# Your favorite pre-CGI special effects scenes?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 6, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137 "2019-04-06T18:07:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/81 "2019-04-11T15:40:28Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> Kong is simply the measure for all effects that followed it. The Lost World was just practice for O’Brien, it took his skills combined with Cooper’s to give this masterpiece to the world. CGI can make moving images out of numbers, but the computers don’t bring the characters to life. That task requires skilled animators who can take a tiny model of a giant ape and cross one line to make it come to life, and in addition cross another line and imbue the beast with humanity.
Cooper’s strength wasn’t in technical animation – he had no background in that. It was O’Brien and his army of technicians (Marcel Delgado, Oliver Goldner, Mario Larranaga, and others) who came up with the effects, honing themselves on projects like _Creation_.
Cooper’s strength was in seeing what was important and essential. He saw the potential in _Creation_ and ran with it, combining it with his vision of a Gorilla vs. Dinosaurs. he’s the one who insisted on cutting out a lot of beautiful effects work that wasn’t needed in order to keep the length short enough and the action focused. He’s the one who insisted that Kong be a full and real-looking gorilla, rather than a human/ape hybrid (as O’Brien wanted). O’Brien insisted a full gorilla wouldn’t get audience sympathy, but Cooper said he’d have women crying for him by the end.
There was ONE piece of effects work that was Cooper’s doing, though - he’s the one responsible for having a full-size Kong head built for close-up scenes and a few interaction shots. I could have lived without the interaction shots (Kong chewing on an island native and a New Yorker), but there’s something hefty and massive about that full-size head in the few shots it appears in that give it a believability that , even at its best, O’Brien’s miniature animation models couldn’t convey.
---
### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/82 "2019-04-11T15:49:44Z")
I saw **The Cassandra Crossing** in the theater when it first came out and the train wreck at the end looked like crap. Years later, I caught it on TV and the train wreck looked fantastic; I figure the graininess of the TV picture gave it a sense of distance. Or something.
The Enterprise D saucer section crash landing in the middle of **ST: Generations** was incredible; outstanding model work. “Oh, shit!”
---
### Author:  [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/83 "2019-04-11T16:08:44Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#):
>
> Something I learned about in another thread recently. In The Wizard of Oz there is a moment where Dorothy steps from her sepia world into the full colour world of Oz. Achieved by making a sepia set, with a sepia dress, and then filming it in colour. A pretty nice effect for the time.
>
> [https://youtu.be/x6D8PAGelN8?t=34](https://youtu.be/x6D8PAGelN8?t=34)
Considering _The Wizard of Oz_ was released in 1939 I’d say its special effects are outstanding. From the tornado sequence at the beginning to the depiction of the wizard himself. The set design was outstanding as well. The Munchkin Village and The Emerald City are all visually spectacular. It is no wonder that the movies is considered a classic. I’d say the whole movie belongs on this list.
---
### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/84 "2019-04-11T16:24:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> [Check this scene, which is forced perspective. Elijah Wood is actually holding onto a really big post and is further away from the camera.](https://youtu.be/meK0G3o9mPw?t=80)
The scene that impressed me more was Gandalf taking tea in Bilbo’s hobbit-hole. He lifts the lid on the teapot and Bilbo pours water from the kettle into it. In actuality, the lid was held up on a stiff wire holder much closer to the camera and the angle was carefully chosen to give the impression it was on top of the pot, further way.
The only giveaway is Wood bumped the table with his knee and it shook a bit while McKellan’s half did not move.
> [@pmwgreen](#):
>
> Another good one is Labyrinth. The film has lots of visual tricks, especially (for me) the scene where Jennifer Connelly wakes up in her bed in her room and it turns out to be in a trash heap still in the Labyrinth. You are convinced it’s her room, but they simply took the set of her room and punched a hole in it. I like the Escher room too, but it’s just too weird to be real.
I worked for a few months at the company that made the image generating hardware used for at least some of the CGI in that movie, specifically the owl at the beginning. They went bust about the time the movie came out.
---
### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2019, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/85 "2019-04-15T02:30:08Z")
_Backdraft_. The whole thing, really, but mainly the chemical plant toward the end.
---
### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/86 "2019-04-15T20:25:12Z")
Certainly not “the best ever” but definitely my favorite:
**Blade Runner**. The opening scenic view of dystopian 2021 Los Angeles. Often called the “Hades” scene.
---
### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/87 "2019-04-16T14:51:23Z")
How about the Allied [bombing raid](https://youtu.be/y5wsjMSXolU?t=115) in _The Train_? No model work here; SNCF wanted to demolish an old rail yard before renovating it and the film company said, “Let _us_ do it!”
If you back up to the beginning, you get to watch 42 year-old Burt Lancaster do his own stunts, too.
---
### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/88 "2019-04-16T15:08:11Z")
> [@DesertDog](#):
>
> How about the Allied [bombing raid](https://youtu.be/y5wsjMSXolU?t=115) in _The Train_? No model work here; SNCF wanted to demolish an old rail yard before renovating it and the film company said, “Let _us_ do it!”
>
> If you back up to the beginning, you get to watch 42 year-old Burt Lancaster do his own stunts, too.
You want a great pre-CGI scene with a train? This Bridge Collapse from Buster Keaton’s 1927 film _The General_ is impressive as all heck:
The whole film is well worth the watching -- one of the best silent comedies -- Heck, one of the best \*comedies\*, period- of all time.
And yes, they really did trash a bridge, a coal car, and a locomotive just for that one shot.
---
### Author:  [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/89 "2019-04-16T18:21:49Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> You want a great pre-CGI scene with a train? This Bridge Collapse from Buster Keaton’s 1927 film _The General_ is impressive as all heck:
>
> The whole film is well worth the watching -- one of the best silent comedies -- Heck, one of the best \*comedies\*, period- of all time.
