ROPE is, from my recollection, a series of three tracking shots ingeniously editing together through hidden cuts (which we are sophisticated enough to recognize TODAY, but were amazing then). It may have been four shots. Each was a whole reel long. The film is almost as fascinating for being Hitch's only real parlor drama/mystery. It's VERY English. Also, god, I wish Substack would permit italics in these comments so I didn't have to cap every word I want to emphasize.
Actually there are 11 shots in the whole film. They average around 10 minutes each. The film was actually based on the Leopold & Loeb case in Chicago. The setting for the film though is New York with mostly American actors.
Wow, that's great information. Thanks for the clarification. Like I said, it was just my recollection. I spat a lot of info out there not necessarily for you, but for others who might be less familiar with the film. I might have to go get it off my shelf now and rewatch. I feel like it deserves a drinking game. First one to spot a cut means everyone else has to do a shot.
Omg…these tracking shots in ALL of these movies are terrific! I can't believe the ones in Children of Men, Goodfellas, Rope, Boogie Nights, Hard Boiled, Brazil, etc., were all wonderful films with intense scenes. I can go on about every one of these films, but I would spoil it for others! Thank you, Cole; I'm going back to watch these films…movie fest!
The whole film is brilliant. I'd recommend watching the whole thing, but make sure it's the director's cut and not the butchered version originally released.
I scrolled down the list to make sure that you'd included Russian Ark. :) I can't imagine the coordination it would take to pull that off. Stunning film.
In general, I love the creative ways they reused the material from the other films, which is what some critics dismissed as rehashing. They're so wrong.
Also, the way Neo and Trinity are reunited, and using Sati to embue the film with a sense of Long time was great.
Enthusiastically agree, in particular with Children of Men!
Great list of tracking shots! There are also those long 10 minute(ish) takes in Hitchcock's Rope.
ROPE is, from my recollection, a series of three tracking shots ingeniously editing together through hidden cuts (which we are sophisticated enough to recognize TODAY, but were amazing then). It may have been four shots. Each was a whole reel long. The film is almost as fascinating for being Hitch's only real parlor drama/mystery. It's VERY English. Also, god, I wish Substack would permit italics in these comments so I didn't have to cap every word I want to emphasize.
Actually there are 11 shots in the whole film. They average around 10 minutes each. The film was actually based on the Leopold & Loeb case in Chicago. The setting for the film though is New York with mostly American actors.
Wow, that's great information. Thanks for the clarification. Like I said, it was just my recollection. I spat a lot of info out there not necessarily for you, but for others who might be less familiar with the film. I might have to go get it off my shelf now and rewatch. I feel like it deserves a drinking game. First one to spot a cut means everyone else has to do a shot.
Ha ha! Great idea!
I’d add Terry Gilliam’s Brazil… the opening (office scene filmed in a grain factory).
YES! The soundtrack to that scene is so sick…
I haven't seen BRAZIL in the longest time. I should fix that soon. Thanks for bringing it up!
The fight scene in "Atomic Blonde" is one of my favorites. I've watched it several times and can't find a cut in about 8 minutes of action.
It's a great one.
Omg…these tracking shots in ALL of these movies are terrific! I can't believe the ones in Children of Men, Goodfellas, Rope, Boogie Nights, Hard Boiled, Brazil, etc., were all wonderful films with intense scenes. I can go on about every one of these films, but I would spoil it for others! Thank you, Cole; I'm going back to watch these films…movie fest!
Enjoy!
Great list! I would also add the hospital shootout from John Woo’s Hard Boiled and the hotel arrival scene in Godard’s Alphaville 🔥🔥
Been a while for ALPHAVILLE. But HARD BOILED's is excellent.
You weren’t kidding. I’ve never seen Touch of Evil but that opening scene was incredible, even more so since it was made in the 50’s!
The whole film is brilliant. I'd recommend watching the whole thing, but make sure it's the director's cut and not the butchered version originally released.
I’m definitely going to try to find the full version, directors cut on your recommendation. Thanks Cole!
I scrolled down the list to make sure that you'd included Russian Ark. :) I can't imagine the coordination it would take to pull that off. Stunning film.
Yeah, it's a masterpiece. There are obviously many great tracking shots left off this list, but these are the ones that blew my mind the most.
In general, I love the creative ways they reused the material from the other films, which is what some critics dismissed as rehashing. They're so wrong.
Also, the way Neo and Trinity are reunited, and using Sati to embue the film with a sense of Long time was great.
Cole, I just watched Matrix Resurrections. No fucking way that movie deserves a three-star rating.
Ha. Hopefully that means you think it deserves 5/5 rather than 1 or 2/5 instead!
I don't give many things a 5, but I liked it very much. It's incisive, ingenious, funny now and again, and touching.
Certain lines stand out:.
It exposes what the cultural hegemony we call the entertainment industry most wants:
"...to build a game indistinguishable from reality," because ..."if you don't know what's real, you can't resist". Could the message be any clearer?
And to artists:
See how "...they take [your] stories, and turn them into something trivial."
and...
To this moment in our social history, it mourns:
"It's so easy to forget how much noise the matrix pumps into your head until you unplug."
because ...
'We used to have grace'
'We used to have conversations'. Now we have 'Wiki-piss-and-shit.'
The old man yelling at the clouds is our old friend the Merovingian, the 90s execrating the 2020s.
Four and a half, minimum.
Yeah, the Merovingian's speech is great. Unfortunately, I think it's mixed very poorly. I missed most of it on my first viewing. It's brilliant stuff!