Who Else Misses Full Opening Credits At the Very Start Of A Movie? (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

Christopher Nolan often reserves the title card to be the first card onscreen at the end of the movie. A lot of Marvel movies save the title card for during the end credits. The new "Star Trek Beyond" also reserves its title card for midway through the end credits.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm completely okay with this. It helps me suspend disbelief and makes it easier for me to forget that I'm watching a bunch of actors on a set with a crew standing just offscreen.

If the movie is well-made enough, that shouldn't be an issue, even if you sit through three minutes worth of opening credits. It's skill vs. less skill. Any good movie of the 1920's-80's sets up an atmosphere with its opening credits, which in no way impedes upon the involvement of the audience in the main feature. Not for me, anyway. Example: THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (my all-time favorite film), in which the credits run on top of live-action scenes. The opening credits are over two minutes in length. Within moments of the "Directed by David Lean" credit, one is completely sucked into the movie and has no consciousness whatsoever about a "crew standing just offscreen." Clever animated sequences such as those in THE PINK PANTHER series, or live-action photographed images such as in the James Bond films, or graphic designs such as in VERTIGO, completely set the audience up for the story that follows. For films in which the openings credits are simply text over a simple background, the underscore sets the tone, preparing us for the story emotionally with music.

I don't dispute that there are movies that work very well with no opening credits. I simply miss what is now a dying (in fact, nearly dead) art -- that of the main title sequence at the start of a film. The Saul Bass, Maurice Binder and Kyle Cooper days are pretty much over, I fear.
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[George_W_K]

Yes, and I love it!

I'm guessing you hate modern roller coasters that electro-magnetically launch you up the first hill and into the ride.

I don't HATE this, but I do get disappointed when a ride doesn't have that click click click that builds tension as you're getting pulled up that first hill.

 

[cinemiracle]

BARBARELLA had some of it's opening credits removed due to the Australian censor thinking that the background scene was not suitable for audiences. It was a sig of the times on it's original release.

 

[Johnny Angell]

A Man for All Seasons make a good case for credits up front. There are beautiful, striking images over which the credits roll. Not just the few principals, but the complete film credits. True, it wasn't the 10' crawl we get today.

Not only beautiful to watch but the plot was advanced during the credits.

 

[George_W_K]

I just bought Arlington Road because I haven't seen it in awhile and I love the opening of the movie. I really think the credits sequence sets the mood and gives you time to think about the opening you just saw.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Can't say I miss them. Rather get into the story asap, especially after sitting through 15 minutes or more of comercials and trailers.

 

[B-ROLL]

Can't say I miss them. Rather get into the story asap, especially after sitting through 15 minutes or more of comercials and trailers.

Not to mention the average movie these days seems to have at least five to ten production companies with logos and sounders ... I have to admit while watching The Third Man that not seeing Orson Welles in into um welle into the picture was a little disconcerting

Of course part of the fun of watching Star Trek movies with an audience is the reactions of the audience to the names of the various cast members as their names come up on the screen ...

 

[Chip_HT]

Not to mention the average movie these days seems to have at least five to ten production companies with logos and sounders ...

The Family Guy bit about all of the studio logos is becoming less of a joke every year.

I had that problem on a movie I just streamed recently...either Spotlight or the Big Short. I honestly couldn't tell that I was still watching studio titles.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I saw "Star Trek Beyond" recently and it had an astounding number of logos before the film, I think five - Paramount (the studio that owns the underlying Trek intellectual property rights), Skydance (the American co-financer), then two different foreign financing partners, and then Bad Robot (the production company which actually made the creative decisions on the film).

 

[Sam Favate]

My kids -who are 7 - recently watched the 2002 Spider-Man, which has credits in the beginning. One of them turned to me during the credits and said "When is the movie going to start?"
Sigh.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I saw "Star Trek Beyond" recently and it had an astounding number of logos before the film, I think five - Paramount (the studio that owns the underlying Trek intellectual property rights), Skydance (the American co-financer), then two different foreign financing partners, and then Bad Robot (the production company which actually made the creative decisions on the film).

And they repeated the credits in the text part of the credits. They always do.

My kids -who are 7 - recently watched the 2002 Spider-Man, which has credits in the beginning. One of them turned to me during the credits and said "When is the movie going to start?"
Sigh.

You have my sympathies.

 

[cinemiracle]

Can't say I miss them. Rather get into the story asap, especially after sitting through 15 minutes or more of comercials and trailers.

I always wait in the lobby and thus avoid the annoying 15 minutes of commercials. You would be surprised as to how many people do this.When I was last in London, the commercials lasted 30 minutes.The film's advertised starting time should be listed as being the start of the programme,not before the hated commercials. I also avoid watching commercial television where you have almost 15 minutes of commercials every hour. With 23 free-to-air television channels in Australia, there are several that have none or almost no commercials. When I worked in cinemas, we had the commercials BEFORE the advertised starting time for the programme and they lasted only a few minutes. How times have changed.

 

[Walter C]

Glad that it's just not me. There is a part of me that has gotten to the point where, if not going to show any credits at the start, then don't even show the title either. And some movies have done exactly that.

Also, why have the traditional opening credits at the end of the film, followed by the traditional closing credits? I mean, what is the point of basically going through it twice?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

John Carter. . .
. . .of Mars!

I believe the reason why the end credits are so long is because of union rules, which I can understand. Post-credit scenes are kind of annoying when the credits are ten minutes long, though.

As for the "A Film By. . ." credit. . .if you want to see cartoon steam coming out of someone's ears, mention it to a screenwriter!

 

[sidburyjr]

One of the things I miss from the films
Of the forties is at the end of the opening credits there was a section THE PLAYERS in which each primary actor was listed with the role played and a photo of the character

 

[Dick]

Another reason I like the credits at the end: it's nice to be surprised when there's a cast member you didn't realize was going to be in the movie. When you see all of the names at the front, it can spoil a surprise. For movies that are sequels or part of a series, for instance, if you see a certain actor's name in the credits, you automatically know that their character will be appearing, and that can be a spoiler. (For instance, the character was presumed dead in the last installment of the movie, and then you see their name in the opening credits - even though they don't appear until 5 minutes before the end of the movie and it's a meant to be a huge surprise, it spoils that plot point.)

You can always save the "surprise" cast members for the end and put everything (important) up front. Remember how Karloff was billed in Frankenstein? His name was only seen at the end.

 

[Dick]

Can't say I miss them. Rather get into the story asap, especially after sitting through 15 minutes or more of comercials and trailers.

Well, you have a point there. I still wish we had them.

 

[TravisR]

I'm a huge fan of John Carpenter's movies and I hate to imagine most of his stuff without the opening credits. The mood for Halloween is set infinitely better by having the theme playing over the jack-o-lantern & the credits than if the movie had just started with the opening tracking shot.

 

[Johnny Angell]

One of the things I miss from the films
Of the forties is at the end of the opening credits there was a section THE PLAYERS in which each primary actor was listed with the role played and a photo of the character

I always smile when I see a movie do that.