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[pauljeremiah]

saw this over at CineFix

THE LIST

The Protector - Restaurant Fight Scene
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Synopsis: A young fighter named Kham must go to Australia to retrieve his stolen elephant. With the help of a Thai-born Australian detective, Kham must take on all comers, including a gang led by an evil woman and her two deadly bodyguards.
Running time: 4 minutes

The Mirror - Burning Barn Scene
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Synopsis: A dying man in his forties remembers his past. His childhood, his mother, the war, personal moments and things that tell of the recent history of all the Russian nation.
Running time: Roughly 1 minute

Atonement - The Beach Sequence
Director: Joe Wright
Synopsis: Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. Based on the British romance novel by Ian McEwan.
Running Time: 5 1/2 minutes

Weekend - Traffic Jam Scene
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Synopsis: A supposedly idyllic weekend trip to the countryside turns into a never-ending nightmare of traffic jams, revolution, cannibalism and murder as French bourgeois society starts to collapse under the weight of its own consumer preoccupations
Running time: 7 Minutes

Hard Boiled - Hospital Shootout
Director: John Woo
Synopsis: A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
Running Time: 2 minutes, 40 seconds

The Player - Opening Shot
Director: Robert Altman
Synopsis: A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?
Running Time: 7 minutes, 47 seconds

Touch of Evil - Bomb Sequence
Director: Orson Welles
Synopsis: A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town.
Running Time: 3 1/2 minutes

Boogie Nights - Little Bill Sequence
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Synopsis: The story of a young man's adventures in the Californian pornography industry of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Running Time: 3 minutes

Gravity - Opening Shot
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Synopsis: A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after a catastrophe destroys their shuttle and leaves them adrift in orbit.
Running Time: 12 1/2 minutes

Goodfellas - Copacabana Lounge
Director: Martin Scorsese
Synopsis: Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.
Running Time: 3 minutes, 13 seconds

Snake Eyes - Boxing Match
Director: Brian De Palma
Synopsis: A shady police detective finds himself in the middle of a murder conspiracy at an important boxing match in an Atlantic City casino.
Running Time: 12 minutes

Children of Men - Car Scene
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Synopsis: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.
Running Time: 4 minutes

 

[Sub_Level]

The Mirror (Zerkalo) was a hard watch. Very slow pace. Kind of abstract.

 

[lazygecko]

What about that Russian museum movie which was just one single 2 hour take?

 

[SocksAndShoes]

No Michael Clayton end sequence? Boo this list.

 

[finley83]

All of Children of Men is amazing for this really. Great list.

 

[jufonuk]

What about that Russian museum movie which was just one single 2 hour take?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Ark

Russian Ark (Russian: Русский ковчег, Russkij Kovcheg) is a 2002 historical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov. It was filmed entirely in the Winter Palace of the Russian State Hermitage Museum using a single 96-minute Steadicam sequence shot. The film was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

 

[deleted]

I guess Rope doesn't count?

Don't know all scenes or movies, but it's nice to see the Protector in there. That particular scene is amazing. You can see the camera man breaking down at the end because they had to film this scene three times in succession.

 

[Transistor]

No Old Boy hallway scene? Or was that not long enough?

 

[Dennis]

My favorite is the famous long take from True Detective Season 1.

I don't care that it is not technically a film.

 

[Window]

Russian Ark needs a mention.

Edit:I see it already has.

The Player is pretty good as well.

 

[theepicoftyler]

I prefer the long shot at the refugee camp when all of the action pauses in Children of Men. That is a masterfully executed scene.

 

[Dennis]

The Children of Men - Car Scene was great but I don't think that is because of being a long take.

 

[UnluckyKate]

no old boy ?

COME ON

 

[IISANDERII]

Thought this would be in the list. It's from The Hunger. 17minutes of relentless dialogue.

