No cuts, no ifs, ands or buts! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at sequences without a single cut which represent the peak of collaboration between masters of their crafts.
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00:00 - Go, we're gonna make it. Come on, we're gonna make it. - No, no, no, I'm not gonna make it! I'm not gonna make it!
00:03 Back up! Back up now!
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at sequences without a single cut
00:12 which represent the peak of collaboration between masters of their crafts.
00:16 - You were certain it would come off, weren't you? - Of course!
00:19 You know I'd never do anything unless I did it perfectly.
00:22 Number 20, long takes for every conflict, The Revenant.
00:27 - Get down! - Oh, shit! They're everywhere!
00:30 The Revenant boils storytelling down to its most basic elements.
00:33 Leo DiCaprio's fur trapper, Hugh Glass, is broken physically and psychologically
00:37 as he battles man, beast, and nature.
00:40 Alejandro Inarritu utilizes a series of one-shot scenes
00:43 to firmly ensconce us in Glass's perspective
00:46 so that we suffer with him through his trials.
00:48 Three pivotal moments of the film are shot in one take.
00:51 In one scene, Glass and his men frantically escape an attack by native people.
00:55 - Get to the beach! Get to the beach!
00:58 - Get to the boat! To the boat, sir!
01:02 - To the boat! To the boat!
01:05 The single take gives the scene a frenetic feel.
01:07 The bear attack, too, is a single shot, with the animal's size dominating the screen,
01:11 emphasizing its strength and power.
01:13 Later, when Hugh must pull a Luke Skywalker to escape the cold,
01:16 that, too, is delivered with one shot.
01:19 Number 19, Dunkirk Beach, Atonement.
01:22 - You're pulling my teeth.
01:25 - No, I'm not.
01:27 They gave me a choice. Stay in prison or join the army.
01:30 The British army's escape from Dunkirk during World War II
01:33 is a source of romantic fascination for the British people.
01:36 It's at once a story of perseverance and strength,
01:38 as well as one of arrogance and tragedy.
01:40 The romantic drama Atonement, while not a war film per se,
01:43 uses the war as a backdrop for tragedy.
01:46 The war, along with protagonist Brian E's misunderstanding of events,
01:49 splits lovers Robbie and Cecilia.
01:52 Robbie enlists in the British army and is present during the Dunkirk evacuation.
01:55 Dunkirk is shown through an absolutely stunning five-minute tracking shot,
01:59 as Robbie traverses the landscape.
02:01 The evacuation is pure chaos,
02:03 and the despair and feeling of loss is on a full display.
02:06 - I have to get something to drink.
02:08 - You need one.
02:10 - I'm going to cry. - It's all right, can you see?
02:13 Number 18, Strolling vs. Trudging Through the Trenches, Pass of Glory.
02:17 Pass of Glory is unique among popular war movies from the 1950s.
02:21 While most tended to be jingoistic, if not outright propaganda,
02:24 the Kubrick masterpiece is a rare anti-war film.
02:27 It was so controversial that the movie was initially banned in France,
02:30 Germany, and certain U.S. military bases.
02:33 The film highlights the massive disconnect between vainglorious commanders
02:36 and the men on the front lines.
02:38 - Hello there, soldier. Ready to kill more Germans?
02:41 - Yes, sir. - What's your name, soldier?
02:43 In one scene, the haughty General Moreau takes a leisurely stroll
02:46 through the trenches with an uninterrupted take
02:48 presenting his privileged and condescending view of combat.
02:51 What he views as a morale boost for his terrified troops
02:54 is actually a clear demonstration of his incompetence as a leader
02:57 and the tragically disposable nature of those beneath him.
02:59 - I am a coward, sir. - Snap out of it, soldier!
03:02 Sergeant, I want you to arrange for the immediate transfer
03:04 of this baby out of my regiment.
03:06 I won't have other brave men contaminated by him!
03:09 Number 17, Tricycle, The Shining.
03:12 Continuous shots can serve many purposes.
03:14 They enshrine perspectives, they convey emotion,
03:16 and they can set the mood and tone.
