MovieChat Forums > About Last Night... (1986) Discussion > Anyone else bothered by opening sequence

Anyone else bothered by opening sequence

posted 17 years ago by bluestrat70
10 replies | jump to latest

The dialogue for the opening sequence was top notch with outstanding performance by Belushi - he was great. But my issue is with the way it was cut. the story goes fluidly but the characters jump from place to place. One moment they're on a train, then BOOM, they're in a bar, then BOOM, they're in different clothes playing softball. Why not just take them on a trip to the softball game. I can live with jumping a little bit, but this was way too much. It got in the way.

"everything i say, by definition, is a promise." CARMINE SABATINI -(The Freshman)

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Pippa68 17 years ago

I thought it was done brilliantly.

Bernie obviously tells VERY long stories about his sexual conquests, so it stands to reason that this particular one would be covered in several locations.

One of the best movie openings ever!

[–] beaconolight 17 years ago

No.. This movie is one of my favorites, still.

[–] TowerKzar 17 years ago

I think the beauty of the beginning, is that it gives the film a real sense of place while introducing two of the main characters. Chicago is one of the stars of the film and the director and cinematographer did a great job of capturing it. To this day, I'm enthralled by the ending scene as the camera pulls back to show Danny and Debbie leaving Grant Park towards that wonderful skyline.

[–] HikerBoy57 15 years ago

I actually thought it was a great touch, as it gives the impression that he's been telling his story for hours and hours.

The war is not meant to be won... it is meant to be continuous.

[–] orangerunner 15 years ago

I think it was a stylistic way of introducing us to the characters and where they live. I liked the opening but, for me, the dialogue felt very "written" as it have have sounded in the play upon which it is based. The movie's dialogue felt much more real after this scene.

[–] mcfly-31 15 years ago

The dialogue, great. The construction of the telling, not so much. There's no way the story could be spread over so many locations, even with the theory that Bernie was picking up the story as they did other things. His intent and energy was too consistent for someone picking up a story at a later time. As far as the story feeling "written," I think that's the hidden message in all of it: that Bernie was making the whole thing up for the amusement of Danny. And Danny, the younger more inexeperienced guy, was just playing along. Thrown chairs and gasoline and firefighters....ehhhhhhh.

[–] Dave-988 14 years ago

The opening of this film has to be one of the greatest ever. It makes me wonder if they could have done a "Waiting for Godot" styled play with just the two of them and that story. Would it have worked? At this point, we don't know.

[–] 14 years ago

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[–] gobboling 10 years ago

Why complain about it when it was funny as hell?! I loved the way Belushi told that story. Hilarious!