Tom Jolliffe looks at some of the best long takes in cinema history…
The beauty of cinema, is the sheer litany of techniques available for film-makers to convey their story. It’s a collaborative effort between actors, directors, cinematographers, editors and everyone in between. The power of editing lies in the ability to manipulate the audiences emotional response to a sequence. Quicker editing, maybe combined with a dynamic camera can exacerbate feelings of tension and panic. A static shot, left to linger without a cut can draw our gaze around the frame if needs be, or to watch in baited breath to see what nuances may come from the actors.
The long take is a shot without a cut that goes beyond a ‘normal’ duration. What one considers a long take has probably changed across the years. Average shot length has probably significantly shortened in the 21st century, and particularly so in the early part, there was a tendency to see very quick cuts. Here’s the thing, in general terms, the more cuts you have, the more attention you tend to bring to the editor, to the process itself. Infamously there’s a prime example often mocked from Taken 3, of the absolute worst example of editing. A simple act of Liam Neeson hopping a fence is blitzed up by over a dozen cuts. There’s excessive and then there’s the fence jumping shot in Taken 3.
It’s an artful balance to involve an audience and ingratiate them into the picture without bringing to light too many of the techniques the crew and post team have used. As such there are great uses of the long take, and there are exercises in excess, or showing off (Hardcore Henry for example, or some of the shots in recent film, Extraction). Indeed if said long take is further beefed up by dizzying and perpetual camera movements, then it can be as intrusive as a dozen cuts for one action.
When done right however, the long take can be highly effective, and technically impressive without losing the meaning behind the choice. Here are ten great cinematic long takes:
Hard Boiled
In John Woo’s action masterpiece, Hard Boiled, there are a mass of exceptionally constructed action scenes. They’re beautifully shot, performed (with absolutely insane stunt work and pyrotechnics) and edited. The big standout moment comes during the hospital set finale where Woo offers a one take shot. During this shot which is just over a couple of minutes we follow Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung through hospital corridors as they shoot bad guys and the set to absolute shit. In the middle, they step into an elevator for a terse moment of drama before coming onto another floor to shoot more bad guys/set. In actuality, they step out onto the same set, very rapidly cleaned and altered, but it’s a stunning shot with eye boggling eruptions of debris, squibs and carnage, all practically achieved in camera. You will never see the like of it again.
Boiling Point
The most recent entry on the list is Boiling Point, Philip Barantini’s one take hit of cranked up tension. A fiery chef is pushed to the edge by the busiest day of the year, a visiting former teacher, a critic and his own personal issues. The decision to shoot the film in one long take, as the camera delves through the restaurant to an array of mini vignettes, whilst primarily focusing on Stephen Graham, gives this an immediacy. There’s an element of theatre, but the film also manages to rise, simmer and then boil with perfect pacing. At the center are a number of superb performances, including Vinette Robinson and Hannah Walter. Then headlining is the best British actor in the game bar-none, Stephen Graham, who is utterly electrifying. Unlike many one take films, this was genuinely shot in one, minus the atypical use of carefully hidden cuts.
Stalker
Andrei Tarkovsky gained a reputation for allowing shots to breath. He’s notorious for a lengthy average shot length and this is clearly in evidence in Stalker. There are many shots exceeding a minute throughout Stalker. There’s a great shot near the opening, an overhead track across a bed, showing a table with items, a woman, daughter and the titular Stalker (a guide into the Zone). The long lingering shot is meticulous, showing very little but suggesting a lot, combined with the background sound of a nearby train which envelopes the soundtrack. Later, the Stalker, Writer and Professor are journeying to the Zone. Their final leg sees them taking a buggy on train track. A long, almost excessive shot with a rising and almost pulsatingly hypnotic soundtrack, sees the film shift from its sepia monochrome opening, into colour. The colour represents the wild, lustrous and eden-like natural surroundings of the zone. Nature has returned where damp and dank grimness has consumed the outside world. It’s only after the shot, which pushes patience to its limit, where you feel the important of feeling that time and distance passing.
