And behind door number 22... a guide to some music of the more traditional kind
Catherine Munn and Jacob Martin list their Top 5 programmes to watch over the festive period.
And behind door number nine... some dazzling musical delights
The complete arts guide, for week 9
After last week’s look at the top 10 TV openings from the past decade, we thought that we’d attempt to list some of the greatest classic openings. Of course, with such a huge amount of shows available, there are probably more than a few that we’ve missed. If you’ve got any suggestions, please leave a comment.
The opening credits to both of these shows (from mastermind Joss Whedon) are simply fantastic. I’m someone who watched both Buffy and Angel on DVD and I’d never skip these sequences. For Buffy, you’ve got fast-paced rock music from Nerf Herder and brief clips of action from the show - all of which is so cool that it instantly puts you in the mood for vampire-slaying adventures. Angel’s opening, though, is perhaps my favourite TV opening ever. In less than a minute, it manages to be emotional, spooky and epic - it’s a truly awesome sequence.
Probably one of the most recognisable theme songs in history, it popularised the phrase and appeal of going to a place "where everybody knows your name." Set to a sequence of old drawings of pubs and bars, each character had their own artistic caricatured counterpart to correspond with the actor who played them. I challenge any other minute of TV music to be as feel-good as this.
Despite numerous reincarnations, some things in Corrie’s opening credits have always remained: the infinite sea of Manchester chimneys, the iconic cobbles, and the mournful whine of a trumpet as that theme tune kicks in. It honestly encapsulates the dreariness and normalcy of British life, offering the viewer a sense of familiarity before the not-so-normal scenes unfold on the street below…
The jocular and outrageous comedy of John Cleese as mad Torquay hotel owner Basil Fawlty was perfectly complemented by the sedate but subtly rude introduction, as the local milk boy would change the hotel's sign every episode to a different Fawlty Towers anagram: 'Flay Otters', 'Fatty Owls', and, of course, 'Flowery Twats.'
Quirky clips of a group of young adults jumping onto sofas, messing in a fountain and playing with a bunch of umbrellas and lamps: sounds fun, right? Updated to be interspliced with scenes from various episodes that change every season, the sequence is hilarious whether or not you understand the little embedded shots (which had many fans quoting the show between themselves). Add an upbeat preppy pop song that seems all too relatable, yet optimistic and it can't be anything but the humorous Friends theme.
The scene for P.G. Wodehouse's world of upper-class twits and gentlemen's personal gentlemen is set by this amazing introduction; cubes and spheres quickly morph into a swinging twenties band, reminiscent of the art deco style of the period, and then morph into images of the gentleman-bachelor lifestyle; and all to toe-tapping swing music, composed by Anne Dudley for the series.
We’re talking here, of course, about the old-school Poirot credits, with the brilliant art-deco animation of a steam train. What really makes it is the music: cool, memorable and slightly jazzy, it so perfectly encapsulates the spirit of those early mysteries that by the time Poirot walks away and turns to tip his hat to the viewer, we’re already in that world and ready for an adventure.
The opening monologue to the iconic series has become iconic in its own right, with the introduction perfectly capturing the series' cartoonish over-the-top violence and its adventurous and mercenary spirit, set to the now legendary roaring theme by composer Mike Post. For a minute and a half, it makes us all wish we could hire the A-Team.
Instantly recognisable even by the worst hummer in the world, The Simpsons theme is an ultimate classic. Composed by Danny Elfman, the man responsible for numerous film scores, it is so embedded in popular culture that the opening credits have been spoofed time and time again. From the opening shot of the clouds and the angelic voices singing “The Simpsons...” to the famous “couch gags” (almost 500 of them, all different), it’s a pleasure to watch and never gets dull.
With cartoons by the famed illustrator Gerald Scarfe, the introduction perfectly captures the political insanity and pseudo-dignity of the Rt. Hon. Jim Hacker, made Prime Minister fresh from his victory over the Euro-sausage; his intermittently loyal and deceptive private secretary Bernard; and, of course, the legendary and duplicitous Sir Humphrey Appleby.
Wheres the 1966 TV Batman eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jgE-lrfZ3k&feature=related
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