By 1958, Orson Welles’ career as a filmmaker in Hollywood was pretty much over. After making a splash at the ripe age of 25 with his debut film Citizen Kane (still considered by many to be the apex of cinematic achievement), Welles soon gained a reputation for being difficult and was shunned.
But when Charlton Heston, who was about to star in Universal’s new thriller Touch of Evil, insisted that he would do the film only with Welles at the helm, the studio relented. Welles again proved to be a handful and the studio took him off the project during post-production and re-edited the film without his input.
It wasn’t until 1998 that the movie was restored using Welles’ extensive notes in an attempt to match his vision as closely as possible. One of the scenes restored was the movie’s opening sequence (which originally ran with credits, now removed). It’s one of the most famous shots in cinematic history—one, long 3 ½ minute take that follows a car containing a hidden bomb through the streets of a Mexican border town, where we meet the film’s protagonists played by Heston and Janet Leigh, until it explodes.
Filmmakers continue to create impressive one-take sequences, but this early attempt is still one of the best. In an era before modern CGI visual effects, Welles did this the old-fashioned way and it still works. Is it showing off? Hell, yes. But it’s also just as effective and breath taking as it must have been fifty years ago. See it here:
That was a good sequence, but I thought that the ending was so-so.
Might I recommend “The Manchurian Candidate (1962)”? Lots of symbolism and hidden messages, and a hilarious fight scene with a Chinaman.
Hey Simon, I don’t remember a long, one-take sequence in MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, do you know which scene that was? And I believe the fight was with a North Korean played by Henry Silva in yellow face but it’s pretty funny–one of the first examples of “karate” used in a Hollywood film.
The Manchurian Candidate did have a long one-take sequence! It was the camera panning 720 degrees during the brainwashing scene, showing the old ladies turning into Russians/Chinese.
Correction: it was 360 degrees.
“In one of many unforgettable shots in the film, the camera does a 360º pan of the men as they listen to a group of Garden Club women discuss hydrangeas.”
“In an uninterrupted pan, the camera tracks 360 degrees, from the soldiers, to the listening women, and back around to the soldiers — now surrounded by Korean generals and posters of Communist leaders. The soldiers have been brainwashed; the lecture is what they are told to see, the generals inhabit reality.”
i’m not sure how accurate those plastic twist timers are. sometimes they can be off by a minute or two…or three
rad stuff rosebud…
opening shot of the movie 21 where the camera goes from a wide shot of the charles river to a cu of the kid biking on the Longfellow bridge all in one take is nuts! Too bad the rest of the movie sucked balls…
I remember this scene from a class in college. It’s awesomely timed, with the traffic slowing the car down as the camera moved at a steady pace. Ingenious.
The Player also had a long uninterrupted take at the beginning. Very well done, but perhaps trying a bit too hard?
Classic. Just rented it again thanks to your post, Phil.
I’m a big fan of Johnnie To movies, especially BREAKING NEWS. The intro is a 7 min tracking shot. Pretty awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJlCYNt2z9k
And while this is all FX, I always thought the intro to LORD OF WAR (underrated) is pretty impressive too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d0d6qgsvTw
And let us not forget the epic uncut fight scene from Old Boy.