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The 50 Greatest Trailers of All Time
From "Watchmen" to "The Minus Man," we count down the greatest trailers out there.
Anatomy of a Trailer: we open in a nondescript courtroom, Anytown, U.S.A. But almost immediately, a sign of the unusual: the bailiff stands and announces “There is a new movie coming to this town. All those involved in this film will now be sworn in!” The oath is then delivered by “Anatomy of a Murder” director Otto Preminger. “Raise your right hand!” he barks. “Do you solemnly swear that you have done your job in this picture to the best of your ability… James Stewart?” Jimmy nods and says he does, followed in rapid succession by the rest of the cast. I’m not sure these statements are legally binding, but the enthusiasm is nice. Next Preminger has a conversation with “Anatomy” novelist John D. Voelker, who rightly observes that their courtroom scene is missing a jury. “Our jury is not just twelve men and women in a box!” Preminger chuckles. “Our judge and jury sits out there!” as he points into the camera, “millions and millions of people in the theaters!”
The entire judicial conceit is cheeky fun, obviously in keeping with the film’s subject matter, and Preminger’s salutation to the audience is an apt metaphor for the court of public opinion. Plus the overly excited pull quotes from newspaper reviews — just what the hell is “Socko cinema!” anyway? — shows that dubious blurbage in movie ads is not just a recent problem. –Matt Singer
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Tags: lists, Trailers
