The First Cut Is the Deepest

The opening shot of Player (click to watch) by Robert Altman is an extremely long take with the use of crane shot technology; the most sophisticated moment in it is the reference to the famous opening take of Touch of Evil by Orson Welles. No need to sing a song of praise for one of the two directors. A person that calls himself HANK QUINLAN (!!) has posted the whole of Touch of Evil (in the so-called director's cut version) on UTube. So you can watch at least the famous opening shot and decide where the first cut is - starting the plot and ending the introduction. I strongly recommend to watch the whole movie - it is a masterpiece, not only for deep focus editing. It has a great cast, too (Marlene!), and many nice anecdotes around it. Although I do not like Charlton Heston for his supporting of the National Rifle Association, I do not think (as some others do) that he is the weak link in the chain of the cast. First, he brought in Orson Welles as director. Then, he stood in for Welles (who was fired as director of the movie in the end). Finally - at least in my opinion - he gave a convincing rendering of the policeman ruining his honeymoon for not being able to let go his job - although it was not his business at all. The latter fact as well as the further course of events is very accurately outlined in the dialogue between Vargas (Heston) and his wife (Janet Leigh) at approximately 4:55, when he says "this could be very bad for us", and she asks: "for us?" and he replies: "for Mexico". Heston surely is predestined to play the role of a stubborn man, isn't he? Truffaut and Godard did like the movie (due to them it won a price). Word has it, that they have been influenced by it. Look at the opening and go for the whole of it: