# Movies wherre the opening or closing credits are as good as or better than the movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722 "2019-05-29T17:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/21 "2019-05-30T10:01:15Z")
The opening titles for **Casino Royale** [should have been a model for the following films.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1AMUmkj-ck) They reinvented the previous tired Bond titles by replacing the slow song with naked women dancing with something incredibly fast-paced with incredible visuals that matched the symbolism and tone of the movie perfectly. It’s the perfect match for the best Bond movie. So what did the following movies do? Give up opening titles that were incredibly half-assed with a foot solidly stuck in the past and other foot trying to imitate the Royale style, and failing miserably at both. Skyfall is a great song but the opening titles leave much to be desired. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/22 "2019-05-30T11:07:15Z")
All the Monty Pythons, especially _Holy Grail_. Most of the James Bonds. ---
**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 30, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/23 "2019-05-30T11:39:59Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > So what did the following movies do? Give up opening titles that were incredibly half-assed with a foot solidly stuck in the past and other foot trying to imitate the Royale style, and failing miserably at both. With the exception of _ **On Her Majesty’s Secret Sevice** _. The Sands of Time flowing through the hourglass with the montage of scenes from the Connery Bonds was Art with a capital “A.” The soundtrack was one of the series’ best ever too. And I \*liked \*George Lazenby as Bond; I wish he had done more. He gave up the role on the basis of some very bad advice. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/24 "2019-05-30T11:40:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Pulp Fiction** _. The transition from the coffee shop and “I’ll blow every last one of you motherfuckers’ heads off!” to Jules’s car and “Le Big Mac,” all to the tune of “Miserlou,” has to be a landmark in the history of Western cinema. > > The ending wasn’t too shabby either. It was great when Vincent and Jules walked out of the diner like a couple of gunslingers to the tune of “Surf Rider.” And the dialogue leading up to that… -I think we should be leaving now -Ya, that’s probably a good idea I’ll add in The Hangover (and to a lesser extent, the sequels). As the credits roll, they show all the pictures they took on the previous night. It was the perfect ending to a really good movie and one of the things a lot talked about after watching it. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2019, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/25 "2019-05-30T11:51:29Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > With the exception of _ **On Her Majesty’s Secret Sevice** _. The Sands of Time flowing through the hourglass with the montage of scenes from the Connery Bonds was Art with a capital “A.” > > The soundtrack was one of the series’ best ever too. And I \*liked \*George Lazenby as Bond; I wish he had done more. He gave up the role on the basis of some very bad advice. You should have read the entry you’re citing a little closer - he was criticizing the opening montages that followed the Daniel Craig _Casino Royale_, not the original Maurice Binder James Bond openings. I have to admit, I like all of Binder’s openings\*. _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ was interesting because, AFAICanRecall, it’s the last Bond credit opening where it was purely instrumental, as with _Dr. No_ and _From Russia with Love_ (Binder didn’t do the credits for that one). The credit sequence was also interesting for using clips from the previous Bond films to tie this film into the series – important, as this was the first time someone other than Sean Connery was playing Bond in an Eon film. \*Binder did other credit sequences, too – besides the aforementioned _Charade_ he also did the opening for _Arabesque_, which was also partly written by Charade’s scripter, Peter Stone. He didn’t do them for _Mirage_, though, the one Stone scripted between those two. Binder also contributed a non-credits sequence to the 1979 John Badham/Frank Langella version of _Dracula_. He did the above-mentioned opening for _Barbarella_, too. Wikipedia lists a bunch of his films – [Maurice Binder - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Binder) ---
**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:** [May 30, 2019, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/26 "2019-05-30T11:53:56Z")
The credits certainly aren’t better than the movies (which are filled with Harryhausen animation), but I do like the openings to **The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad** and **Jason and the Argonauts** , which show key elements of the upcoming story, rendered in artwork that resembles a Persian miniature and a Greek Wall or Vase painting. ---
**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 30, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/27 "2019-05-30T13:04:58Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You should have read the entry you’re citing a little closer - he was criticizing the opening montages that followed the Daniel Craig _Casino Royale_, not the original Maurice Binder James Bond openings. What I should have done was click on the link, since I assumed he was referring to the original _ **Casino Royale** _ with David Niven and Peter Sellers. I don’t recall ever seeing the Daniel Craig version. