Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Presents



Three gunmen wait for a train in Once Upon a Time in the West


My Man Godfrey in spiffy type


Font as a prelude


My nephew believes film credit sequences belong at the end of the picture. In the case where they are overly long without adding anything visually, I agree. The title/credit sequence for Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West takes a full 12 minutes. Long? Yes, but masterfully edited and with the added bonus of Ennio Morricone's exciting score.
Also, typography lovers would miss out on all the wonderful designs,
especially in old black and white films.


2 comments:

Elizabeth Fama said...

I don't think he minds a quick title sequence (on the order of Star Wars), it's lengthy lists of things like gaffer and best boy and "Mr. Harrison's orchestra conducting tutor" that drive him insane. Why do we need to know who taught Rex Harrison how to wave his arms before the picture starts?

Susan said...

George Lucas omitted credits after the title for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back and was fined 250K, at which point Lucas resigned from the Director's Guild.
Lately, most films have skipped opening credits-- truth is, whether posted at the beginning or end of a movie, most of us are clueless about the countless tasks (gaffer, best boy etc.) necessary in filmmaking.