comparing film openings

This is the opening scene from the movie "gangs of new york" the opening scenes suggest that there is a lot of conflict is war music playing in the background as the priest this make the narative expectations very steroetypical in the idea that there will be a lot of fighting in this movie as right at the begining the priest is marching the "dead rabbits" into battle. after the leader of the natives however kills the preist this may con the vieweres into thinking this is the last of the conflict as the war music dies out and the the priest's killer makes a speech about how this is the end. When the child of the preist however tries to kills the butcher ( his father's killer) he is captured and he has revenge in his eyes which show that this isn't the end of the feud setting up the narrative for a story of revenge.
The compilation in this clip a very well orcustarted as the shot selection is very simple, compliments the atmosphere and the continuity is floorless. from 3:39 its starts of showing the priest and his immediate men and the camera angle slowly changes to a long shot to show more the people inside his burrow preparing themselves and the chages again to a great establishing shot of the entire burrow showing the scale of which the war they are about to begin will be clash literally of waves of people.


This clip also introduces the two the main characters of this film the butcher (bill cuttings) and amsterdam the priest's son and their opening exchanges tell you all of what you need to know about their characters. Amsterdam is young boy who have self inflicted himself the burden of avenging his fathers death and from the look in his eyes as the little boy shows the hatred that has for the butcher


This clip from 'The usual supsects' shows all the classic conventions of a thriller. You learn a lot about the narrative from this opening scene as you see a dead body on a floor, a man get killed and a boat go up in flames. simply from theese shots you can tell this movie may contain gangsters and the clip suggests that this scene could be the end of the story but the beginig of the movie.

We only see two characters in this clip but interaction they have shows that they know each other. the fact that one kills the other could show one of two things, that they have had some of conflict or that the man kills his friend out of pitty as he can no longer feel his legs. Both theese characters reflect characteristics of gangsters showing the viewer that this is based on some sort of gangster activity.