Credit Where Credit is Due

Two things that happened last night got me thinking of credits on entertainment. I'm talking about TV and movies.

The second thing was late last night I turned on my TiVo and watched the latest (next to last for the season) episode of Monk on the USA Network, and I was once again struck by how delightful the opening title/credits sequence is. "It's a jungle out there" sings Randy Newman in what is, in my opinion, the best title/credit sequence on TV, in a time when these sequences are all but disappearing (look at Lost which has the most minimal of titles).

It's a unique and totally clever throwback to the days when many shows had a catchy title song that explained the premise: "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship." "Here's the story, of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls." "They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky, The Addams Family." Gilligan's Island, the Brady Bunch and the Addams Family come immediately to mind, how could they not?

But Newman's Monk theme is much more subtle, it doesn't tell you what the show is about (a widower, San Franciscan, ex-police detective with severe OCD who is a modern day Sherlock Holmes). Instead it gives you the main character's world view; you may think the world is fine, but Monk knows...

It's a jungle out there
Disorder and confusion everywhere
No one seems to care. Well I do.
Hey, who's in charge here?
It's a jungle out there
Poison in the very air we breathe
Do you know what's in the water that you drink?
Well I do, and it's amazing
People think I'm crazy, 'cause I worry all the time
If you paid attention, you'd be worried too
You better pay attention
Or this world we love so much might just kill you
I could be wrong now, but I don't think so.
'Cause it's a jungle out there
It's a jungle out there!

The catchy tune and wonderful lyrics are enhanced by scenes of Monk being Monk, finely edited to match the pace of the music. And despite the depressing tone of the lyrics, the bouncy Newman music plays in such direct contrast, that you can't help but end the credits with a smile on your face. It's an amazing piece of work.

But I said Monk was the second thing that happened last night.

The first was our vain attempt to see all the Academy Award nominated films before Sunday's show. We aren't going to make it, but that won't stop us from trying. Last night we saw the wonderful Dreamgirls. From what I have seen so far, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson seem shoe-ins for the supporting acting Oscars, but I haven't seen everything yet, so I could be wrong. I thought the film was great, but I thought the end credits were pure magic.

As they introduce each actor they show numerous scenes of them from the film, which isn't really anything new, but they seemed to give each actor 10 to 15 seconds of credit time, which was great. However, this was not the magic part; the magic came next.

They split the screen up into constantly changing strips and showed scenes from the film interspersed with drawing of the sets. You would see a set and the strip next to it would be a drawing of the same set and then finally you saw the Production Design credit.

They then followed the same process through all of the main credits: Cinematography (montage the most gorgeous scenes in the film), Editing (10 seconds or so of a song and dance number with lots of cuts), Casting (the screen fills with small squares, each with a different member of the cast), Costume Design (a montage of costumes and the drawings from which they were derived), Lighting (montage of dramatically lit scenes), Choreography (montage of dance sequences), etc. It was magic!

You not only saw the name of the person responsible, you saw what they produced. You attached the people's names to their work and you got an immediate connection. That's the way to honor the people who pour out the sweat creating the cinematic experience. If there is an award for best credits, this film should win it, no questions asked!

Like I said, pure magic!