Cinema Journal (2009) - Reading the Title Sequence (Vorspann, Générique)
Details
- article: Reading the Title Sequence (Vorspann, Générique)
- author(s): Georg Stanitzek
- journal: Cinema Journal (01/Jul/2009)
- issue: volume 48, issue 4, pages 44-58
- DOI: 10.1353/cj.0.0142
- journal ISSN: 0009-7101
- publisher: University of Texas Press
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Analysis, Brian De Palma, David Bordwell, Dramatic arts, Film, Film credits, Henry Mancini, Irving Pichel, James Bond, Motion pictures, Movie titles, Portrayals, Production and direction, Saul Bass, Title sequence, Untitled Gene Kelly project (1941), Vertigo (1958), Video production, Warner Bros.
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Abstract
This article is a survey of forms and functions of title sequences in film. Using a scattered but substantial base of references, it seeks to contribute to the analysis of this ingenious cinematic form. In particular, it proposes to read the title sequence as self-reflexive, namely, as a reading of the film itself in which the title sequence is integrated. Through their distinguishing functional characteristics, title sequences stand in as representative of an alternate kind of movie.