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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- A video essay about a random question I once asked myself: what is the busiest shot in movie history?
So random in fact that I had to make up a whole bunch of definitions and limitations to answer it (and so a long and complex tracking shot wouldn't just kill all the fun).
I came up with four rules to narrow it down. Rule number one: Geography. The shot must use as much of the screen as possible. Every side and layer.
Two: Consistency. The camera can never completely abandon the initial angle. It can approach and pull back and pan and tilt, up to a point, but we must remain in the same spot throughout. Arcing motions are out the window.
Three: Internal Movement. Elements on-screen cannot remain still; they must change positions. And because of the Consistency rule, they must move more than the camera.
And four: Story. We must be able to witness a full storyline developing on screen.
Thus specified I arrived at an extraordinary (as should be expected) shot from "War and Peace" (1965-1967), the monumental Soviet epic by Sergei Bondarchuk. It deals with Pierre's unintentional marriage proposal to Hélène. It's an extraordinary use of depth and the width of the scope aspect ratio. The amount of story and information on screen is astounding! This is, after all, one of the greatest masterpieces of Russian cinema.
#videoessay #filmmaking #cinematography
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If you'd like to know how faithful the shot/scene is to the original novel, I included below the specific paragraphs it adapts.
War and Peace: Book 3, Chapter 2 (www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/...)
“The step must be taken but I cannot, I cannot!” thought Pierre, and he again began speaking about indifferent matters, about Sergéy Kuzmích, asking what the point of the story was as he had not heard it properly. Hélène answered with a smile that she too had missed it.
When Prince Vasíli returned to the drawing room, the princess, his wife, was talking in low tones to the elderly lady about Pierre.
“Of course, it is a very brilliant match, but happiness, my dear...”
“Marriages are made in heaven,” replied the elderly lady.
Prince Vasíli passed by, seeming not to hear the ladies, and sat down on a sofa in a far corner of the room. He closed his eyes and seemed to be dozing. His head sank forward and then he roused himself.
“Aline,” he said to his wife, “go and see what they are about.”
The princess went up to the door, passed by it with a dignified and indifferent air, and glanced into the little drawing room. Pierre and Hélène still sat talking just as before.
“Still the same,” she said to her husband.
Prince Vasíli frowned, twisting his mouth, his cheeks quivered and his face assumed the coarse, unpleasant expression peculiar to him. Shaking himself, he rose, threw back his head, and with resolute steps went past the ladies into the little drawing room. With quick steps he went joyfully up to Pierre. His face was so unusually triumphant that Pierre rose in alarm on seeing it.
“Thank God!” said Prince Vasíli. “My wife has told me everything!” (He put one arm around Pierre and the other around his daughter.)-“My dear boy... Lëlya... I am very pleased.” (His voice trembled.) “I loved your father... and she will make you a good wife... God bless you!...”
He embraced his daughter, and then again Pierre, and kissed him with his malodorous mouth. Tears actually moistened his cheeks.
“Princess, come here!” he shouted.
The old princess came in and also wept. The elderly lady was using her handkerchief too. Pierre was kissed, and he kissed the beautiful Hélène’s hand several times. After a while they were left alone again.
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It always makes me cringe when I see movies in scope format with bad composition and poor blocking. Filmmakers need to know that every single scene needs to be blocked and storyboarded BASED ON THE ASPECT RATIO you are choosing.
A complicating factor is that these days directors and cinematographers may have to accommodate multiple aspect ratios, as the movie could be released in say 1.4 imax, 2.35 non-imax and 1.78 home media. Makes framing and blocking trickier.
@@ProuvaireJean I honestly wish that if someone chose to shoot for IMAX, that they'd just shoot their entire movie in 1.43/1.90. It's a cool aspect ratio to begin with and it can be shown on other screens, just with black bars on the side. It's not as if The Lighthouse wasn't shown in theaters or older movies aren't released in widescreen theaters all the time.
Imagine panning and scanning this bad boy.