03:18 In The Shining, director Stanley Kubrick used the technique
03:20 to scare your pants off.
03:22 - Hello, Danny.
03:24 Come play with us.
03:32 There are multiple notable long takes in The Shining.
03:35 Following Danny, a young boy thrust into a terrifying ordeal.
03:38 The shots are used to explore the space of the creepy Overlook Hotel.
03:42 By denying the viewer cuts, Kubrick builds suspense
03:45 and tells us that something is horribly wrong here.
03:47 As Danny rides his tricycle through the cavernous hallways,
03:49 we are delivered an injection of creeping dread.
03:52 The technique gives us the impression that danger lies around every corner.
03:55 Even playing in a hedge maze makes you feel trapped.
03:57 Danny, you win.
03:59 Let's take the rest of this walking, huh?
04:01 Okay.
04:03 Number 16, Calamity in Space, Gravity.
04:06 Hubble telescope engaged. Upgrade fully functional.
04:10 That applause you hear is for you, Sharif.
04:12 Congratulations.
04:14 Kick back. Take the rest of the day off.
04:16 Long takes are an excellent tool for firmly entrenching the viewer
04:19 into a character's point of view.
04:21 You intimately share their perspective and witness events as they do.
04:23 More importantly, when done right,
04:25 you experience their emotional journey in real time.
04:28 In the opening scene of Gravity, astronaut Ryan Stone
04:30 confronts a cascade of space debris in the middle of a spacewalk.
04:33 - Dr. Stone, all structures.
04:36 Dr. Stone, detach. You must detach.
04:39 For over ten minutes of Gravity's opening,
04:41 director Alfonso Cuaron refused to have a single cut.
04:45 As a result, we are fully immersed in Sandra Bullock's mounting panic.
04:48 Just like her character, the audience is denied an emotional reprieve
04:51 until she finally buys herself a moment to rest.
04:54 Number 15, Staircase Fight, The Protector,
04:57 aka Tom Young Goong.
04:59 Long, uninterrupted shots have become a staple of fighting sequences
05:08 in action movies.
05:10 Actors and their stunt team spend weeks or months
05:12 choreographing and rehearsing.
05:14 The crew spends days mapping out their camera moves
05:16 and strategizing the physical effects on set.
05:18 On the day, it all comes together in a symphony of flying fists.
05:21 There are few examples better than the staircase fight
05:24 in the Tony Jaa action classic, The Protector.
05:26 A steadicam follows Jaa as he battles against a host of henchmen
05:29 up a massive set of staircases.
05:31 After four straight minutes of combat and climbing,
05:34 the sheer exhaustion is palpable on Jaa's face and in his movements.
05:37 It lends the insane fight a sense of realism and grit.
05:40 Tackle you die!
05:50 Number 14, In the Ring, Creed.
05:53 Right, it's about you.
05:55 - Yep. - It's all about you.
05:57 From 1976 through 2023,
06:00 there have been nine films in the Rocky franchise.
06:02 For decades, fans have argued with one another
06:04 over their favorite fight scenes.
06:06 When Ryan Coogler took us into the next generation with Creed,
06:09 following in the son of Rocky's enemy-turned-friend,
06:11 Coogler chose to establish a new visual aesthetic.
06:14 While the Rocky films have always brought the audience directly into the ring,
06:17 Coogler chose to leave us there.
06:19 As Adonis Creed attempts to follow in his father's footsteps,
06:21 he faces a roadblock named Leo "The Lion" Spurino.
06:24 Coogler films the entire fight in a single shot.
06:27 We bob and weave along with the fighters,
06:29 letting the viewer feel part of the action.
06:31 - That's it, baby! - We got him, we're rocking!
06:33 - Whoo! - Yeah!
06:35 - We got one! - Yeah, we got one!
06:37 - It was 'cause of you! - Number 13.
06:40 The nightclub scene and the double murder, Boogie Nights.
06:43 Director Paul Thomas Anderson is a filmmaker's filmmaker.
