Those instant connections we make that often last a lifetime make all the difference. With them in mind it occurred to me that this might be a great way to start the new year on this blog — considering film first impressions. So to welcome I listed my fourteen favorite character introductions in film, first impressions that have remained true.
These are in no particular order. Well, in the end, he got himself a pool. I just love this film. With one of the greatest openings in film history, Wilder sets the stage for a story of legend gone mad and introduces the protagonist floating face down, dead in a pool.
But for our purposes today suffice it to say this masterpiece is created from that very first shot of that poor dope lying face down in that pool — the dead man who tells a hell of a story. The first impression of Joe Gillis — tell me more! True to form I begin this list with a cheat mention. Norma Desmond was big. The biggest.
And even before we meet her in Sunset Blvd. The atmosphere with which Desmond surrounds herself, a decrepit, old mansion that was once the epitome of Hollywood glamor mirrors the woman herself. Norma Desmond had a face! In the turban and wearing those dark glasses, her appearance and affectation are more eccentric than even her surroundings. You used to be in silent pictures.
In truth, The Third Man is one memorable shot after another with those famous, severe dutch angles and deep shadows. But the enigma that is Harry Lime is served perfectly in his initial appearance on-screen. The shadowy character appears casting a large shadow in a doorway, where he is clearly wary about being seen in public yet has a smirk that makes that initial sighting so perfect. My impression here — WOW.
