Continuous Shot In Opening Scene

Hey folks,

The film opens with a really tight shot on what shortly becomes apparent as a brick paver as the camera rises above the ground. As the camera continues to rise with no break in the shot, the downward view shows two little boys urinating on the brick. The camera continues to rise shooting the street with folks walking, and then it continues up alongside a vertical hotel sign. At this point, the camera view moves upward slightly showing rooftops and then the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The camera then moves backward through a slotted window and into a room where two people are having sex.

What is most interesting in this shot is that it seems to be one continuous shot that starts outside in a very close shot of a brick in the street, then the view expands as the camera rises to the rooftops and then backs into a room in one of the buildings. I have no idea how this shot was done, and I would like to know the magic. It appears to be one continuous shot, but when the camera went above the rooftops on the far side of the street, the background with the Eiffel Tower appears to be a painting or matte rather than the real thing. Then the magic takes place again as the camera backs inside a window with narrow slots for openings into a room.

As I watched this opening shot, I remembered a somewhat similar shot from what I think was a Hitchcock film called "Frenzy." If I remember correctly, there was a continuous shot there that went from an outside street level scene, back inside the doorway of a walkup apartment, up several levels of steps, and into an apartment.

Does anyone remember the "Frenzy" scene I mentioned? Can anyone explain how they manage to do such shots?

Best wishes,
Dave Wile