General

With the Academy Awards coming up later this month, my attention has turned (more than usual) to movies. I often like to come up with “favorites” lists…such as “What are my favorite movie quotes?” or “What are my favorite movie theme songs?” The other day, a new one cropped up: “What are my favorite opening scenes?” That is, what are the opening scenes that grabbed me right out of the gate, scenes so good that I load the movie’s DVD just so I can play that scene and enjoy it all again?

In putting together a list, I discovered that, for some movies, the opening scene was the best part of the movie; it was all downhill from there. In other cases, the scene was just the initial salvo of the overall great movie that would follow. In either case, here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):

Cliffhanger. This almost defines great opening scenes. The rescue sequence on the rope line conveyed a sense of vertigo and terror that still lives with me today. Unfortunately, this was one of those instances where the rest of the film turned out to be disappointing in comparison.

Silverado. The claustrophobic shoot-out in the cabin, without a spoken word, was spectacularly filmed. When Scott Glenn leaves the cabin and the camera opens up to show the vast western panorama…just super!

West Side Story. A helicopter view of Manhantan, with Leonard Bernstein’s great music playing. The camera travels and eventually zooms in on the Jets in a playground. Thrilling. No stage version could top that for a kick off.

From Russia With Love. The opening scenes in James Bond movies are so distinctive that they almost deserve their own category. It’s hard for me to pick my absolute favorite. Still, I’d go with From Russia With Love. In this scene, it appears as if James Bond has been killed. How could this be? And then…(I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t seen the movie).

My James Bond runner-up would be The Spy Who Loved Me. The ski sequence (although not quite the very opening, it’s still before the titles run) is one of the best: great action without being so over-the-top as to be unintentionally funny.

Mission Impossible I. I loved the opening sequence to this first Mission Impossible movie because (unlike much of the rest of the movie and totally unlike any of the sequels), it actually follows the format used in the TV show. I especially liked the fade to the match lighting and original Mission Impossible theme music. Yes! The sequels abandoned this…to their detriment.

The Godfather. The opening shot of the face of the mortician (“I love America”) and eventually panning out to show Marlon Brando as the Godfather. The shift from the quiet and dark light of the office to the noise and daylight outside. Great cinematography. About as memorable as opening scenes get.

Actually, the scene is a bit reminiscent of the opening poker game sequence in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which I guess should also be on this list.

Jaws. The scene where the young woman gets…well…eaten by the shark was enough to keep much of America out of the water for years to come.

Saving Private Ryan. In my opinion, the D-Day beach landing remains the most heart-pounding realistic battle scene ever recorded on film.

French Kiss. I noticed there weren’t any comedies here. Maybe it’s not a genre that aspires to great opening scenes. Anyway, French Kiss is at least in the ballpark. The scene on the airplane, with Meg Ryan trying to conquer her fear of flying. And then the punchline: we discover that she really isn’t on a plane at all. Classic.

I gave some thought to adding Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark to this list. But I decided that, as much as I liked them, the opening sequences went on for too long, amounting to more than a “scene” — even by my liberal standards.

I’m sure there are other movies I’m forgetting. But these are the ones that first came to mind.

Initially triggered by the uproar over the planned Islamic center near Ground Zero, we are experiencing a new upsurge in anti-Muslim fever. It’s all over the news. Time magazine asks on its cover “Is America Islamophobic?” In the New York Times, “American Muslims Ask, Will We Ever Belong?”

As I read all of this, I find myself asking: “Why now?” We are approaching the ninth anniversary of September 11. I would have thought that this sort of hatred and racism would have peaked several years ago. By now, we should be on the downslope.

After all, there have been no terrorist attacks by Muslims on U.S. soil since September 11. The Iraq war is slowly winding down, as we come to view Iraqis more as allies than enemies. Why is the rhetoric heating up at this particular juncture?

I believe I know. The answer is the upcoming November elections. Here’s the logic:

The “far right” — and to a large extent the entire Republican mainstream — view demonizing Obama as a key to success in November. The more unpopular Obama becomes and the more his policies are cast in a negative light, the greater the opportunity for Republicans to win seats in Congress this fall. So far, none of this is surprising.

What makes the current situation worse than typical is that a significant part of demonizing Obama rests upon popularizing beliefs that are completely and utterly false (as explored in detail in a recent Newsweek article). Primary among these beliefs is the one that says Obama is secretly a Muslim. According to the Newsweek poll, a quarter of the country (and 52% of Republicans!) now think this is true — even though it is false. As explained in the Newsweek article, the growth and persistence of this myth is aided by statements by conservatives, from those on Fox News to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, that subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) encourage this belief.

Getting people to believe Obama is a Muslim is only half the battle, however. The belief won’t have a negative impact on Democrats if people hold a positive or even neutral view toward Muslims in general. That’s why the dropping of the second shoe is promoting people’s prejudices against Muslims.

Now you have a syllogism that works for Republicans: “I hate Muslims. Obama is a Muslim. Therefore I hate Obama.” With this in place, success in November becomes almost a sure thing. And so you have national Republican figures getting worked up about mosques to a degree that would otherwise never happen.

For some people, the syllogism may also work in the opposite direction: “I hate Obama (usually for some other entirely false reason); I hate Muslims; Therefore, I believe it when people say Obama is Muslim.”

Either way, it’s part of a disturbing trend of discarding facts and truth from our political conversations. It’s all part of our current “fact-free environment.”

You’ll read how all of this is also part of a long history of such trends in our country. At other times, it was Jews, Japanese, Irish, and of course African-Americans that were the target. And you’ll read how such sins are not unique to Republicans and conservatives. You’ll hear it said that this is all pretty much “politics as usual” — as played by both parties. I would argue that there are qualitative differences between the tactics of Democrats vs. Republicans. Regardless, none of this is any justification for tolerance of the present situation.

No matter what your politics, it’s time to stand up and reject promoting myths as a legitimate political strategy.