06:46 He has spent his life in study,
06:48 using the techniques of directors from around the world to tell his own stories.
06:51 Over the course of his career, he's become a big fan of the long take.
06:54 In 1997, he used an uninterrupted shot
06:57 to introduce the world and characters of Boogie Nights.
07:00 Jack, Jackie, Jack, Jackie, Jack, Jackie, Jack, Jack,
07:03 - Yeah, you're doing it! - Come on!
07:05 The movie starts on a crane shot that pivots to a steadicam.
07:08 We are immediately immersed in the world
07:10 and meet each of the characters in turn.
07:12 Later, he repeats the style as William H. Macy's character
07:15 traverses a house party to murder his wife and her lover.
07:18 # Do your thing
07:20 # Do your thing
07:23 Number 12. Halo Jump.
07:27 Mission Impossible Fallout.
07:29 The most memorable moment in 2018's Mission Impossible Fallout
07:32 is inarguably Henry Cavill's bicep reload.
07:35 A close second, however, is the film's halo jump.
07:37 Hey, your heads-up display is a built-in guidance system.
07:40 Follow it to the target. Open your chute when the system says
07:43 "not before" and "definitely not after,"
07:45 or the last thing that goes through your mind will be your kneecaps.
07:48 Technically speaking, the sequence is a series of shots
07:50 stitched together to mimic a one-er.
07:52 It makes the list, though, because it has the feel of a continuous shot
07:55 and, let's face it, they shot it while doing a high-altitude skydive.
07:59 Somehow, Cruz, a stunt diver, and the cameraman all managed
08:02 to choreograph and synchronize their movements in midair.
08:05 Walker, what's the matter, hon?
08:07 Afraid of a little lightning?
08:09 It's a staggering achievement and provides one of the most
08:13 adrenaline-pumping skydiving scenes in cinema history.
08:16 Number 11. Opening Scene. Spectre.
08:19 When appropriate, many filmmakers love using one-ers as an opening shot.
08:23 The audience is plunged face-first into a film
08:25 without being given the chance to look away.
08:27 It allows the director to introduce a location and characters.
08:30 They utilize cinematic visual language instead of dialogue.
08:33 Long takes like these are often playful, exploring a space on every axis.
08:49 If Spectre is unlikely to top any fan's list of Bond films,
08:52 its opening sequence is undeniably stunning.
08:54 Where are you going?
08:57 I won't be long.
08:59 The camera dances through Mexico City on Dia de Muerto.
09:04 Bond is slowly revealed to be in the middle of a harrowing mission,
09:07 disguised but ready to roll.
09:09 Number 10. Hospital Shootout. Hard Boiled.
09:12 To action connoisseurs, the hospital sequence in Hard Boiled
09:15 is considered among the finest action ever committed to film.
09:18 Few do action choreography better than Hong Kong filmmakers,
09:21 and John Woo is the best of the best.
09:23 [Shouting in Chinese]
09:26 Hard Boiled was so impressive, it marked the end of Woo's career in Hong Kong
09:36 before transitioning to Hollywood.
09:38 In the film, a pair of Hong Kong cops take on the Triad.
09:41 The bloodshed and intrigue lead them to a hospital to uncover a hidden Triad vault.
09:45 The centerpiece of the resulting sequence is an action masterpiece,
09:48 all done in a single take.
09:50 Gunfighting, camera moves, and special effects are all organized and timed to perfection.
09:54 [Shouting in Chinese]
09:56 Number 9. Trench Run. 1917.
10:03 What the hell are you doing, large football?
10:05 No. No, no, no, no!
10:08 Modern movies like 1917 are shot to mimic runners.
10:12 They mask cuts with camera movement and stitch multiple long takes together.
10:16 As a result, 1917 contains many gorgeous sequences all done in single takes.
10:21 The film's cinematographer, Roger Deakins, is one of the best to ever do the job, and it shows.
10:26 The night window sequence, for example, is absolutely stunning.
10:29 A battered soldier traverses a battlefield at night,
10:31 with only the moon and occasional flare lighting the ruins.