Pan & Scan sucked so bad. At least letterbox isn't too bad on 1.78 TVs. Though I would really like to see more digital home projection capable of IMAX resolution with a true IMAX Blu-ray release.
Off the top of my head I'm going to go with a scene from Citizen Kane...the Charlie Kane song. The board of directors are all arrayed on the right of the screen with Leland and Bernstein's backs to the camera. Kane gets up, a marching band enters, Kane talks to Leland then walks back, then dancing girls come out and then Kane goes back to talk about war with Spain with Leland and Bernstein. It adheres to all your rules.
TBH, even without the "Busiest Shot in Movie History" gimmick, I'm just interested to hear Moviewise discuss why this single shot from Bondarchuk's War and Peace (I've only seen snippets, I really want to watch the whole thing) is so good. FWIW, though, I remember being very much struck by the post-Agincourt tracking shot in Branagh's Henry V, with all the grim stuff going on in the background while Branagh carries Christian Bale's lifeless body. Best example of why that film really needs to be seen on the big screen. I saw it with a grad school classmate who remarked that Branagh squeezed a lot out of what is essentially a throwaway line in the play.
You can watch it complete, the four parts of it, in the Mosfilm channel here, in TH-cam.
As you say, the Bondarchuk WAR AND PEACE is full of magnificent scope flourishes. The sound editing was evocative as well, with it's screen-directional dialogue. A lot of that was lost on the Criterion blu-ray, which folds about 80% of the 6-track sound design to mono. I hope they'll fix that audio problem some day, but I doubt it. The Mosfilm HD version on TH-cam is sound correct, so that's the version to watch.
I did not know that, thank you for the comment! The sound must be really impressive in a good theater.
@@Moviewise Oh, it was. VERY aggressive use of the surround speakers in some scenes.
MW, the problem with all your videos is that there aren't enough of them ❤
Like a trip where the journey is as rewarding as a destination you may or may not reach, just thinking about the question "What is the X-est shot in movie history" and coming up with the rules and analyzing different shots is fun and educational even if we never agree on the answer. Once again MovieWise enriches and ruins my enjoyment of movies as I think more and more about camera angles and dialog now instead of sitting passively and mindlessly entertained.
Crediting this channel with all my directing knowledge. Single handedly taught me how to block and direct. Thank you moviewise!
pretty much any Peter Greenaway movie holds it's own for "busy opening shots"
What a perfect shot that is! War and Peace is sutch a masterpiece, everyone should see it.
So many Tarkovsky films have amazing shots. You could pause the film at any point and it tells you a whole story, and the compositions are so beautiful.
What's amazing about this shot is the depth of field with 70mm Soviet made film stock (ASA 25 maybe). You would need 24mm f8 and every light in the studio
Every time I see a new video from Moviewise a smile rises on my face 🙂. Maybe there were too many rules for the busiest shot 🙏 Without those rules - 'Russian Ark' could take the cake, isn't that one single shot, an entire movie? Or Zhang Yimou's 'Hero' has some contending shots (some from the throne room etc), or Kurosawa has something to say about that in 'Kagemusha' or 'Run'😏...or how about 'Rear Window' with its many busy shots? The topic is clearly a food for thought, thank you!
I just recently watched this film, and yes, it is soo slow but the scenes are eye-popping. I found it surprising that in USSR they would portray religious procession of the miraculous icon of Our Lady (before the battle) with such reverence. They didn't hold their ideology over the faithfulness to the source material and the spirit of the age. I remember the times when the West was capable of this, too. :P
lol, don't think they didn't, of course they did. artists just found ways to get past censorship. in cases like this he could state to censor board that "religious scene is supposed to show in critical light religion as the opiate of masses, as understood by marxist ideology" and it could pass through. connections of artist were important too, same scene could be considered acceptable or offensive depending on how favorable the artist was to ruling elite, and as always favors and alliances constantly changed in regime
Censorship was wild in USSR. Many movies went "on a shelf" for many years, directors tried to found a way to distract censors from some scenes and so on. But "War and Peace" was a political project. Authorities were offended by the fact that Hollywood filmed "War and Peace" first, so they decided to go all the way to make a great "War and Peace" for export.
