10 Insanely Long Movie Takes That Changed Cinema Forever

9. Copacabana Tracking Shot - Goodfellas

Goodfellas In Scorsese's inimitable classic, mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) takes Karen (Lorraine Bracco) to the Copacabana club, and in order to fix a practical issue - the club's owner wouldn't let Scorsese bring a camera through the front - the scene unfolds as a seamless pass through the back of the club, out of the kitchen and onto the main floor, where Karen is subsequently seduced by the overwhelming power of Henry's success. It's one of the most popular tracking shots in movie history, largely because there's so much going on and so many moving parts to consider, from the hundreds of extras milling about in the background, to setting up that table quickly. How It Changed Cinema: This super-slick, time-economic introduction told us all we needed to know about the two main characters and their relationship dynamic inside of 3 minutes flat. No need for superfluous dialogues; this is it.
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Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.