10:34 Later in the finale, he sprints across another battlefield in the middle of the chaos of combat.
10:39 Men scramble around him, artillery shells fall,
10:42 and the audience is made to feel like they're in the thick of battle.
10:45 We have to see Colonel McKenzie die!
10:47 We have to stop this attack!
10:48 Number 8. Church Fight.
10:50 Kingsman The Secret Service.
10:52 Not a single human being on planet Earth envisioned this man starring
10:56 in one of the craziest action scenes ever made.
10:58 After all, British actor Colin Firth was once best known for his role as Mr. Darcy
11:03 in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice.
11:05 Yet in Kingsman The Secret Service, Firth did just that.
11:08 First, Harry Hart is a British secret agent with a license to kill.
11:11 Point is, if our test go well at the church tomorrow, we are good to go.
11:17 South Glade Mission Church. Merlin, get the plane ready.
11:22 He is trapped in an evangelical church when everyone present, including Harry,
11:26 is transformed into a bloodthirsty maniac.
11:29 Set to Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird, the church fight sequence is pure frenzied madness.
11:33 The bodies fly as Harry massacres rage-fueled churchgoers,
11:37 much of which occurs in a single shot.
11:39 I killed all those people. I wanted to.
11:44 Number 7. The Bomb. Touch of Evil.
11:47 Orson Welles is widely considered by film historians to be an early pioneer of the long take.
11:51 He perfected the technique in Touch of Evil.
11:53 The very first image is a close-up of a man setting a timer on a bomb.
11:57 For more than three minutes, we follow the bomb's journey.
11:59 He plants it in the trunk of a car which immediately drives through a crowded street
12:03 at the U.S.-Mexico border.
12:04 The tension builds and more and more potential victims pass by.
12:07 It stops at the border crossing, right next to our protagonist, Charlton Heston.
12:11 The name is Vargas.
12:13 Hey, Jim! See who's here?
12:15 Sure, Mr. Vargas. Out on the trail of another dope ring?
12:19 Out on the trail of a chocolate soda for my wife.
12:22 It could go off at any moment, and we're left wondering if Heston is only appearing in a short cameo.
12:26 Eventually, the car drives off and explodes away from him in another surprise twist.
12:31 Mike, what happened?
12:32 That car that just passed us exploded.
12:35 - How did it do that? - I don't know. I'll have to try to find out.
12:39 Number 6. Opening Scene. The Player.
12:42 And... action!
12:44 Joel Levison's office?
12:48 No, I'm sorry. He's not in yet. May I take a message?
12:51 Robert Altman was considered something of a maverick director.
12:54 He eschewed commercial films and style for a more methodical, artistic approach.
12:59 As a result, Altman became known for using long takes,
13:02 letting scenes breathe and allowing his actors to play.
13:04 In 1992's The Player, Altman opens the film with a very clever nearly ten-minute long shot.
13:09 The film as a whole exposes the underbelly and artifice of Hollywood.
13:12 The opening wonder does the same in a literal sense.
13:15 As we travel among the movie executives,
13:17 we learn more about the darker side of the lights, cameras, and action.
13:21 It's an absolutely mesmerizing way to immerse us into the story right away.
13:25 Of course, if someone gets killed at the end, they always do in political thrillers.
13:29 - Griffin Mills' office. - Number 5. The Copa Sequence.
13:33 Goodfellas.
13:34 - Thank you, sir. - All right, I'll see you later. Thanks.
13:36 - What are you doing? You're leaving your car? - What? It's a car for me.
13:40 It's easier than leaving it at a garage and waiting.
13:43 Martin Scorsese's mafia film Goodfellas contains one of the most famous continuous shots in film history.
13:48 The scene is so well-known, so beloved, it has its own name.
13:52 The Copa Sequence.
13:53 The camera sticks with Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco as Henry and Karen
13:57 as they wend their way through the famed Coca-Cabana nightclub.
14:00 They enter the club through the back door and kitchen.
14:03 We see the club's inner workings before getting introduced to the glamour.