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2019, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/28 "2019-05-30T13:10:03Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What I should have done was click on the link, since I assumed he was referring to the original _ **Casino Royale** _ with David Niven and Peter Sellers. I don’t recall ever seeing the Daniel Craig version. Even without the link, the description he gave pretty clearly describes the Eon films, and the Binder openings, with the later Bond films that he’s criticizing following the Binder model to closely with the naked ladies – that doesn’t fit the animated style of the 1967 _Casino Royale_ opening credits at all. ---
**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 30, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/29 "2019-05-30T13:18:03Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > With the exception of _ **On Her Majesty’s Secret Sevice** _. The Sands of Time flowing through the hourglass with the montage of scenes from the Connery Bonds was Art with a capital “A.” > > The soundtrack was one of the series’ best ever too. I get chills just listening to the (instrumental) theme. And how the women’s silhouettes mimic Britannia and the supporters on the Royal Coat of Arms is inspired. Note too how the hourglass resembles a Martini glass… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LfjL9uX2leg/maxresdefault.jpg "On Her Majesty's Secret Service Theme Song - James Bond") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfjL9uX2leg) ---
**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 30, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/30 "2019-05-30T13:20:09Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Even without the link, the description he gave pretty clearly describes the Eon films, and the Binder openings, with the later Bond films that he’s criticizing following the Binder model to closely with the naked ladies – that doesn’t fit the animated style of the 1967 _Casino Royale_ opening credits at all. … Which I don’t remember because I only saw the movie once, when I was in seventh grade. A very, very long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/31 "2019-05-30T13:58:49Z")
The opening to _Star Wars: A New Hope_ has become a classic: The words, the style, the background and especially the music. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/32 "2019-05-30T14:14:39Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > [The Naked Gun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LIHoEJAA4k) > > I saw this for the first time at a packed house in college, and it was a wonderful experience. That movie is absolutely relentless. Not a slack second - something funny (big or small) is happening at all times, so no wonder they did something fun with the opening credits. Just due to the minuscule chance that you might not know this, the Naked Gun movies were based on a tragically short-lived TV show, Police Squad, which always opened with a scene viewed from the top of a police car, driving through increasingly ridiculous situations. I think most of Police Squad episodes are on Youtube, and they’re as good or better than the movies. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/33 "2019-05-30T14:41:24Z")
I’ve always been partial to the opening credits of _Napoleon Dynamite._ Right away, you knew the film was going to be quirky and sweet. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/34 "2019-05-30T15:48:57Z")
The end credits to _[A Series Of Unfortunate Events](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVV0ONSiQoA)_ are some of my favourite of anything ever. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/35 "2019-05-30T16:06:49Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Just due to the minuscule chance that you might not know this, the Naked Gun movies were based on a tragically short-lived TV show, Police Squad, which always opened with a scene viewed from the top of a police car, driving through increasingly ridiculous situations. I think most of Police Squad episodes are on Youtube, and they’re as good or better than the movies. Speaking of opening credits and “Police Squad”, the other great thing about them was that the opening credits would always include a short scene of the week’s Special Guest Star (an at least somewhat famous actor) getting murdered. The Guest Star would never appear again, and the murder would never be referenced in the show. Also their end-credits were usually over a freeze-frame of the last scene, except it wasn’t a real freeze-frame, it was just the actors ‘freezing’ in place, while coffee continued to pour (spilling over the mug) or a confused arrestee (who didn’t freeze) slowly realized the cops weren’t moving at all and eventually got up and ran out. Back to movies, does the opening sequence of “Up” count? ---
**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:** [May 30, 2019, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/36 "2019-05-30T16:12:22Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The opening to _Star Wars: A New Hope_ has become a classic: The words, the style, the background and especially the music. The style, with the recap words fading off into the distance and seriously foreshortening, was pretty deliberately lifted from the old _Flash Gordon_ serials. Lucas took a lot of stuff from his cinematic precursors, and didn’t try to hide a lot of it: The music, of course, was another story. The old serials were made on shoestring budgets, and often re-used music from the studio music library, or stuff in the public domain. Lucas had an incredible advantage in the original compositions of John Williams, a debt he has acknowledged. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/37 "2019-05-30T17:41:59Z")
West Side Story - the [opening credits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ON6DH35sQ) followed by a dazzling [aerial lead-in](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlyNCwvyhw). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/38 "2019-05-30T18:33:33Z")
Anything directed by Hal Needham. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/39 "2019-05-30T22:38:17Z")
[Grease](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phwOOmFYudU) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722/40 "2019-05-31T00:30:08Z")
You guys are slipping. The absolutely best opening credits for the worst movie is [Spy Hard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7KMMxAQp8I). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-wherre-the-opening-or-closing-credits-are-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-movie/834722.md?page=3)