5. Playtime – Car Carousel
At the end of this absurdist visual comedy, we are treated to a whole slew of additional punchlines (of course, because all of Playtime is full of them). The greatest reward is the image of vehicles stuck circling a roundabout. They move so perfectly in sync that you could swear you are witnessing a carousel (or a car-ousel, I guess).
Other vehicles border this spinning circle of traffic monotony, only to enhance the movement within the “ride”. When a person is picked up or dropped off, all of the cars – naturally – stop. Can you imagine how many tries it would take to get this joke to work? If one car is slightly off, the illusion is dead.
4. Solaris – Zero Gravity
A couple of factors are necessary to discuss when it comes to the classic zero gravity scene in Andrei Tarkovksy’s Solaris. First off, this film is from 1972. The scene looks so believable (especially since practical effects were used, and CGI was not an option). Secondly, most of Solaris is built on how much we believe that we will see something tremendous.
Most of the film hides what true powers are hidden within, so when we do see something like the lead characters floating, it catches us off guard. Finally, the ways in which these characters – and the random objects – float is so realistic (in terms of what you’d imagine would happen, anyways), that your wish for something magical to happen will definitely feel like it has come true.
3. Days of Heaven – Locusts
This is another scene where the trick has been revealed online, but the result is still magnificent to witness. If you don’t know how the locust swarm sequence was achieved, you may not have any idea how you could even pull off such a scene (you can’t exactly direct insects, and having specialists work with so many seems nearly impossible).
When you do know how the effect was pulled off, it’s still astonishing that they even pulled it off in such a realistic manor. Never has a blatant plague looked so graceful (and real, at the same time).
2. Blade Runner – Flying Through the Sky
Sure, figure out how Blade Runner’s flying sequences were shot. It all does make sense when you boil down how basic filmmaking works, and take into account how these kinds of effects were employed at the time.
However, at the height of practical effects (in the ‘80s, since it was right before CGI came in to “save the day”), you’ll find this kind of scene, where the end result is still perfect no matter what. You truly do feel like you are witnessing vehicles soaring through the landscapes and past the buildings of a grim future. It isn’t so much the steps that were taken that are glorious, but the execution.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey – Stargate Sequence
This number one entry, like many others here, has also been analyzed in great depths. Once knowing how the scene was shot, you might find the end result even harder to believe. How on earth could this simple technique be applied to scenes this long (and of this many)?
How much space, time and work (especially when it comes to filming and re-shooting parts that didn’t work out) would it take to pull off an effect that still takes our breaths away 50 years later? With so many colours, patterns, and lights flying towards us, we can only appreciate the wizardry here (of which appeared a miracle when first shown in theatres).