14:06 Both we and Bracco's Karen are given a glimpse into Henry's power and influence.
14:10 Everyone knows his name, and they set up a table just for him.
14:13 It's a brilliant method of conveying information about a character.
14:16 It supposedly took Scorsese eight takes to get it right.
14:19 - What do you do? - What?
14:21 - What do you do? - I'm in construction.
14:23 Number 4. Car Attack. Children of Men.
14:26 There is an alternate universe out there where Clive Owen was cast as James Bond instead of Daniel Craig.
14:31 In our universe, he gave up Bond to star in the dystopian drama Children of Men.
14:36 There are two one-shot sequences that are marvels of filmmaking logistics.
14:39 In one, the filmmakers created a special rig to allow 360-degree movement inside a moving car.
14:45 - Do you know how many people I've tried this with? - I don't want to know.
14:47 - You'll be happy to know out of the hundreds, you are still the only one. - I'm not doing it.
14:51 - Yes, you are. - No, I'm not.
14:52 - Yes, you are. - The car's moving too much.
14:54 - You are. - No, I'm not.
14:56 - Yes, you are. - No, I'm not.
14:57 In one take, their drive transforms from a playful country ride into a blood-pumping ambush.
15:02 In another remarkable scene, Owen's character has to sneak his way through a crumbling urban battlefield.
15:07 He travels up and down buildings, around tanks, across several city blocks.
15:11 It took almost two weeks to complete.
15:13 She thought it could be peaceful.
15:15 But how can it be peaceful when they try to take away your dignity?
15:19 Number 3. Hallway Fight. Old Boy.
15:23 Raise your hands if you're AB.
15:25 One-shot fight scenes are great because they capture the visceral exhaustion that comes from a real-life fight.
15:33 They often involve the camera dipping and moving along with the fighters on a screen.
15:37 What makes the hallway fight in Old Boy so utterly iconic is that it throws all of that out the window.
15:42 Instead, Korean director Park Chan-wook chose a more elegant solution.
15:46 As protagonist Oh Dae-su wades through a river of gangsters, the camera tracks horizontally to follow him.
15:51 It's a simple, elegant camera move that elicits images of side-scroller video games.
15:55 There's no movie magic. Hiding blows through cutting.
15:58 Instead, we witness a brutal beatdown that feels incredibly real.
16:02 Number 2. Real-time feature film. Rope.
16:12 An immaculate murder.
16:14 We've killed for the sake of danger and for the sake of killing.
16:17 We're alive. Truly and wonderfully alive.
16:20 Alfred Hitchcock, when preparing to film Rope in the late 1940s, wanted to shoot an entire film in a single continuous shot.
16:27 Unfortunately, he was limited by the technology of the era.
16:30 A camera in 1948 only held about 10 to 11 minutes worth of film.
16:34 He masked his cuts with camera movements to give Rope the feel of a single shot.
16:37 It's a technique that's been utilized by filmmakers ever since.
16:40 Still, every scene in the Hitchcock thriller is in and of itself a long take.
16:44 With the entire film taking place in real-time, the audience is up to their elbows in tension and fear
16:49 as two murderers attempt to hide the body of their victim.
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17:13 Number 1. A one-take visual spectacle. Russian Ark.
17:18 [Speaking Russian]
17:25 The advent of HD digital technology made the dream of a one-shot feature film a reality.
17:30 Production on Russian Ark lasted exactly one day, December 23, 2001.
17:35 Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokorov and his massive crew descended on the Winter Palace of the Russian State Hermitage Museum.
17:42 The steady-can operator is the true hero of the production.
17:44 He navigated 33 rooms for over an hour and a half to film the 96-minute drama.
17:49 The camera represents a ghost following the history of the palace.
17:52 It took four takes to get it right, but they pulled off a singular accomplishment.
17:56 Are there any cinephiles out there who want to plug their favorite one-take scenes?
18:07 Let us know in the comments below.
18:09 By all means, this is an occasion. It calls for champagne.
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18:21 [outro music]