# Great Films that contain their best scene in the first ten minutes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 14, 2021, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551 "2021-01-14T21:17:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/41 "2021-01-15T17:08:33Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@Telemark](#): > > > > Is Omar Sharif’s introduction in the first 10 minutes of **Lawrence of Arabia**? There are many wonderful scenes in that movie, but that approach is my personal favorite. > > It’s been some time since I last saw it, but the first scene is Lawrence’s motorbike accident. I think the next one takes place at the British headquarter in Cairo(?). The mirage scene introducing Omar Sharif comes later, after a bit of Lawrence traveling with a guide to the meeting place. But I concur, it’s one of the most beautiful scenes in movie history. Right. It’s a great scene, but it comes well into the movie, not at the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/42 "2021-01-15T18:40:19Z")
The first five minutes of the 2000 Disney CGI movie **Dinosaur** were absolutely briliant, and can stand by themselves as a short. In fact, they did release this as the long trailer for the movie. The rest of the movie, with talking animals and such, and trying to tell a coherent story, can’t stand up to the first five minutes, even though it’s the same people and the same CGI making the film. It’s utterly brilliant storytelling and virtual cinematography [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbeLV9KD6-4) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/43 "2021-01-15T20:50:56Z")
Yes, very good. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/44 "2021-01-16T01:07:34Z")
Already a couple of _Saving Private Ryan_ 's and _Touch of Evil_ 's - dece… The brass balls scene in _Glengarry_ is indeed special and lovable in that Hallmark kinda way, but isn’t the first scene in a restaurant? (could be thinking of the stage version) In the Polanksi version of _MacBeth_ (and, like _Zhivago_), a good 65-ft wide screen is preferable to take in the _vast_ expanses [(here, of Scottish tidal flats).](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZcFnZ2ZMR0) As the camera pulls back, a stick enters from the right of the screen, which we see is held by one of the three witches, proceeding to trace out a digging hole in the sand for placing a severed hand in. Eight minutes of whole grain goodness in the continuous single take opening from [_The Player_.](https://vimeo.com/75881931) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/45 "2021-01-16T01:30:02Z")
I’m trying to decide if any of the Monty Python films fit in this thread. _Holy Grail_ has the “come and see the violence inherent in the system” scene, and possibly the Black Knight, quite near the beginning. And I think _Life of Brian_ has the “blessed are the cheesemakers” bit within the first ten minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/46 "2021-01-16T01:34:50Z")
The first thing I thought of was Raiders of the Lost Ark. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/47 "2021-01-16T02:17:58Z")
> [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](#): > > “First prize is a Cadillac. Second prize is this set of steak knives. Third prize… you’re fired!” > > Classic What’s fourth prize? There were four of them! ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/48 "2021-01-16T02:21:13Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The long tracking shot that was the title sequence in _Touch of Evil_ Citizen Kane. It never gets better after the newsreel! Touch Of Evil is better as a result. One of only two films where Orson Welles gets shot and falls into water! ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/49 "2021-01-16T03:45:12Z")
I will limit myself to three for now: _Amok_ (1934) Warning NSFW in a National Geographic sort of way. What Exit? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xtvUF_XgTgU/hqdefault.jpg "Opening sequence from Amok (1934)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtvUF_XgTgU) _Crime Without Passion_ (1934) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eX2W1d3QtJk/hqdefault.jpg "Slavko Vorkapich's amazing opening sequence for pre-code film "Crime Without Passion"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX2W1d3QtJk) _The Letter_ (1940) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pIFUw-rpjZE/maxresdefault.jpg "Open HD | The Letter | Warner Archive") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIFUw-rpjZE) ---
**Author:** ![bmoak1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@bmoak1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/50 "2021-01-16T05:51:52Z")
The Wild Bunch. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/51 "2021-01-16T13:47:46Z")
_La La Land_. “Another Day of Sun” is one of the greatest expressions of pure joy to ever appear in a movie. Only “Singin’ in the Rain” tops it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/52 "2021-01-16T13:54:52Z")
(If you don’t count the Terry Gilliam short as part of the feature) the “Every Sperm is Sacred” musical number in _The Meaning of Life_ is easily the best scene. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/53 "2021-01-16T13:56:48Z")
I’d say the opening minutes of _Watchmen_ fit. ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/54 "2021-01-16T18:37:03Z")
The first chase in _The transporter_ (the first in the series). _Ned Kelly_ with Mick Jagger as Ned. The intro shows him being hanged. What can top that? (Ooops, sorry, another pun.) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/55 "2021-01-17T03:14:01Z")
And La La Land is often compared to the 1968 Young Girls of Rochefort. Its beginning dance sequence is lots of fun, but frankly it’s hard (for me) to watch all the way through. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2021, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/56 "2021-01-17T06:59:14Z")
I saw the topic and figured I’d have a perspective to contribute; just to open the thread and see that the FIRST POST AFTER THE OP nailed what I was going to say. **Once Upon a Time in the West**. Sometimes I put in the DVD just to watch the first 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/57 "2021-01-22T05:03:36Z")
I thought of another good entry for this thread. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NiuBWPKHTPA/hqdefault.jpg "Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - Opening & Truck chase") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiuBWPKHTPA) _Beverly Hills Cop_. Starts with a nice montage of Detroit, then Eddie Murphy at his fast-talking best trying to sell some black-market cigarettes, then a chase with an articulated semi-truck complete with smashing through a fruit truck. That movie really starts with a bang. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/58 "2021-01-22T05:13:07Z")
The tracking shot opening _The Player_ should be on the list but my personal favorite is the opening to _The Way of the Gun_. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/59 "2021-01-22T08:39:26Z")
This is the one I came to post. I suspect some would question if it’s truly a great start to finish movie (I really like it) but the opening credits sequence and the first few scenes are amazing. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551/60 "2021-01-22T09:33:47Z")
I’m surprised no mention of the opening scene in Star Wars (A New Hope). [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLgsf8Pei6Q) You have the opening shot of Vader’s never ending Star Destroyer chasing Leia’s corvette over the Tatooine. But the scene also effectively introduces us to Leia, Vader, R2D2 & C3PO and immediately lets the audience know everything they need to know to kick off what will become a multi-billion dollar franchise spanning decades. We tend to take all this for granted now, but keep in mind that audiences in 1977 would have no idea what the heck any of this was walking into the theater. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-films-that-contain-their-best-scene-in-the-first-ten-minutes/930551.md?page=4)