11 Mind-Blowing TV Long Takes
8. The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel - Department Store Scene
The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel is rife with long takes. As Director of Photography M. David Mullen said in an interview with Movie Insider:
"I think that in general we don't do a lot of cutting on the show and there's a lot of one-take scenes - dialogue scenes. So it's part of our language for the show..."
From New Year's parties to entertaining the troops, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel has got the technique down to a tee and nowhere is that more apparent than the department store scene.
The opening of season two enters the B Altman and Company department store as customers and sales clerks interact. We then follow a letter tumble down a shoot to blinking switchboards where we find our demoted protagonist.
The scene allegedly took almost a month to discuss and plan. Both the store and switchboard room were extremely narrow filming spaces, so precise manoeuvring between the camera crew and cast was necessary to shoot the sequence without fault.
Accompanied by the haunting Just Leave Everything To Me by Barbara Streisand, the shot beautifully encapsulates the era and fast-paced nature of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel.