Best opening scene in a movie...

RobDavies

My lad is about to embark on a film course at college. 
His first assignment is to study the opening scene of a movie, and then discuss it. 

So, what's your favourite/best opening scene....any genre.....from any period.....?

professorben

Lion King

professorben

Arsene Wenger!!!!!!!!!

professorben

Ooooh Swordfish. 

Deadman

Gotta be Saving Private Ryan for me.

starwarsnosebleed

Sexy beast with The stranglers, Ray Winstone and that boulder!

vasselmeyer

The film that had the most effect in me was the opening shot of Star Wars when the rebel ship was chased down by the imperial cruiser. That HUGE ship, with all the lasers firing and that rumbling sound was mind blowing at 9 years old in 1977.

I think there are technically better openings but that is the one i remember most.

Gassage

FInding Dory. Honestly.

Heartfeltdawn

Star Wars and Blade Runner jump immediately to mind. Blazing Saddles with the railroad scene. Saving Private Ryan is remarkable as well. 

Gassage

Also

The Italian Job.

I still can't believe they trashed that Lambo.

nocasternoproblem

The Godfather is an obvious classic opening that sets the tone of the characters perfectly and lays some pointers for the narrative that follows.  

The Searchers opening shot of the pan through the doorway and the arrival of John Wayne's character is worth a look, too. 

Alien and Aliens are both worth considering.   Oh, Goodfellas - brilliant opening scene.

I love films!   

ThePrettyDamned

The godfather is good. I also adore the opening scenes to the grand Budapest hotel. 

I love the opening to oldboy - that's a great opening scene, sets the tone of discomfort and dislike for the entire movie brilliantly. 

tone1

Pulp Fiction


  

chrispy108

Dark Knight Rises - the plane
Dark knight - heist
Up
Fincher's are always good

EricTheWeary

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

Now I don't really like the HP films but the use of location,  etc,  is stunning. 

Almost all the Bond films; the opening sequence often the best thing in the movie and often only semi related to the rest of it. Pick at random although Spectre isn't a bad one and is an interesting contrast with the almost cartoon like opening sequences of say the Moore period Bond ones. 

Inglorious Bastards (however you spell it). Terrible,  terrible film but a long,  suspenseful opening sequence. I'd suggest given the pace and length it's am unusual one. 

+1 on the Italian Job. IIRC there's a Top Gear doc on how they did it,  peiced all the roads together.

merlin

A Touch of Evil, Orson Welles back in 1958, the posthumously re-edited version according to Welles' notes...changing the game, again. Absolute genius.

RandallFlagg

vasselmeyer said:

The film that had the most effect in me was the opening shot of Star Wars when the rebel ship was chased down by the imperial cruiser. That HUGE ship, with all the lasers firing and that rumbling sound was mind blowing at 9 years old in 1977.

I think there are technically better openings but that is the one i remember most.

Agreed, I was 10 and still remember that jaw dropping feeling I had in the cinema as the scale of the imperial star destroyer is revealed

LooseMoose

For me its all about the score and how that sets the scene, therefore it's Watchmen and The Departed that get my vote.

stimpsonslostson

Serenity has a great tracking shot opening- Kiss Whedon discusses it in the commentary on the DVD. 

CabbageCat

Not the best opening scene (in fact the opening scene is fairly rubbish) but the best first half hour of a movie is Frozen. Up to and including Let it Go. After that it tails off rapidly.

The opening scene that I remember being most wowed by was Fellowship of the Ring. The moment in the war between elves/men and Sauron where the elves all sweep up with their spears/glaives/whatever as the orcs hit them was, like, "What the very fuck am I watching now!?!"

stimpsonslostson

While I think about it..
Trainspotting

Indiana Jones 1

The Matrix