First and Final Frames

“In my beginning is my end,” T.S. Eliot famously wrote. That is true of movies as well. Of good movies, anyway.

 

Jacob T. Swinney proves this in his side-by-side supercut First and Final Frames. The opening and closing shot of fifty five films are played next to each other. Sometimes these images are visual echoes, revealing the circular structure of the movie. Other pairings show a stark contrast: an indication of the development of its characters. Yet other match-ups show little or no similarities, perhaps indicating that not much thought when into them.

 

Swinney’s exercise is an elegant and economical way of pointing out the importance and the potential of these bookending shots. And as is so often the case with successful movies, a sequel was inevitable.