"To prepare for the scene, Cunningham moved into Michael Fassbender's apartment for a time while they practised the scene between twelve and fifteen times a day"

 

[daviyoung]

Birdman was great for this.

And I don't know how long the longest take in Enter The Void was but it seemed to have some great ones, especially the start where the guy heads to the club.

 

[Window]

Although ultimately Warhol's Empire probably takes the cake

Spoiler

I've never seen it for more than 5 seconds.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

the street scene of Code Unknown may be cinematographically simpler scene, but it is heck of a more powerful scene than the opening of The Player.

 

[- J - D -]

I think they should've given more mentions to the cinematographers, but oh well.

Alfonso Cuarón and his cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki are masters, they made the list twice!

 

[NekoFever]

I always like the early shot in Serenity when it zooms into the cockpit from space and follows Mal through the ship as he runs into all the crew, introducing everybody and establishing the ship's layout with no visible cuts. But it's actually at least two shots stitched together with a hidden edit, which might eliminate it from being considered one long take.

 

[SillyEskimo]

I always like the early shot in Serenity when it zooms into the cockpit from space and follows Mal through the ship as he runs into all the crew, introducing everybody and establishing the ship's layout with no visible cuts. But it's actually at least two shots stitched together with a hidden edit, which might eliminate it from being considered one long take.

I guess it wasn't really a long take (only about a minute) but your post reminded me of the "Head Over Heals" part from Donnie Darko. I always liked this part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsyfGwlf_l0

 

[m_shortpants]

I know it's not a film, but that one shot in Daredevil was fucking incredible.

 

[chatshi]

I like the shot in soy cuba.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFXv6bDIY8

 

[TwntyOneTwlv]

Thought this would be in the list. It's from The Hunger. 17minutes of a ton of dialogue.

"To prepare for the scene, Cunningham moved into Michael Fassbender's apartment for a time while they practised the scene between twelve and fifteen times a day"

I had to turn on the subtitles for this scene.

 

[JoeyJungle]

I know it's not a film, but that one shot in Daredevil was fucking incredible.

The hallway fight? You should watch Oldboy, pretty direct inspiration for that fight scene.

 

[Trey]

Is the war zone scene in children of men not a long scene? I'd take that over the car scene to be honest.

 

[jtb]

Is the war zone scene on children of men not a long scene? I'd take that over the car scene to be honest.

agreed, it's 10x more impressive than the car scene

I get the arguments for why the Atonement scene is show-off-y and indulgent, but it's also so beautifully done (and so well scored) that I don't care.

as long as Goodfellas is on the list, that's all that really matters.

My favorite is the famous long take from True Detective Season 1.

I don't care that it is not technically a film.

That was long takes at their most masturbatory and indulgent. well executed and yet utterly pointless.

 

[Jonm1010]

That was long takes at their most masturbatory and indulgent. well executed and yet utterly pointless.

I thought it added a layer of tension, immersion, chaos and urgency that nothing else in the series came close to touching.

None of these long takes are necessary but I think True Detective's added something to the experience just like those in the OP did.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Would have chosen a different Tarkovsky take (he has so damned many), but that'll work.

Thought this would be in the list. It's from The Hunger. 17minutes of a ton of dialogue.

"To prepare for the scene, Cunningham moved into Michael Fassbender's apartment for a time while they practised the scene between twelve and fifteen times a day"

Yeah, kinda shocked this isn't on there.

That was long takes at their most masturbatory and indulgent. well executed and yet utterly pointless.

Can't disagree with this enough.

 

[MIMIC]

What about Birdman? It was done in just one take =p

 

[Premium Quality]

Thought this would be in the list. It's from The Hunger. 17minutes of a ton of dialogue.

"To prepare for the scene, Cunningham moved into Michael Fassbender's apartment for a time while they practised the scene between twelve and fifteen times a day"

This should have made the list.

 

[AlternativeUlster]

I am surprised by the lack of the scene in Werckmeister Harmonies where Janos is running away from the riot. That is honestly one of the most horrifying scenes I may have ever seen.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

CRAZY to omit Hunger.

