2. The Opening Sequence in Citizen Kane (1941)
http://youtu.be/LZOzk7T93wE Theres a reason that Citizen Kane sat atop Sight and Sounds 50 Greatest Films of All Time list for 50 years (until being very recently usurped by Hitchcocks Vertigo), in fact there are many, many reasons. Youve got an unbelievable story, a superior script, and some of the finest performances youre ever likely to see on a screen. Why It Was Inventive: Technically I suppose this is more of a montage than a singular shot but I feel personally this list would be remiss without discussing it. As is one of Orson Welles trademarks, this opening sequence establishes perfectly everything we need to know about themes, tone and character, before weve even been introduced to a living person. The No Trespassing sign gives way to a linked fence, gives way to more iron bars before finally revealing the lonely house on the hill. Welles employed some pretty spectacular (at the time) use of focus play, and this collection of shots slowly invites us, the audience, into Kanes shallow existence by first limiting our view; with the fence in hard focus but the grounds within obscured in soft focus, slowly rising before finally revealing the house on the hill and its vast, decaying surrounding grounds. A poignant metaphor for Kanes entire existence. If pioneers like Melies created the subtext in cinema, and the likes of Scorsese and Tarantino continue to champion it today, Welles was most definitely the link between them and Citizen Kanes opening sequence never fails to create a resounding sense of dread.