I was passing some time on youtube just now reaquainting myself with this classic scene from Goodfellas. It made me think about great / favorite tracking shots throughout history. Here’s my personal list of top ten. There’s only ten spots and it hard to choose the order so lets not have any hurt feelings, they’re all winners. Yeah, and my criteria for “tracking shot” is pretty liberal.

10. Children Of Men. There’s a bunch to choose from but my favorite is in the car. The Kills are on the radio and a truly unexpected incident of violence ensues.
9. Citizen Kane. The camera goes up onto the roof, lighting flashes and we go through the sky lights
8. Scar Face, the chain saw scene. we go out the window and down to the convertable. An obvious influence for tarrantino’s ear scene in Resevoir dogs.
7. Blood Simple. right over the passed out drunk.
6. Nostalgia. Tarkovsky and tracking shots is a subject that deserves a more words than I’m prepared to write.
5. Halloween. One of the best opening scenes ever.
4. Evil Dead II. Through the woods, into the cabin, out the other side and into the air. Extra points for low budget.
3. Touch Of Evil. Welles’s greatest slight of hand trick. Fantastic tracking shot + fantastic sound design = the best fucking moment of cinema period (.)
2. Irreversible. The whole damn movie, but especially the last scene, but especially the whole damn movie.
1. I, Cuba. The one where the camera goes under water is the most famous but my favorite is the riot. For those two scenes this one gets the top spot.

Extra prizes for specialness: Russian Ark for being the longest to date (had to look it up, haven’t even seen the film). the Luimere Brothers and DW Griffith . Running around naked in Medium Cool. Rosemary’s Baby for giving us the infamous camera attached to an actor. The rabbit ear kid goes down the hill in Fargo. Scorcese wildcard: pick your favorite. And Sun Rise which would be on the proper list but I just don’t like the film.

Did I leave out your favorite? Sing me the song of your woes in the comments.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Share This