 

[Link]

They chose the wrong Children of Men scene.

 

[The Boom Camel]

I know it's not a film, but that one shot in Daredevil was fucking incredible.

Completely agree. This is when I knew for sure that this show was going to be great.

We also can't forget the episode of It's Always Sunny where Charlie has to get the bar ready for a health inspection.

 

[Oppo]

the Player and Goodfellas ones immediately sprang to mind.

 

[Haly]

I get that Gravity was visually stunning but when it does a "long take", it's a camera spinning around Bullock then the CG wizards fill in everything digitally, isn't it?

Compared to some of the stunts in Children of Men, and if we're talking exclusively about complexity of physical camera work, it's not even close.

Otherwise Tarzan could be somewhere in there.

 

[Donos]

yeah Old Boy is also a good scene. Not that heavy / high level martial arts of the Protector but still good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OzB-mop6AA

 

[hiredhand]

I think they have the wrong Joe Wright film. I really liked this one from Pride & Prejudice.

http://www.steadishots.org/shots_detail.cfm?shotID=126

 

[Anton Sugar]

I get that Gravity was visually stunning but when it does a "long take", it's a camera spinning around Bullock then the CG wizards fill in everything digitally, isn't it?

Compared to some of the stunts in Children of Men, and if we're talking exclusively about complexity of physical camera work, it's not even close.

Otherwise Tarzan could be somewhere in there.

I agree, but this video may simply be from the perspective of the audience. Like, when I watch Gravity, I don't care that it's not a "real" camera--the effect is still palpable.

However, if there was a line drawn between just the effectiveness of a long take vs the technical expertise, I agree. This isn't to say that there isn't expertise involved in the (amazing) Gravity shots--there clearly is--but I think there is a difference...maybe. The evolution of digital cinematography is interesting.

 

[Ridley327]

I get that Gravity was visually stunning but when it does a "long take", it's a camera spinning around Bullock then the CG wizards fill in everything digitally, isn't it?

Compared to some of the stunts in Children of Men, and if we're talking exclusively about complexity of physical camera work, it's not even close.

Otherwise Tarzan could be somewhere in there.

To be fair, the two big long takes in Children of Men were digitally stitched together from a couple of a takes, and also used a ton of CG to hide the ways they pulled off the illusion, like having to add in a roof to the car since the original rigging required them to remove it.

 

[Haly]

To be fair, the two big long takes in Children of Men were digitally stitched together from a couple of a takes, and also used a ton of CG to hide the ways they pulled off the illusion, like having to add in a roof to the car since the original rigging required them to remove it.

Ah okay, that makes it more reasonable I guess, and explains how they did that car shot because that shit was banans,

 

[Ahasverus]

No Contact "mirror shot"? That was like the most impessive shot ever.
Edit: Sorry, got it mixed with the Kubrick one in the pine labirynth.

 

[BronsonLee]

They chose the wrong Children of Men scene.

Exactly. I love the car scene.

But that war zone scene. Hooooly shit.

 

[GhostWriter24]

Children of Men and Goodfellas both there. Nice.

 

[Regulus Tera]

An article about the best long takes in cinema and you don't include Russian Ark? worthless list

 

[Grisby]

No comments about Hard Boiled? I just watched that recently in the last few years and it's an action scene that really holds up.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Michael Clayton's end credits, Russian Ark, and Goodfellas were the three I thought of before clicking, happy to see one made the list and the other two have made the thread

 

[Sojgat]

Breaking News - Opening Shot
Director: Johnnie To
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae4pt9b4-Js

Still my favourite.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice has a great 6 and a half minute take where they burn down an entire house in the background.

The camera fucked up the first time so they had to rebuild the whole house and do it again two weeks later.

 

[8BitsAtATime]

This scene from Irreversible is on a different level