Thanks goes to TFT listener ‘Hiddenloop’ for suggesting this gorgeous site:
When they’re at their best, title sequences put you in the mood for the film – get you excited.
Here’s some of my favorites from the site:
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, (maybe one of the most entertaining films of all time)
Alien, (the first one – the second is alright in a let’s rip of Stanley Kubrick again kind of way – the third is forgettable, and the original title sequence for the forth picture shows why a big mistake was made in selecting director Jean-Pierre Jeunet – not scary, flippant almost).
Vertigo (oh my god the music by B. Hermann! and Saul Bass – I mean c’mon!).
Total Recall (what?!? yes Total Recall ’cause the cheese of the design matches the cheese of the music – you JUST KNOW that you’re in a for a good time – more and more I feel there’s only two categories of art/film/music [what have you] that are worth spending time on = absolute art or absolute trash – the middle is where death resides).
El Don I have no idea if this series is any good – but it makes me want to watch it that’s for sure.
Bullit (Dig it, baby! + I haven’t been back to my birthplace, San Francisco, for years – ((last time there = Y2K – but that’s a story for another time, anyhew this title sequence makes me want to drive out there RIGHT NOW))).
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Now, something changed in title sequences since the advent of low-cost digital editing and cheap computing power – it’s easy to do elaborate mini-films that back in the day would have been prohibitive re: production hours. This leads to over-produced title sequences that are often more impressive than the films they introduce. I first really became aware of this during the Island of Dr. Moreau, a film I instinctively knew was gonna be a stinker – yet the title sequence was impressive. To illustrate: Here’s the sequence for the remake of Dawn of the Dead
With the fantastic use of Mr. Johnny Cash it would be hard for even a gifted storyteller to live up to this sequence – remake boy doesn’t stand a chance.
posted in forum Miscellaneous by zad1138
posted in forum Miscellaneous by seanpdudley
posted in forum General Movie Stuff by seanpdudley
posted in forum General Movie Stuff by Jett Loe
posted in forum General Movie Stuff by prawnman
What a great topic.
“This leads to over-produced title sequences that are often more impressive than the films they introduce.”
Just recently I watched “The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three”, a B-Grade '70s action movie but with a great cast. The titles are the complete opposite of the quote above: utterly minimalist, but with a great score (David Shire). It's a real mood-setter for an action film done with nothing more than block letters and killer horn stabs.
Thank the Youtube gods. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXrEptVgUnc
–Steve
I love just about everything I've ever seen from Saul Bass. The man had such an incredible understanding of what could be achieved in a short space of time.
His work with Hitchcock and Scorsese is all worth checking out, but Casino is a favourite, as is Vertigo.
Wow – great titles on 'Taking of Pelham' – really set you up for a tense, knowing, big-city thriller! (and how often does film raises your expectations for action with a great riff then follow that with the words 'Starring Walter Matthau??),
Pelham's a good example of the New York grime in the 70's genre – a lot of fun and great they haven't remade it.
What?
Oh.
North by Northwest of course if fantastic – visually clear. clever and graphically elegant, (and of course a big influence on the best 'classical' title sequence in years:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcRr-Fb5xQo
Nice.
This site has a couple in it's list that I like (both on the frightening side):
Se7en
and
Halloween (not much to it – it's simple, but scary, I always thought)
Ugh. Well, I suppose it could be good. I'll bet it involves Islamic Terrorists.
–Steve
Jett, I’m glad you mentioned the Aliens title sequence and its musical nod to Kubrick – specifically 2001. I’d been fairly convinced it was the same piece of music for years, but couldn’t confirm it.
Sometimes great title sequences aren’t fancy, but work brilliantly at creating a mood. I love both the titles for Blade Runner and ET for this reason; both are subtle without even a proper melody to accompany them. At the other end of the spectrum the Superman titles are a perfect combination of rousing score and flying credits – cheesy, but they grab me every time.
Of course some movies have ditched opening titles altogether; Vanilla Sky, both recent Bat movies and Solaris (remake) spring to mind.
Jett, I’m glad you mentioned the Aliens title sequence and its musical nod to Kubrick – specifically 2001. I’d been fairly convinced it was the same piece of music for years, but couldn’t confirm it.
Sometimes great title sequences aren’t fancy, but work brilliantly at creating a mood. I love both the titles for Blade Runner and ET for this reason; both are subtle without even a proper melody to accompany them. At the other end of the spectrum the Superman titles are a perfect combination of rousing score and flying credits – cheesy, but they grab me every time.
Of course some movies have ditched opening titles altogether; Vanilla Sky, both recent Bat movies and Solaris (remake) spring to mind.