@@czwarty7878 From the late 60's onwards, censorship was very much relaxed in comparison to other times. Besides, historic accuracy was also an important criteria. Think of Andrei Rublev, by Tarkovsky, for instance. Even in Stalin's times, some artists had more freedom than others. For instance, Bulgakov wrote The White Guard, romantizacing the White army in the Civil War, and the Days of the Turbins, the play based on it, won a standing ovation by Stalin, while others went to the GULAG for rather tame poems.
We agree about "War and Peace." Not to brag, but I once met Bondarchuk and I've seen his personal 70mm print of this film -- twice. I don't agree with your rules and therefore will choose Tsar Alexander's entrance into the ballroom as my favorite "oner" in the film. It's a VERY busy shot, even though it doesn't tell a lot of story. That said, I've always liked the shot you've chosen. I like the weird, alienating dripping sound. And I like the fact that the scene ends with Pierre saying "Je vous aime," which is absurd if you know any French. If you ever put together a "50 coolest shots from W&P" video, I'll happily offer my suggestions. My #1 choice would be the shot you chose for the thumbnail -- "Voila une belle mort."
Imposible to not love your videos. I know new movies thanks to you and learn more.
To defend my bois Pierre and Bondarchuk for a moment... Pierre being a top-of-the-league Xtreme Lacker of Game is definitely a crucial early plot point, but Helena is superficial and later repugnant to him. The scene is about being set up in an awkward situation and relationship by eager social climbers - it's not Hitch. He's not just slow, even though the annoying dripping of water might suggest it.
4:56 "I keep my memoirs here!"
"All the way back there?"
"YES!"
*"OKAY THEN!"*
you need to make a video about your top 100 films. or 50. i really love your taste of films and would love to watch your ranking, the way you do it.
I was just rewatching the "Bordino battle scene" yesterday
Thank you for making this, I've always been fascinated by full/layered composition. However, there is no official title for it--let alone videos focusing on it besides ones surrounding photography.
The shot you chose made me think of Jean Renoir's "The Rules of the Game". I can't think of any specific shot from it but I'm sure a lot of them would fit your criteria.
I can. The one near the end of the film where the background is punctuated by the doors of one room after another opening to reveal a key plot point is in my short list of "best shots" already. Unless it's a tracking shot and I've forgotten, it fits all of the rules of today's little poll/contest. (Sorry if my English isn't very good. I am from the United States.)
Every shot from war and peace ranked is a great video idea
Eyes Wide Shut party scene
Well, that walk is not needlessly long, as it represents Prince Bolkonsky's emotional distance to his son.
I find Bondarchuk way too grandstanding to me, but his WAR & PEACE is a miracle, as he directed this shot *while* playing shows. He probably had so much in his mind he didn’t pay attention to inconveniences like the weird silence in the memoirs scene. Well, he had so much in his mind that he had a nearly fatal heart attack directing the picture.
Every shot from Taken 3 ranked would be a 6 hour long video.
Maybe not the busiest shot, but that set from The Ladies Man 1961 is absolutely incredible with how busy it was in every room. There are also some great long takes from Children of Men that had a lot going on.
DW Griffith has entered the chat (wink)
Love your selection and analysis / Your "Story" criterion kills off most shots we'd normally consider "busiest"
Thank you for your effort but the busiest shot in movie history (according to your rules) is probably found in any Luis G. Berlanga film, the master of Spanish cinema. Try “Placido”, “La vaquilla”, “Todos a la cárcel”or “La escopeta nacional”, or I’m just remembering the final shot in “Vivan los novios”. Berlanga was afraid of empty frames, so he packed them fully, he used mise en scene a lot and was able to tell a story within a scene through character behavior and interaction.
