Image via screen capture.
The directors of these films weren’t taking any chances of their characters being forgotten, so they came out all guns blazing. Here are my top grand entrances by characters in some of the most iconic 1960’s movies.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
David Lean’s masterpiece of film making included the notorious entrance of Omar Sharif (playing Sherif Ali Ibn el Kharish).
Lawrence and his escort Tafas are standing at a Bedouin well in the middle of a desolate desert, in excruciating heat, as Tafas draws water from the well. Cue a tiny glimmer of action on the far horizon, a cloud of dust and a speck emerging from the shimmering heat haze – what can it be? Lawrence is alert – could it be ‘the Turks?’
As the ominous figure comes closer into view, a transfixed Lawrence and Tafas try and make out who it is – slowly the image coming into view becomes a black figure on a camel, coming closer and closer. Before reaching them, a shot rings out and Tafas falls, dead.
As Lawrence is fixed to the ground, the mysterious black clad stranger dismounts his camel and walks over to check on Tafas.
Sherif: “He is dead”
Lawrence: “Yes. Why?”
Shreif: “This is my well”.
Lawrence had a lot to learn about Bedouin ancient tribal warfare!
James Bond No 2 (1969)
This 007 never was much of a wall flower when it comes to grand entrances, but the 1969 film “On her Majesty’s Secret Service” was an entrance everyone was on tenterhooks about, following the popularity of Sean Connery in the first five Bond films.
Now it was up to silverscreen Bond No 2, a little known Australian model George Lazenby, to step into the famous shoes.
Cue classic opening shot of Bond driving along the coast of Portugal in his Aston Martin, in the sunshine. He stops to rescue a fully clothed woman who is drowning herself in the surf, and as he carries her back to revive her, he utters the famous line, “My name’s Bond, James Bond”, so we are all crystal clear. Then, suddenly he is attacked by two men but (of course) he manages to fight them off – delivering the killer next line “This never happened to the other fellow”, sealing his place in Bond history.
The Graduate (1967)
In a classic tale of Cougar-gets-younger-man, the opening scene sees troubled, alienated college graduate Benjamin Braddock (played by a very young Dustin Hoffman) sitting in his bedroom, avoiding his own graduation party.
As he stares into the glass of a fish tank, in the frame we see the doors fling open to reveal a black-clad older woman, Mrs Robinson, who had followed him there on the flimsy excuse that she needed the bathroom.
Benjamin is not quick off the mark and says he wants to be alone, but arch cradle snatcher Mrs Robinson sets the path for her seduction of him, by insisting that he give her a lift home. The rest is indeed history – as solidified in the 1968 song by Simon & Garfunkel.
What are your favourite film entrances?
Sarah O’Neill is an eco-blogger who loves film. She writes for Merritt Plastics, one of the largest plastic recycling companies in the UK, who undertake PVC U plastic window recycling to a new level, turning consumer waste products into products that can be used again and again.
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