer by storm and sets in mo...

youtu.be

 

[taf2002]

I have 2 oldies:

Queen Latifah in Chicago singing "When You're Good to Mama"

Tina Turner in Tommy singing "Acid Queen"

In both cases I was completely mesmerizes by them. I was already a fan of both women but these performances took them up a notch.

 

[kedrin]

Indiana Jones - Raider of the Lost Ark

 

[manhn]

The Pop Goes My Heart music video in Music & Lyrics.

 

[Susan1]

I have 2 oldies:

Queen Latifah in Chicago singing "When You're Good to Mama"

Tina Turner in Tommy singing "Acid Queen"

In both cases I was completely mesmerizes by them. I was already a fan of both women but these performances took them up a notch.

Funny, The Acid Queen just came on the internet radio when I was reading this. We went to see Tommy when I was in high school. I didn't like it. And it was so loud, we almost left. I guess high school kids were supposed to like it loud. The only good part was Elton John.

 

[MsZem]

I have another one: Moonlight Graham (old and young) in Field of Dreams. Shoeless Joe too, for that matter.

 

[Lorac]

I love the opening sequence to the musical West Side Story. Zooming on in and down to.the basketball court with the Jets. And that whole opening dance sequence with the Jets and the Sharks - awesome. One of my favourite movies.

 

[taf2002]

Funny, The Acid Queen just came on the internet radio when I was reading this. We went to see Tommy when I was in high school. I didn't like it. And it was so loud, we almost left. I guess high school kids were supposed to like it loud. The only good part was Elton John.

You didn't watch it correctly. You were supposed to be stoned.

 

[Jenny]

I was into The Who as a teen, but later when I went back and listened to Tommy, no thanks (I still listen to their other music). There is some truly nasty stuff in there, even more vivid in the movie, a lot more than a realized as I sang along when I was young.

But back to the question. The other day we watched The Devil Wears Prada for the millionth time, and it's one of the best opening sequences I've ever enjoyed, IMO. The music, the way it jumps right in, really sets the tone, and then the cuts of everyone starting their day say so much about what the story will be about, and it's relatable to so many people who had crappy jobs because they aspired to something bigger. Also love that they intercut the main characters with people who you will never see again in the movie - so Manhattan.

That's my vote for best movie opening in terms of introducing both a story and the key characters.

 

[Susan1]

You didn't watch it correctly. You were supposed to be stoned.

I guess you would have to be to be (it took me awhile to type that right!) entertained by baked beans coming out of the t.v. That one stuck with me, for some reason.

p.s. - it was The Who version earlier, not Tina Turner's.

 

[CassAgain]

JoJo Rabbit--intro montage to the German version of I Wanna Hold your Hand and Closing montage to the German version of We Can Be Heroes--fabulous.

 

[Cachoo]

JoJo Rabbit--intro montage to the German version of I Wanna Hold your Hand and Closing montage to the German version of We Can Be Heroes--fabulous.

I came unglued at the opening...for whatever reason I Wanna Hold Your Hand was in German on my parent's album and it brought back so many memories...

I don't think I will ever forget Tim Curry's entrance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

I came unglued at the opening...for whatever reason I Wanna Hold Your Hand was in German on my parent's album and it brought back so many memories...

I don't think I will ever forget Tim Curry's entrance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

We didn't even know then that we should be quivering with antici...


PATION! (rimshot)

At the risk of being politically incorrect, the first shot of the Tarleton boys on Tara's veranda tracking into a closeup of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett. Her interactions with them, Mammy, Gerard O'Hara and finally Suellen and her mother through
the first few scenes of GWTW tell us everything we need to know about that spoiled sixteen-year-old.

 

[MsZem]

Oh - Working Girl! I love the visuals of the Statue of Liberty and NYC (World Trade Center ) and then zooming in to the Staten Island Ferry and Tess and Cyn. The contrasts! The 80s hair! And it's clear that Tess has ambitions beyond riding the ferry to her blah job.

Working Girl - opening credits

"Working Girl" (1988) - starring: Harrison Ford, Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, Philip Bosco, Joan Cusack, Alec Baldwin Music: "Let The River Run" by Ca...

www.youtube.com

The ending is just as good.

 

[screech]

JoJo Rabbit--intro montage to the German version of I Wanna Hold your Hand and Closing montage to the German version of We Can Be Heroes--fabulous.

I completely loved that intro. And didn't realize until after that it was the actual Beatles singing (I just thought it was a really good cover).

The first thing that popped into my mind when reading the thread title is the opening scene of the first episode of Alias. I don't think there could have been a better way to introduce us to Sydney Bristow. And on the same show, mommy dearest Irina Derevko.

 

[smurfy]

Opening of La La Land. Fun musical opening.

Have not seen in ages - but I am sure it is the opening scene of 'Absolute Beginners' - is a really long one shot scene and wonderful music.

Opening of 'In the Name of the Father' was intense'

 

[Jay42]

The opening scene of The Sound of Music is a definite favourite. Also Danny Kaye's first scene in The Court Jester, the "Think Pink" scene and song in Funny Face which is a perfect intro to Kay Thompson's character, Grace Kelly's first scene in Rear Window, the opening of Rope which sets the mood for the whole movie. I'm sure I could go on but this is all I can think of right now.

 

[manhn]

In terms of character introductions, I will mention Parker Posey in Dazed and Confused and Willoughby in Sense & Sensibility.

 

[Susan1]

The opening scene of The Sound of Music is a definite favourite.

Then you'd have to go with the opening scene of one of the Pink Panther movies where he does the same thing. LOL (I think of that every time - practically once a year - I watch The Sound of Music.

 

[MsZem]

Opening of 'In the Name of the Father' was intense'

Absolutely. The buildup with the music and the ordinary scene and then BOOM.

 

[clairecloutier]

I always remember the opening of No Way Out:

No Way Out - opening sequence

flying over the nation's capital and arlington and pentagon city

www.youtube.com

Looking back at it, the titles and music are definitely a bit 80s though.

 

[Cachoo]

I always remember the opening of No Way Out:

No Way Out - opening sequence

flying over the nation's capital and arlington and pentagon city

www.youtube.com

Looking back at it, the titles and music are definitely a bit 80s though.

That must have been a thing in the 80's: I remember how much I liked the view of Chicago at night in the opening of "The Fugitive."

One of my favorite openings has to be the James Bond "Spectre" opening in Mexico on the The Day of the Dead celebration:
https://youtu.be/cbqv1kbsNUY

 

[Susan1]

I swear the only opening of a movie that sticks with me is The Big Chill, when they are getting Alex's corpse ready. Corpse played by Kevin Costner. We never saw his face. They never showed the flashback scenes he filmed. I always wished they would have done a prequel. It would have had to be different college-aged actors, so I guess it wouldn't have been as neat. So I'm just sitting here discussing this with myself. ha ha

 

[cygnus]

The opening sequence of "Up".

 

[VGThuy]

The opening scene of The Sound of Music is a definite favourite. Also Danny Kaye's first scene in The Court Jester, the "Think Pink" scene and song in Funny Face which is a perfect intro to Kay Thompson's character, Grace Kelly's first scene in Rear Window, the opening of Rope which sets the mood for the whole movie. I'm sure I could go on but this is all I can think of right now.

Especially after all the whole “Think Pink” segment, when everything is pink at the office, her assistant questions why she isn’t wearing pink and Kay Thompson goes “I wouldn’t be caught dead.”

 

[taf2002]

This thread is giving me flashbacks to great movies.