Contempt
A Woman is A Woman
Touch of Evil
Lola
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Angels and Insects
Days of Being Wild
Boogie Nights
Manhattan
Fight Club, for sure. The music is intense, and at first you can’t really tell what’s going on, but it’s captivating and beautiful. And the way it leads into the scene introducing Tyler Durden is SO epic!
The Royal Tenenbaums
The opening montage of This Is England set to 54 46 Was My Number by Toots & The Maytals. The rude ska with its overtones of innocent protest together with the evocative tapestry of 80s reportage and media kitsch.
Famous for her sweeping idiocy, the Iron Lady told us, “There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families.” Shane Meadows’ beautiful film shames her with its truth about what happens if you try to negate the importance of societies and the communities they comprise. A fine cinematic testament to how wrong Thatcher was.
Every time I hear Toots now I see that opening title sequence and lament the crass arrogance and inexorable pride that was 80s Britain.
While not my favourite, I recently saw We Own The Night, which begins with music and b&w stills of NYC cops, and while one would expect some superimposed opening credits, there’s not. My reason for mentioning though is that the film’s title neither appears at the end, only on the insignia of a shoulder patch on one of the officers. It wasn’t overly clever, but it set the tone of the film as being one that wasn’t going to tell the audience what’s going on.
My favourite: Irreversible.
Love the segmented skyscraper windows on “North by Northwest”. Great music too.
Most definitely The 400 Blows.
The Royal Tenenbaums… that’s a good one Yves. Symmetrical shots and interesting sets to introduce the cast. (with the children grown up)
And the score is very cinematic during the opening titles in The 400 Blows. Good ones!
I love Woody Allen’s title sequences. They’re all the same.
Anything almodovar does for his opening credits, Bad Education. The opening to Vacancy, also a nice title sequence.
“Bunny Lake Is Missing” (Preminger) and “99 & 44/100% Dead” (Frankenheimer)
I really like the opening of Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” how it shifts so violently from the jazz music to Nicolas Cage bashing a guy’s skull into a handrail.
All of Wes Anderson’s movies have cool opening sequences. Max’s math class fantasy in “Rushmore” is such a good setup.
Also, I recall Bergman’s “Persona” being really interesting.
As far as straight up opening credits, I like “Psycho” and “Catch me if you can”
Here are two “signature” title sequences: “Peeping Tom” and “The Wild Bunch.” In both, the director unmistakably identifies himself, saying this is who I am.
In “Peeping Tom,” we see the title character doing what he does throughout the movie, which is to kill people and film them at the same time, then later watching the results. As he watches the film of his latest killing, the words “Directed by Michael Powell” appear, which is Powell’s way of saying he is in the voyeurism business as well, as is any viewer.
And of course in “The Wild Bunch” we have one of the most famous statements of purpose of all time. William Holden has just led a bank hold-up and tells his co-hort “If they move `em, kill `em” — freeze-frame, and “Directed by Sam Peckinpah” appears. No line has been more associated with the director; it was also the title of David Weddle’s biography.
Contempt’s is startling and funny.
Satoshi Kon’s Tokyo Godfathers had great titles.
I thought the opening credits for Tim Burton’s MARS ATTACKS! were brilliant. The rest of the film, well… But those credits are genius.
My Own Private Idaho, all Saul Bass sequences, Fincher’s seven, Fight Club, Panic Room
i came here to mention Mars Attacks!, but someone has done so before me… anyway they are the best. All Tim Burton titles are amazing, Planet of the Apes titles are a film by themselves!
my favorites, North by Northwest, Casino Royale, Catch me if you can
Contempt is good too.
an Indian movie Chantabbai comes close (a detective tries to decode a hidden message by picking letters from the credits painted on billboards, milestones graffitti on walls)
Run Lola Run was pretty good.
The Beatles’ Hey Jude instrumental in The Royal Tenenbaums kills me everytime I watch it. Brilliant.
Thank You For Smoking had a really sweet title sequence, although I only vaguely remember.
One I immediately think of that isn’t already listed is from “Irma :La Deuce”. I love the little stories between the opening credits. It was very comical and a meritorious idea.
Dr. Strangelove, The Shining (something about the scrolling and the heights)
Vertigo
Delicatessen
The Royal Tenenbaums (Love the typeface.)
Se7en
Blue Velvet
And, I’ve always appreciated the title sequence for Panic Room.
As much as I can’t stand Zack Snyder, the opening to Dawn of the Dead with the news footage and Johnny Cash song was great. Also, F for Fake has an amazing title sequence, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Godard’s A Woman is a Woman. Lights, Camera, Action !
Charade, Se7en, Life of Brian, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
My favorite title sequence was probably Lord of War, with the life of a bullet. Nicely done.
These are all good and interesting picks, but let’s be honest here – does anything come close to The Good The Bad and The Ugly?
How could I forget The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Although I think Once Upon A Time in the West is better. The title sequence alone could be it’s own short movie.
Michel Kesterson
Billion Dollar Brain… sexy girls, guns, Michael Caine with bold rimmed glasses, and lots of freeze frames. (very 60s baby)