1917
Sam Mendes’ epic war journey, 1917 breathed fresh impetus into the War genre. Saving Private Ryan really did something stunning with the genre to reawaken it (it’s not been bettered since). Mendes’ decision to have the film in one take makes the journey (with a pair of soldiers tasked with sending a message to a platoon near enemy lines, heading unknowingly to oblivion) enthralling and ultimately delivers one of the few war films to come close to Saving Private Ryan since. Of course, given the technical elements involved in making a film like this, the film is pieced together with clever cuts but it’s still highly effective, whilst Mendes is careful not to become overly elaborate with the camera, and Roger Deakins as DP is still able to create a beautiful palette. Maybe the technical brilliance elevates a conventional war movie, but it’s thrilling and emotionally involving.
Children of Men
Alfonso Cuaron loves a long take. Children of Men, one of the best sci-fi films of this century effectively uses the technique throughout, particularly during several of the thrilling set pieces. There’s a shot that takes us in and out of a car during a chase which is exceptionally seamless and constructed. Later, Clive Owen has to get into a rebel stronghold during a pitched battle with government soldiers. Chaos and carnage, as he has to evade gun fire and then make his way up several levels. It’s gripping and the lack of a cut keeps you on edge.
The Protector
Tony Jaa needs to rescue a sacred Elephant from his village which involves kicking and elbowing lots of people on the top of the head. Among the innumerable, bone-crunching, eye wateringly violent fights, is a stunning long take. This is a great display of Jaa’s physical prowess as he ascends a spiral staircase. Kudos too, goes to the steadicam operator who keeps up with Jaa’s ascension and constant brawling with his many attackers (some of whom get tossed off the stairs to the floor below). It’s an insane shot in an engagingly simple fight fest and Jaa’s indefatigable physicality is a joy to watch.
Snake Eyes
It might not be one of Brian De Palma’s crowning triumphs but Snake Eyes, with every histrionic excess you might expect, certainly has its standouts. The film opens on a great long take which takes in an array of important details. At least you’d notice them if it wasn’t for the fact that the shot is focused on Nic Cage. If ever an actor was made for a long take and the freedom to perform unhindered by cuts, it’s Nic Cage. He’s in prime Cage form, as excessive a show-stopping performance as you need to hog the 13 minute shot.
Goodfellas
Martin Scorsese’s film opens with a great long take that feels decidedly natural. It’s not about a big set piece, or being overly elaborate. It just creates a sense of the characters, their standing and environment and does so with great effectiveness. Scorsese has often enjoyed utilising longer takes and letting sequences breath and an audience to become immersed, but Goodfellas might have the best from his impressive repertoire
Touch of Evil
Orson Welles’ classic noir opens with a literal bang. The length opening tracking shot seems nondescript enough at first, with pedestrians milling at night near the Mexican border, and cars moving slowly in and out of shot. The long lingering take is achieved in a manner way ahead of its time. It lulls us into a false sense of security, before a car bomb causes chaos. The switch in mood and atmosphere then launches us right into an enthralling tale of intrigue, murder and corruption.
Rope
Hitchcock loved breaking new ground and pushing film-making boundaries. The master of the twisting suspense thriller could always offer something unexpected. With Rope, Hitchcock pushed the technical boundaries to create a film composed of vastly long takes, occasionally up to 10 minutes (and indeed films back then were restricted by the reel length of the film stock itself). Perhaps thematically the film isn’t one of Hitchcock’s greater works but there’s a real element of stage and theatre about this film which was intentional given the source material was a stage play. Jimmy Stewart leads a fine cast with intricate shot blocking and this offers a master class in constructing a scene, framing actors and choreographing movements within the frame.
What’s your favourite long take in cinema? Let us know on our social channels @flickeringmyth…
Tom Jolliffe is an award winning screenwriter and passionate cinephile. He has a number of films out on DVD/VOD around the world and several releases due out in 2021/2022, including, Renegades (Lee Majors, Danny Trejo, Michael Pare, Tiny Lister, Nick Moran, Patsy Kensit, Ian Ogilvy and Billy Murray), Crackdown, When Darkness Falls and War of The Worlds: The Attack (Vincent Regan). Find more info at the best personal site you’ll ever see here.
