The Top 10 Opening Credits Sequences
By Joe Boden
30th September 2009

10. American Splendor (2003, Shari Springer Berman)
Shari Springer Berman’s film is memorable for many reasons. There’s its new wave sensibilities, its intelligent and witty screenplay, and Paul Giamatti’s superbly nuanced performance. However, its opening credits are perhaps the strongest moments of the film, told in comic book form. It’s a simple trick (that was used at almost the same time, but to lesser effect, in Ang Lee’s “Hulk”), but one that submerges you in Harvey’s world. It’s also well pulled off, in a manner that is both intelligent and witty, and sets up the tone of humour for the rest of the film.

09. Memento (2000, Christopher Nolan)
The opening credits of “Memento” set up the reverse-chronological time frame of the rest of the film, with a superbly done confrontation between Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano. The credits run over a simple yet powerful image of Pearce’s Leonard shaking a Polaroid, with the image upon it slowly erasing itself. It’s both a neat visual and an intelligent musing from the man who would go on to re-invent the Batman franchise; Leonard’s crimes are set in stone, and he cannot take them back.

08. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Stanley Kubrick)
Perhaps the shortest of the opening credits on this list, “2001: A Space Odyssey” features a shot from the dark side of the moon, something ninety nine per cent of us will never get to see, with Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra playing over the top of it. Not only is it an awesome visual, but it’s also a testament to the power of spectacle; it is making the impossible possible, and real, in front of you on the screen.

07. Dr Strangelove (1964, Stanley Kubrick)
The second consecutive Kubrick on the list, “Dr Strangelove”s opening credit sequence is very funny, bursting with irony. Kubrick slowly films planes hovering in the air, obviously the jets that we later learn are within two hours of their primary targets within Russia, but – at the same time – openly mocks the maniacal and barbaric nature of war. Not only is the text scrawled in a cartoony and extravagant typeface, but he goes as far as to coat the credits with an orchestral version of “Try A Little Tenderness”. The film’s finale often gets all the plaudits for its bleak and pitch black irony, but the opening moments are equally as potent.

06. The King of Comedy (1982, Martin Scorsese)
Simple and effective, Scorsese’s second best film begins with some great understated credits. In a short but witty pre-credits sequence, we see Robert de Niro and Sandra Bernhard’s maniacal fanatics greet Jerry Lewis as he leaves the studio, and – as Jerry enters his limo – the camera freezes on Pupkin’s face, leering into the car. Not only does it introduce us to the troubled and hilarious protagonist that we’re about to follow for two hours, but it also gives thoughts on the life of a celebrity; attempting to hide away, as the bourgeois face of the public looks in on you.

05. American Psycho (2000, Mary Harron)
“American Psycho”, from very start to very finish, is a film about mind games. The whole thing is a metaphor for consumerism and corporate monopolization, attacking it from the inside, and drawing parallels between the blood thirsty businessmen and the blood thirsty murderers. The opening credits set up this dynamic wonderfully. In reality, it’s the setting up of a table, complete with sumptuous cuts of meat, sharp knives, and red liquid. Obviously, Harron begins drawing parallels between corporate monopoly and criminals before she even begins the narrative, and the pitch black category and razor sharp satire doesn’t let up from there.

04. Goldfinger (1964, Guy Hamilton)
A list of the top ten opening credits sequences would not be complete without the inclusion of at least one Bond film. I didn’t want to include more than one, for fear of becoming repetitive, but in truth there are a number of films that could have taken this spot. “Thunderball” is excellent, as is “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, which recounts the happenings of the previous five Bond outings. But the number one spot (of Bond credits sequences) has to go to “Goldfinger”. Sumptuously filmed, with images appearing and subsiding over a golden body, and coated with Shirley Bassey’s booming and now-iconic opening theme song, it’s just about credit perfection. And the name ‘Sean Connery’ sitting next to ‘as 007’ helps, too.

03. Se7en (1995, David Fincher)
There are several brilliant Fincher credit sequences. “Fight Club” is awesome, and “Panic Room” has a simple, subtle brilliance to it, but there’s one Fincher that sits above both of these films. The true genius of “Se7en”s opening credit sequence doesn’t quite hit you until second viewing. It offers insight into the mind of a killer, the film’s antagonist, and spies on him as he sets up the murders and his master plan. The techniques he uses, shown in snippet form here as Nine Inch Nails plays over the top, are more fully developed – and for first time viewers revealed – over the coming one hundred and thirty minutes. The move to show them in no small detail here is brave, and it’s visually an astonishing sequence.

02. Vertigo (1959, Alfred Hitchcock)
Talking about astonishing visuals, Hitchock’s “Vertigo” is full of them. From James Stewart’s psychedelic nightmare, to Hitchcock’s photography of the streets of San Francisco, almost everything in this film is easy on the eye. The crème de la crème, though, is the opening credit sequences. It’s hypnotic, dazzling, and mysterious, setting up the tone for the rest of Hitchcock’s masterpiece. The great British director had so many fantastic opening credit sequences, the list also including “North by Northwest” and “Psycho”, but none of them supersede the brilliance of “Vertigo”, if only for its splendid visuals.

01. Anatomy of a Murder (1959, Otto Preminger)
There can only be one winner, and I’m afraid I’m going for a rather obvious winner here. However, “Anatomy of a Murder” has got its reputation for a reason. Not only is it one of the greatest courtroom dramas ever made, and featuring one of the greatest performances from one of the greatest actors of all time, but it also features the greatest opening credits sequence of all time. Set to the backdrop of a free-wheeling jazz score, Preminger literally dissects the anatomy of a murder, before continuing to metaphorically do the same over the next one hundred and fifty minutes. It sets up the darker-than-most tone, too, whilst remaining visually stunning throughout. “The Man With the Golden Arm” is first rate Preminger credits, too, but it can’t match the intellect, the spirit, or the plain-as-day genius of “Anatomy of a Murder”.
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