The “Clouds” in Rope deserve their own “Best and worst clouds in Rope - RANKED!”
This channel truly loves movies
theres a scene in the new mean girls movie where janis is singing into the camera while cady follows regina into the street and regina gets hit by a bus. i find the directing to be pretty clumsy there but that shot is busy!
Can make a vid explaining how Kurosawa makes his movies have his famous "flow"
A nice nod to Powell and Pressburger at the end. AMOLAD must have some hefty cinematography.
Top 10 Shots from Rope, when? I also would have to think more about a "busiest" shot, but I think a contender could be the opening shot of "A Clockwork Orange". You have the four of them at the top, the perspective creates a triangle/pyramid like formation with everyone else in the room, you get people with opposing dressing (and possibly ideology?) styles on opposite sides of the room. It is a room with completely different types of people, but all seem to be stratified in the same drugged up milk room. They are all part of the same system, which I believe fits in with the rest of the narrative of the movie. I'd say that's enough to say it tells an entire story.
Von Sternberg can't be left out of the discussion
Wonderful, thank you.
Is it the opening panning shot form Touch of Evil?
Ah different rules.
I thought it might have been a scene from Kubrick's Barry Lyndon but was shocked to see that you hadn't covered that movie on your channel (heaven forfend!!, shall I use this comment as a request??). Having read the novel several times, you'll know the reason the "proposal" needed a push is that Helena is vapid - her role is to stay silent and look beautiful. Socially awkward Pierre is wet rag that couldn't make a first move or any move for that matter. Leaving them alone was a disaster - the parents needed to step in for the fait accompli. Such is how negotiations happen, you step on people to push things through, that's how it's ever been - delicate or rough.
Random comment: Hitchcock once said that exposition is a pill that must be sugar-coated. Something you have to try whenever possible to make it feel natural instead of just delivering necessary information to the viewer.
His saying about exposition is also true for the shot counter-shot exchange as well. It's not something that one can really not do a whole film, but one can attempt to spice things up and not rely completely on it. Interesting body language from the actors also goes a long way.
My choice is Belshazzar's feast from "Intolerance."(1916) The boom shot that was photographed by cinematographer G.W. Bitzer a rolling tower that moved toward and the camera was lowered from the top the ground level as it approached the Babylon set on the corner of West Sunset Blvd and Hillhurst in Los Angeles. (The Vista theater now stands there.) here is how it was done. th-cam.com/video/gg_BTcoRtyA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ewWa7fMBAfylHFGZ
You get some pretty frantic choreography in La Reine Margot, and Les Enfants du Paradis, as I recall, but maybe that's more a matter of energy than busyness?
I would love to hear what you have to say about Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers and Burn. Also Brando's One Eyed Jacks, which has always been a favorite, but only since watching your channel have I come to understand that it is even more beautifully shot than I ever suspected before.
Props for including footage from... for having heard of... "Russian Ark".
Bondarchuk was on another level bruh
It doesn't seem busy to me. But hey, you're the direction master.
The epic space battles in the Star Wars movies come to mind.
You might mention that Pierre and Helene were married in real life. Every time I see this film I remember. Also the death of Andre should be acknowledged as one of the best screen deaths you will ever see.
Does “Russian Ark” (2003) not work for this?
hehehe, case closed I guess :P
Rope (1948) - 11 shots
War and Peace (1966-1967) - 2359 shots
Taken: Unrated Cut (2014) - 4561 shots
Yer in for some long videos mate lol
I would say the entirety of "Playtime" (1967) by Jacques Tati. They say you need to see it on 70mm just to capture everything that is going on in each scene.
War and Peace is amazing!
REQUEST
Howdy, Moviewise! If you find it interesting, please consider doing a short episode on the camera work & blocking of "1776"
You're educating two fans here. We're grateful for the brain food and taste-bud tools to further enjoy our entertainment times, whether it be a new film or a lasting favorite. Thank you for the extended palate!
