The 50 Greatest Opening Title Sequences of All Time

Giving some credit to the finest opening credits ever made.

10. “Saturday Night Fever” (1977)
Directed by John Badham

Without a single line of pertinent dialogue, the opening of “Saturday Night Fever” perfectly demonstrates the disconnect between Tony Manero’s glamorous dreams and unglamorous reality. The sequence opens with symbolic shots of New York’s Brooklyn and Verrazano Bridges and then zooms in to an elevated subway train pulling into the station in Bay Ridge, foreshadowing Tony’s climactic subway ride after his final dance contest late in the film. Down to the street level we meet Tony (John Travolta), walking with a can of paint. The Bee Gee’s disco anthem “Staying Alive” blasts on the soundtrack, but only Tony walks in perfect time with its beat, a choice that emphasizes his importance within the film and his powerful connection with music. Tony’s gorgeous polyester clothes and syncopated strut suggest he’s a big shot, but no big shot sneaks slices of pizza while running errands for a hardware store or puts five bucks on a shirt for layaway. Tony’s walk hints at his desire for freedom while his ultimate destination, back at his dead-end job, emphasizes the fact that wherever he goes, whatever he does, he can’t escape his provincial Brooklyn home. Excitement lay just over those bridges in Manhattan. But you can’t get there by walking. –MS

Below is an excerpt. For the full opening to “Saturday Nigth Fever” go to TCM.com.

9. “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” (1966)
Directed by Sergio Leone

Sergio Leone’s epic Man With No Name Trilogy concludes with this epic installment, and its credits suggest not only the wild, expressionistic grandeur to come, but also call sly attention to its series predecessors. Designed by Iginio “Gigi” Lardani, the sequence opens with silhouetted figures amidst red splotches before segueing to gunshots and crimson-drenched headshots of its three protagonists — Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach
and Lee Van Cleef — all appearing from beneath piles of swept-away sawdust. Lardani aims for iconic Western majesty with primary-colored still images from the film (Soldiers! Caravans! Eastwood’s grimace!) embellished by beautiful saloon-style typography and united by gorgeous transitional wipes. Throw in Ennio Morricone’s legendary score, which alone encapsulates the material’s literal and emotional scope, and you have an ideal opening for Leone’s great gunslinger masterpiece. –NS

8. “Watchmen” (2009)
Directed by Zack Snyder

Regardless of one’s feelings towards Zack Snyder’s ambitious mounting of Alan Moore’s tale of outcast superheroes, the one thing everyone could agree upon when “Watchmen” hit theaters back in March of 2009 was its incredible opening title sequence. At six minutes, the scene may run long by conventional film standards, but what it accomplishes — condensing this alternate world history into a comparatively tiny package — is nearly impossible. The sequence wasn’t an easy one to pull off — the “300” director had to fit bits and pieces of the shots into his busy shooting schedule while design firm yU + co was brought in to create 3D credits that playfully interacted with scenes like the recreation of the Last Supper at Sally Jupiter’s retirement dinner or Dr. Manhattan’s meeting with President Kennedy at the White House. The sequence is wordless but we can tell, even without Bob Dylan singing it, that “The Times They Are a’Changin’.” –SS

7. “Raging Bull” (1980)
Directed by Martin Scorsese

Are there really any cinematic introductions more iconic than Robert De Niro’s Jake LaMotta shadowboxing by himself in slow motion in a smoky, dimly lit ring? Inspired by a book of still photographs called “Fighters,” Martin Scorsese shot De Niro at 120 frames-per-second and paired the footage with Pietro Mascagni’s buoyant but slightly mournful “Cavalleria Rusticana” to underscore the pugilist’s indefatigable spirit and futile future. The only distractions from LaMotta in the frame are the flashbulbs popping in the background that cinematographer Michael Chapman controlled while keeping himself shrouded in black velour so no one could see him. With the focus on LaMotta, you’re witnessing the grace of the athlete and a man who is ultimately fighting with himself. Usually, filmmakers need an entire film to pack such a punch. That the rest of Scorsese’s film lives up to this introduction is a testament to his facility with story, no matter how long or short. –SS

6. “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (1988)
Directed by David Zucker

For the film adaptation of their cult TV show “Police Squad!” David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (ZAZ) carried over the big-band theme song by Ira Newborn, but radically altered the credit sequence. “Police Squad!” began with a brief shot of a police siren underneath the title followed by a mock-serious rundown of the actors. The movie expands that opening shot into three minutes of jokes. ZAZ fixed the camera behind the siren, and rode it through an increasingly outrageous series of locations. It begins on the cop movie cliché of rain soaked streets, but soon it veers onto the sidewalk, stops off for a car wash, goes on a tour of a McMansion, sexually harasses a woman’s locker room, speeds down a roller coaster, and finally rolls to a stop in front of a donut shop. It’s the perfect introduction to ZAZ’s gift of gag. –RES

This clip contains excerpts from all three “Naked Gun” opening titles:

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