An Opening Comparison: Argo and Mad Max 2

Recently I got my hands on the Blu-Ray release of Ben Affleck's Oscar Winning film Argo (a film I really loved, saw twice in the cinemas and was my favorite film of last year) and was struck by something that I hadn't really noticed until watching it on Blu-Ray.

And that is how similar the opening to this film is to the opening of Mad Max 2 (another personal favorite of mine) from 1981, now I'm sure some of you are thinking "what a stupid comparison" and on the surface it looks that way but allow me now to dig deeper.

First and what will probably be the silliest, both of the films open with the same Warner Brothers logo that has the black circle with the two and a half stripes and the red background, this was the standard WB logo at the time in which the events of Argo took place though with the release of Gremlins in 1984 it was changed to the shield style in use today.

The version on Mad Max 2 reflects the 4:3 aspect ratio that the film opens with, shamefully Warner's changed it for a modern day logo in full widescreen in 2007 when the film was first released on Blu-Ray, I hated the change when I first saw it in 2008 and I still hate it now as it ruins the mood of the film's opening and robs the viewer of a certain memory, perhaps coming from when they first saw it in cinemas in Christmas of 81, its US release in 1982 or indeed even on Video when it was released originally in 83 or its first re release in 86 or its other re releases over the years.

The second part of the comparison is the story it tells, Argo's is more rooted in fact, telling a brief version of the history of Iran prior to the 1979 revolution in a sense telling what has happened while Mad Max 2 tells of a future that feels like a believable one if things continue along a certain path.

The common theme that for me links the two together is the way both tell a specific period of time, one tells of the past and events that have already happened and faded into history while the other tells of one possible future among many even though the Future itself is not always set in stone and can very easily change in more ways than one.

The third part of my comparison comes down to its use of filmmaking technique to put its opening story across, Argo uses an animated storyboard sequence for the most part and it's a brilliant way to blend the two story ideas that run through the film while Mad Max 2 opens in a 4:3 window boxed ratio.

There are also three common elements both use, the first is the use of a narrator to help tell the story and that narration being acted in a way that feels somber, the second is the use of archival footage to help give more of an impact to the events being told and the third and last is the almost sad music that underscores both, helping to make the viewer of both openings feel more emotional about the tales of the past and future that they're watching.

But last and certainly not least, both are the prelude to a big opening sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the film, in the case of Argo it's the raid on the US Embassy in Tehran and in the case of Mad Max 2 it's a thrilling opening chase sequence with the famous Interceptor.

And the common theme of both is that they are very good openings that generate feelings of tension and excitement and are masterfully handled by their directors.

And so, that's my take on the openings of two films that I really love as personal favorites and the differences between the two as well as the commonalities that bind them together as well as the various strands of history that the two strive to tell in their own way.