Peace be with you...Lukerdog
Wide shot of the funeral in Gandhi
Sir I love your work, and remember watching this film from 35 years ago ,Frankly I was only impressed ( at that time with Andrei ? shot, lying on his back ) but all the way though your video I'm thinking what about Ran ? It's my favorite battle scene, ( troop movement on flat ground) then you mentioned Ran. I must watch War and peace again, thank you
Move your vids... A true movie lover
I knew you'd use poor Miles from Sideways lol.
The busiest shot has got to be something from Tati. Maybe the restaurant scene in Playtime?
I never noticed before that the water drops play a tune.
It sounds familiar but I can't place it.
If it isn't a leitmotif by the film's composer,
then I'd bet on Tchaikovsky or perhaps Prokofiev.
I think some scenes from Roy Anderssons " songs from the second floor " are so busy. It should be included here
The cabin scene from Marx Brothers, Night at the Opera. Busy and hilarious.
ermmm one of the shots of The Royal Garden in playtime has this beat.
Not seen this but knew that Bondachuk directed Waterloo
I know a filmmaker who wanks off to aspect ratios but has absolutely no concept of how to use them. It’s embarrassing. It really gets to he likes squares and super wide rectangles. He has no knowledge or interest of lenses or blocking. He literally will just crop his videos and be like “look how cool this is!” And the DP is awkwardly standing there like, “dude, wtf is wrong with you?” Honestly embarrassing. Can’t block or stage a scene worth a damn and is so bad with actors it hurts.
free on youtube btw
I read bussiest. I’m broken.
Single shot car scene in Children of Men
Can you recommend horrors, preferably slashers, with some great staging and blocking? Cheers
Check Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace. The staging is phenomenal!
Thank you!! @@Moviewise
I just started reading “War and Peace” so wait
The Babylon temple scene from Intolerance.
2:40 - btw, he was way to old to play that part which kind of undermines the character.
How about Koki Mitani's "Welcome back Mr. McDonnald"? It appears much busier: th-cam.com/video/1MKeIkR-Wr0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=p1UHQDQWTLfD1xAZ&t=29; the opening tracking scene that virtually introduced all major characters runs almost 5 min.
Wow! Soviet cinema on this channel! Thank you from your russian fans!
yhe trial has some great busiest shots.
The intro of Prospero´s book (Greenaway)
Have you considered the Lord of the RIngs movies? Or Avengers Endgame. Though not my favorite movies they have some of the busiest shots of all time
What about Russian Ark? The whole movie is a single shot!
Angamale diaries 😊
I disagree with this video. The busiest shot in cinematic history is in the movie Todd (2021). The movie is on youtube and shows up at 13:48. The movie: th-cam.com/video/sK_zdzbDryE/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=BritFlicks
What films are at 0:13 & 0:45 ? Thanks :)
Something from Visconti or Ophuls?
Have you ever watched Khrustalyov, My Car?
I haven’t yet but it’s in my watchlist. Should I move it up the queue?
@@Moviewise it has some of the busiest frames I ever saw. Alexey German in general tends to create busy frames, but in that movie, it's on the next level
I hadn't watched it since it was released some 25 years ago. Now I know what I want to project on my wall this weekend- possibly in tandem with Freeze Die Come to Life.
The Robert Zemckis film 'Here'?
Sergei Bondarchuks film is an epic masterpiece. The casting and performances are truly magnificent. Thank you
I'll check, but this site sounds Russian. Now, for the last two+ years, I've boycotted Russian sites. You know why. However, the Russian people are still our fellow passengers on Spaceship Earth, and they've contributed much to global culture. One thing we don't see much of in North America is Russian cinema. Those two words do go together, as this video makes clear.
Russian Ark
FIRST
Moviewise, forgive me if you’ve answered this before, but aren’t you going to make a movie yourself one day instead of generating “content”, albeit great “content”, for this rapacious digital sludge factory?
Persons sitting and talking, That's surely a super busy shot. LoL.
Get serious.
visconti . the ball scene from 'the leopard'