# Greatest Opening Scene in a Movie \[One More Time\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771 "2012-05-13T13:46:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/61 "2012-05-15T13:16:19Z")
The opening battle of **Gladiator** was pretty spectacular. Sadly, that may have been the best and only good part of the movie. The same can be said of **Gangs of New York** , IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/62 "2012-05-15T14:46:22Z")
**Bridge on the River Kwai** with Alec Guiness and the captured British troops marching practically triumphantly into the prison camp while whistling The Colonel Bogey March. [Bridge on the River Kwai](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcIehms6u5M) ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/63 "2012-05-15T15:59:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > _Pitch Black_ > > > [@Tangent](#): > > > > Good pick. That whole sequence–with the shots from space of the comet’s tail, and the ship being damaged, and the resulting crash–is just awesome. Agreed, astonishing shots My all time favourite is _Star Wars_, I swear my [cinema] seat nearly shook off it’s foundations. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/64 "2012-05-15T19:19:41Z")
**Stink Fish Pot** , I suppose you’re right about the opening of _The Incredibles_. > [@Cryptic\_C62](#): > > The opening battle of **Gladiator** was pretty spectacular… Oh, yeah! Roman troops v. Germanic barbarians. Good, good stuff. _LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring_ opens with Galadriel’s voice-over, describing the creation, capture and loss of the Ring. A near-perfect mix of words, images and music. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/65 "2012-05-15T20:39:09Z")
The film that immediately came to mind was “Apocalypse Now.” I don’t really care much for the movie as a whole, but the opening is truly haunting. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/66 "2012-05-15T20:41:28Z")
While the opening of “Fellowship” was wonderful, the opening scene of “The Two Towers” was the best of the 3 LOTR films, I think. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/67 "2012-05-15T20:54:39Z")
I think the opening scene for [The Last Boyscout](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVrsGHs2MCk)was pretty damn good. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/68 "2012-05-15T21:04:14Z")
I think the opening scene of the 2009 Star Trek Reboot is one of the better opening 8 minutes in recent history - ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/69 "2012-05-19T16:07:07Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I think the opening scene of the 2009 Star Trek Reboot is one of the better opening 8 minutes in recent history - Yeah, you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/70 "2012-05-19T22:32:45Z")
The opening of Robert Altman’s _Gosford Park_ is a single shot look at what went on backstairs at a large English manor house, preparing for a special weekend. It’s frantic and stressful and hectic, which sets the tone for the whole film really beautifully. Edward Zwick did a really great film in 2008 about the [Bielski Partisans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bielski_partisans) called _Defiance_ that opens with grainy black and white newsreel footage of Hitler and archival footage of the purging of Jews from Belorussia with all the atrocities, then segues into full color on the same scene, families being ripped apart, screaming children being dragged away, elderly men being shot on site just for sport by laughing Nazis, the whole terrifying imagery. It’s tense and painful and a mere 2.5 minutes but that’s more than enough. > [@simster](#): > > I think the opening scene of the 2009 Star Trek Reboot is one of the better opening 8 minutes in recent history - It’s ~11 minutes, and the tears start at 7:15, the full on weeping at 9:25 when the actors’ voices are muted and all we hear is Michael Giacchino’s score. And who knew that was the first glimpse we were getting of the next big brand new action superstar? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/71 "2012-05-20T20:03:36Z")
When I read the title, the only one that came to mind was “Action Jackson”, IIRC, it had Carl Weathers in it as the star. Now, I must defend myself. 1. After the opening scene, the movie began to suck uber-bigtime. I don’t just mean suck…I MEAN SUCKKKKKKK. I can still smell it, too, and it’s been close to 30 years. One turd movie. 2. It may not even have been that good, as it was almost 30 years ago, and it may have been only innovative for the time, and 3. It may not even have been only innovative, and I was just a bigger dork 30 years ago. OOPS, just remembered, tho…Kenneth Branagh’s\*\*\* Henry V\*\*\* had a pretty cool opening. Don’t know if it was best, or not. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/72 "2012-05-20T20:08:57Z")
Once Upon A Time in the West gets my vote. It’s even better if you watch it in German: “Haben Sie ein Pferd fur mich?” “Nein, wir haben nur drei. Ein zu wenig.” “Nei. Zwei zu viel!” 😃 I was going to add A Fistful of Dollars to the list, but it turns out the “opening” scene I was thinking of is actually about twelve minutes into the flick: “Get three coffins ready.” “Eh?” POW! \* POW! \* POW! \* POW! “My mistake. Four coffins.” ---
**Author:** ![srm13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@srm13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srm13)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771/73 "2012-05-20T20:52:14Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Run Lola Run mmmm WHY hasn’t anyone mentioned the Boogie Nights tracking shot? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-opening-scene-in-a-movie-one-more-time/621771.md?page=3)