Movies - Opening credits

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	Movies - Opening credits

Opening credits, in a television program or motion picture, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. Some opening credits are built around animation or production numbers of some sort (such as the James Bond films). Opening credits usually mention the major actors, guest stars, producers and director, as opposed to closing credits which lists the entire production crew; up until the 1960s, however, closing credits for films usually listed only the major cast members or even simply just said "The End", requiring opening credits to contain more detail. In television, the opening credits may be preceded by a short teaser or cold opening sequence that helps to set the stage for the episode.

In recent years, many major American motion pictures have done away with opening credits, with many films, such as Van Helsing
and The Mummy Returns
, not even displaying the film title until the closing credits begin. George Lucas is credited (or blamed) with popularizing this with his Star Wars films which only display the film's title at the start. His decision to omit opening credits in his films Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back led him to resign from the Directors Guild of America. However Hollywood had been releasing films without opening credits for many years before Lucas came along, most notably Citizen Kane
, and in Europe, films without opening credits are also commonplace.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Opening credits ]

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