How can one forget WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! That German Junkers Ju52 carring Burton, Eastwood and co. over the snow covered Austrian Alps. Great camera work and credit design, The cherry on the cake, Ron Goodwin's knockout theme of course. To this day I hardly know any male over 50 years old who did not want to be on this mission.
Consider the music AND the presentation when you are deciding.
In his recent (2013) BBC TV series The Sound of Cinema Neil Brand starts his exploration of film soundtrack music with my favourite, showing how the music integrates with the visuals and draws the viewer in ...
The Ipcress File ... perfection!
Many other good/great titles mentioned but having perfect music aids choosing.
How can one forget WHERE EAGLES DARE!!! That German Junkers Ju52 carring Burton, Eastwood and co. over the snow covered Austrian Alps. Great camera work and credit design, The cherry on the cake, Ron Goodwin's knockout theme of course. To this day I hardly know any male over 50 years old who did not want to be on this mission.
An excellent choice ... just don't count me in as one of those 50+ year olds ... far too scared to do anything remotely dangerous. It would just be my luck, too, to meet the German who had live ammunition in his machine gun!
I have to second THE SAND PEBBLES. That stark visual of the hopelessly overshadowed American vessel, that gut-wrenching music ... haunting and unforgettable.
Jaws is one of the best, the theme slowing starting in sync with the letters and then accelerating with the shark POV was really effective.
Raiders is also great in creating the mood and Temple Of Doom is also fantastic.
From the many great Hitchcock openings, my favourite is Vertigo.
Unfortunately most films today does not have main titles sequences. Maybe at a separate cathegory of post 2000 I'd include "Final Destination 5", with a great combination of 3-D effects in sync with Brian Tyler's music.
Alien 3. Oh man, how the music is so dissonant and ominous while interspersing between the credits in space, and the events on the Sulaco is so mesmerizing. "Fire in cryogenic compartment, repeat, fire in cryogenic compartment."
Ok I have a thing for sweeping massive letters moving across the screen to great music.
In that case you should like King of the Khyber Rifles. A great example of the sense of occasion and importance movies managed to project back in the day.
