The critical moments of a movie are the first moments, the first few minutes where it either grabs you or loses you for good.  That’s what we mean when we talk about the movie experience, the wonder and delight of the shapes flickering across the screen that overcome you, and you think, “Oh yeah, this is going to work.” 

Contrast that to the soul-crushing dismay when you realize that what you hoped would be a great couple of hours is instead going to be a dreary death-march of clichés, lazy writing and bad music broken only occasionally when you glance longingly at your watch and wish you could have your $11.50 and two hours back. 

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You know a great opening when you see it; if fact, you feel it.  My definition of “opening” is rather loose.  An opening can go up to, or past the credits, or it may just be the credit sequence itself.  Some openings are rather long, 10-15 minutes.  Some are just a couple of minutes.  There is no one formula for a great opening – the ten listed here as my personal favorites are as different from each other as Democratic Party governance is from competent leadership.  But there are some common threads.  A great opening tells you something about the story you will see.  It might be in words of formal narration, or a sequence that takes you into the story, or in some cases it’s just a few images.  There may be prominent music, or little or none.  But when the opening is over, you are ready – you understand enough to begin the journey.  And, more importantly, you are eager to go. 

It’s easy – and serves an important purpose – to point out where Hollywood fails.  But it’s a special pleasure to point out where it got it just perfect.  Here are my Top 10 favorite movie openings: 

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Terrific.   Any detractors of OHMSS need to re-watch it.  Despite a few stumbles, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable Bond film with perhaps the most development of Bond’s character since Dr. No. Let’s dive in.

A Different Bond, James Bond 

We begin as we always do, with the man himself.  The man, however, is now George Lazenby.

There have been many detractors of Mr. Lazenby over the years, but here in 2011, he comes off as completely credible, a perfectly competent actor, and he cuts a masculine and heroic figure.  He’s got a different look to him than Mr. Connery – he was a male model, after all – but no less intriguing. His first appearance is on a windy beach road, passed by in a sports car by his soon-to-be-lover Tracy Di Vicenzio (Diana Rigg).   The director, Peter R. Hunt, was the editor of all the previous Bond films, and plays coy with the audience for only a few moments before revealing the new Bond.  Mr. Lazenby is shown only in silhouette or in extreme close-ups.  When he leaps from his car, we get our first look.   It isn’t long before he’s in a wave-crashing and sand-blasting fistfight with the thugs assailing Tracy.  Although I hate the moment where he says, “This never happened to the other fellow” and throws a quick glance to the camera, Mr. Lazenby’s introduction makes it pretty clear: he’s no pansy.

There’s a subtle difference between Mr. Connery’s later, more relaxed appearances, and Mr. Lazenby’s portrayal.   Mr. Connery’s persona was one of granite and steel.  You knew he always meant business, and that nothing much would get past him.  Mr. Lazenby’s interpretation is warmer, more welcoming, and more of the playboy seen in Mr. Fleming’s novels.  I think this choice is a good one.  In order for us to buy the romance between Tracy and Bond, the lead actor had to present a softer side we had not seen before.  Yet, this vulnerability plays perfectly in contrast to what we expect from Bond: a rough-and-tumble spy.  He’s in a tough fight right from the start, and 14 minutes in, he’s got a formidable opponent in Tracy’s bedroom (an African-American tough, recalling both Dr. No and foreshadowing Live and Let Die).

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So I begin my analysis of the third James Bond film, Goldfinger, with a huge “GULP,” knowing that it is probably most people’s favorite film.  Here’s hoping I don’t lose my entire readership — although I think I’m safe as the film holds up extremely well and may be the truly iconic Bond film of the series.

Bond, James

We begin as we always do, with Sean Connery’s portrayal of 007.  His performance continues to evolve following his first two outings.  Whereas he began to settle into the role in From Russia With Love, at this point he is more than just relaxed in it.  He owns it.  There is a sense that he is a full-blown agent now, that he’s been on countless missions, and his charm and grace are being pushed to the forefront.  The more brutal qualities he exhibited in the first two films are toned down, while the British sophistication is far more evident.  This is also consistent with the more playful tone of the movie (more on that shortly).  The harder edges of masculinity that were showcased in the first two movies recede just a bit into the background.  Mr. Connery is seen more often in suit and tie, and for that matter, the suits themselves feel to be of a classier cut.

There is a warmer side to Bond this time, as well.  Viewers will remember that he did not need to save Honey Ryder as Dr. No’s lair crumbled in the first film.  She was a true innocent.  In Goldfinger, Bond clearly feels responsible for the death of Jill Masterson.  Bond seduces her, causing her to betray Goldfinger as he cheats at cards.  When Oddjob later kills her via epidermal suffocation by painting her gold, M confronts Bond regarding his ability to handle the mission objectively.  Her death clearly weighs on his conscience, though we only see it for a moment or two.  Interestingly, this is one of at least three occasions in which it is suggested that Bond is motivated by revenge (the others being License to Kill and Quantum of Solace).  It’s a bit odd for him to feel so strongly for a woman he certainly didn’t love.  The subtext, then, is that Bond in fact carries a guilty conscience over Masterson’s death.  Later, when he inadvertently exposes Jill’s sister Tilly, and she ends up dead at the hat of Oddjob, one can only conclude that Bond now has a double case of guilt to deal with. (more…)

In this post, I want to give some advice to beginning screenwriters who are having difficulty finishing — or even starting — their first screenplay. I’ve been mulling over what to say for several weeks now, trying to come up with some inspirational words of advice to motivate you into achieving your goal. After much thought and deep-dish contemplation, I’ve boiled my advice down to this:

If you want to write for Hollywood, think like a
hack writer and stick to the Hollywood Formula.

How’s that for inspiring rhetoric?

Now, most “creative” types (that is, people who don’t actually have a job writing for Hollywood) will tell you that adhering to a formula is a bad thing because it stifles creativity. (more…)