Gun Crazy - Bank Robbery

This has nothing to do with screenwriting... but I read a blog entry on another blog with the 20 Greatest Long Takes In Movies and was surprised that they left this one out. Many on those long takes in movies are kind of stunts - they usually just set the scene or show scenery instead of tell the story. The opening from TOUCH OF EVIL and the whole damned film of ROPE are the exceptions. But how many long takes are not just showing the story - but the concept of the unbroken take is what creates emotions in the audience?

This scene from GUN CRAZY is all one take... and because we are *trapped* in that take with no edits to help us escape, the suspense escalates. We can not cut to inside the bank. We can not cut to some other place. We are stuck *here*, in *this shot*, dealing with all of the problems *in this shot* and can not escape!



GUN CRAZY is a great film, a low budget film, and I talk about it a little in the Film Noir Class... and probably a lot more in this old blog post (scroll down to the movie reviews) - GUN CRAZY review from 2007.

Next week I hope to get back on track with Fridays With Hitchcock.

- Bill


NOIR & MYSTERY - 80 minute screenwriting class on audio CD packed with information on writing Film Noir and Mystery scripts. Clues. Suspects. More!
More info:
NOIR & MYSTERY CLASS