Take 5: Favourite Openings in Film
Five of our writers pick their favourite beginnings to a movie.
A hook. Screenwriters know every script needs one. Some writers who gleefully break the rules, but it’s hard to find a movie that avoids trying to deliver a memorable first scene. It’s the writer and director’s chance to impress. To set a tone. To introduce vital characters. To make your audience react. There are countless approaches to beginning a film well, from a brilliantly written exchange of dialogue (Pulp Fiction’s restaurant scene) to an edge-of-your-seat action sequence (Indiana Jones escaping a tomb in Raiders of the Lost Ark).
Today we celebrate some notable openings in cinema, thankfully avoiding most of the obvious ones! These scenes all impressed their respective writers, for reasons they explain below. Never underestimate a great beginning, as a fantastic first scene can generate a lot of goodwill to keep someone watching for longer than they might have otherwise.
And don’t be afraid to let us know some of your own favourite movie openings if you happen to disagree the ones below are noteworthy!