>
> And yes, they really did trash a bridge, a coal car, and a locomotive just for that one shot.
Excellent example. Trivia: the wrecked locomotive was left in the gorge to rust for 20 years.
---
### Author:  [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/90 "2019-04-16T19:39:21Z")
_The Greatest Show on Earth_ (1952) - train wreck
\*Henry V\* (1944) - Opening shot
From IMDB: "The opening model shot of London was huge, fifty feet by seventy feet in size, and made of plaster. It took four months to construct."
NOTE: Between 2:12 and 2:18, the camera crane bumps the table twice, as can be seen from the impact on the miniature trees in front of the Globe Theatre. Still, a magnificent shot.
---
### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/91 "2019-04-16T19:59:32Z")
The combat scenes in “Tora! Tora! Tora!” are in many cases truly remarkable.
---
### Author:  [@Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reindeer_Flotilla)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/92 "2019-04-16T20:22:41Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> The combat scenes in “Tora! Tora! Tora!” are in many cases truly remarkable.
Agreed. And those scenes got reused in other WWII movies made later, [Midway](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074899/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv) for example.
---
### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/93 "2019-04-16T21:27:23Z")
This shot from _Airplane_. You can probably guess before you click.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qpZZBlrq8)
---
### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/94 "2019-04-16T21:38:36Z")
\*Opens thread to see if The Thing is mentioned.
> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> As noted by **kenobi 65** , they’re called _practical effects_.
>
> [The Fly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fly_(1986_film)) and [The Thing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)) have some awesome practical effects.
Very good, I can stop reading now.
---
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/95 "2019-04-16T22:49:27Z")
As an aside, is it really a “special effect” if they just did the exact thing they were portraying and filmed it? I mean, nobody ever says “That was an amazing effect of that guy walking down the sidewalk! It looked just like he was really walking on a real sidewalk!”. So if a real trainwreck looks like a real trainwreck, well… yeah?
---
### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/96 "2019-04-16T23:10:22Z")
When \*Jaws \* munches on the boat.
The Battle of Hoth from _Empire Strikes Back_.
The 1/9th Air Cavalry’s “Flight of the Valkyrie” air assault / napalm strike / surf tournament on the mouth of the “Nung River” in _Apocalypse Now_.
---
### Author:  [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/97 "2019-04-16T23:28:26Z")
The “CGI” cityscape in [Escape from New York](https://youtu.be/xxYmMRxnEic?t=69) was, in fact, a practical effect - achieved by painting a model city black, then using reflective tape.
---
### Author:  [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/98 "2019-04-17T00:31:59Z")
I may have missed it, but how about the chestbuster scene from _Alien_?
One of the most memorable scenes in film for the shock and horror. Apparently, the cast wasn’t aware of all the specifics and their reactions, Veronica Cartwright’s especially, to being sprayed with "blood’ were real.
---
### Author:  [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/99 "2019-04-17T00:35:43Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#):
>
> I may have missed it, but how about the chestbuster scene from _Alien_?
>
> One of the most memorable scenes in film for the shock and horror. Apparently, the cast wasn’t aware of all the specifics and their reactions, Veronica Cartwright’s especially, to being sprayed with "blood’ were real.
Got it covered here ;):
> [@EinsteinsHund](#):
>
> Having only read the title, what first came in mind was the chestburster scene from “Alien”. Even the actors shat their pants when shooting this. A close second is the exploding head from Cronenberg’s “Scanners”. They are both iconic.
---
### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2019, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137/100 "2019-04-17T11:53:09Z")
It’s not of the caliber of the scenes from **2001** , or many of the others mentioned here, but one of my all-time favorite non-CGI effects shots is the “Beautiful Dreamer” reveal shot from the original 1949 **Mighty Joe Young**
> **[youtube mighty joe young beautiful dreamer - Yahoo Video Search Results](https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&p=youtube%2Bmighty%2Bjoe%2Byoung%2Bbeautiful%2Bdreamer#id=1&vid=2229e0b945e684e15c53e527062b10a9&action=click)**
>
> The search engine that helps you find exactly what you're looking for. Find the most relevant information, video, images, and answers from all across the Web.
"Mighty Joe Young was the Cooper/Schoedsack third go at a Giant Ape movie, this time with a benign, scaled-down Kong. I love the scene not only for the effects, but the set-up. Max O’Hara has opened a trendy new nightclub in Los Angeles, and persuades Jill Young and her companion Joe to come over to be the central act. as in King Kong, the somehow manage to keep Joe’s nature hidden from the general public, so his appearance will definitely be a surprise in Max’s African-themed club. He comes out in a safari suit and introduces Jill, in a gown at a rococo piano and has her play “Beautiful Dreamer” “This song is an especial favorite of Mr. Joseph Young,” he tells the audience. Jill plays for a time, competently, but certainly not nightclub quality, and the audience shifts about, wondering what’s up. Then Max, with a flourish of his pith helmet, announces “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Joseph Young of Africa!” and walks off.
The platform Jill and the piano are on, brightly lit, slowly rises into the air while the mechanism is concealed in darkness. When it gets to the full height, lights come on to reveal that the “mechanism” is Joe, the giant ape, holding it up. Joe shifts briefly, rocking the platform from its fixed and stable position, as the audience reacts. Then the platform begins to turn as the orchestra picks up the musical thread.
Beautifully rendered scene. Makes me wish there was a suitably sized and trained gorilla to actually perform it.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137.md?page=4)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-pre-cgi-special-effects-scenes/832137.md?page=6)