Louis Giannetti, in his book Understanding Movies, says, “The beginning scenes imply how the narrative will be developed and where it’s likely to end up.” Timeline (2003) (based on a novel by Michael Crichton) demonstrates this in the first three and a half minutes. The opening scene is a juxtaposition of two centuries colliding and the effects of such an occurrence.
Setting Boundaries
A man maneuvers his SUV around corners of a lonely desert highway. At the same time, a horse and sword-wielding rider gallops headlong through a lush forest in pursuit of a man in medieval clothing. The two worlds collide as the chased man appears in the middle of the highway.
Time constraints are absent; a man crossed a threshold between centuries, or at least two very different locations. The how and why are still at question but the boundary, or lack thereof, has been established.
Defining Narrative
The pursued man avoids being crushed by an automobile, but he’s already injured. The only word he speaks is, “Castleguard.” Efforts to revive him fail and hospital employees are at a loss as to how the man came to be in such condition. His veins, spine and aorta are out of alignment. One doctor remarks, “This guy looks like a paper doll got cut up and pasted back together.”
The man’s only identification is in the form of a charm worn around his neck. It is engraved with the letters ITC, the name of the hospital’s largest contributor. When Frank Gordon (Neal McDonough) arrives to retrieve the body, the Sheriff remarks “Pretty sad when your time comes and there’s no one out there to claim you but your employer.”
A phone call from the ITC boss, Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), adds mystery. He instructs Gordon to not only retrieve the body but all x-rays and medicals records as well. Further conversation reveals he’s more concerned with the company’s reputation than his employee’s death.
What Does It Mean?
Because of the filmmakers’ skillful introduction, the audience is prepared for the events to follow. In three and a half minutes, boundaries are established and the narrative is defined. Time and space seemingly have no constraints and we're ready for a story with action and a bit of mystery.
We also glimpse where the story might lead; of course, we must watch the rest of the film to be sure. The introduction of more characters and situations are what make the film enjoyable, but couldn’t the dying man’s condition be a metaphor for the effects of time travel on history? After all, by venturing into the past, the characters deconstruct events and patch them back together, much like the man’s body in the opening scene.
To read more about opening scenes visit Rio Bravo: A Character Study.
References:
Giannetti, Louis. Understanding Movies. 10th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005.
