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Greatest Trailer Ever?
This dialogue-free Cliffhanger teaser -- an arty-looking music video to the strains of Mozart's Requiem "Dies Irae" -- is without question one of the greatest and most inspiring film trailers ever cut by a mainstream Hollywood studio. The reason is that it made a mediocre and needlessly brutal action movie look classy and cool. Most trailers try to reach the lowest-common-denominator dolts. This one went for the PBS wine-and-cheese crowd, selling the choreography, Alex Thomson's awesome photography and the splendor of northern Italy's Dolomite mountains.
I was totally sold on Cliffhanger after seeing it. And then, of course, I saw the film.
Was the Cliffhanger teaser-trailer included in IFC.com's "50 Greatest Trailers Ever Made" article, which went up yesterday? Of course not. Does this omission call the legitimacy of the article into question? Yes, it does somewhat. Especially since it salutes this Zabriskie Point trailer, which has one of the most comically awful ad-copy narrations ever heard.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 26, 2009 at 1:05 PM
comment #1
dinovelvet
says ...
Yeah I remember this. Genuinely brilliant trailer. It pretty much inspired every other action trailer in the last 15 years to throw in opera/classical to try and class things up, didn't it?
Posted by dinovelvet
at June 26, 2009 1:39 PM
comment #2
Gnome de Guerre
says ...
Wasn't Renny Harlin meant to become Michael Bay a some point? Or meant to have his career?
Posted by Gnome de Guerre
at June 26, 2009 1:49 PM
comment #3
PRC
says ...
No Clockwork Orange or American Beauty?!
Posted by PRC
at June 26, 2009 1:53 PM
comment #4
Geoff
says ...
I suppose it is needlessly brutal, coming off the heels of all the other violent 80's action flicks. Lots of bloody squibs and even explosions at high altitudes. Not to mention that one scene where they mow down that kind, old helicopter pilot.
These days the studios would have demanded a film like this be PG-13.
Posted by Geoff
at June 26, 2009 2:03 PM
comment #5
ErrantElan
says ...
Come on Jeff, you can be a better snob than that. PBS is seen by most truly cultured people as decidedly middlebrow.
Posted by ErrantElan
at June 26, 2009 2:05 PM
comment #6
crazynine
says ...
Huh. In just the other thread I praised the Pearl Harbor trailer to all heaven and it doesn't even make the list. Morons.
I also don't get the Unrbreakable trailer being there-- it's a fantastic trailer to a great movie, but I think that the trailer for The Sixth Sense is better ("He died." "How do you know?" "Because he's standing outside your window.")
Actually, looking at that list. . . there are PLENTY of choices missing. . .
Here's an alternative list, allegedly from Empire Magazine: http://www.movie-list.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11257
Not only does that one have Pearl Harbor on it, it also includes the REAL best trailer of all time: Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace.
You watched that, millions thought they were going to get the greatest cinematic experience of their adult lives.
Anything that can oversell a piece of crap that bad is a brilliant trailer (and that's what the IFC list doesn't get-- the best trailers are often for the worst movies).
Posted by crazynine
at June 26, 2009 2:15 PM
comment #7
Butters
says ...
Kind of bizarre. I have never seen this trailer for Cliffhanger. For some reason I like Cliffhanger. The finale gets me everytime where Stallone shoots the guy through the ice -- freaking amazing. Also, shouldn't the trailer for Congo be mentioned? That trailer made Congo look like it was going to be awesome. What a let down. Also, I do agree with you crazynine about the Phantom Menace trailer. I thinked I liked it better then the actual movie. I still have the original Phantom Menace trailer saved on my old computer. I still watch it from time to time it is that great.
Posted by Butters
at June 26, 2009 2:26 PM
comment #8
bluefugue
says ...
Cliffhanger's trailer definitely did a great job of making a not-so-good movie seem great. The movie is downhill after the harrowing opening sequence.
Bubble might be the best trailer I've seen in a while. I recall an early "Aliens" teaser that was great, too.
Posted by bluefugue
at June 26, 2009 2:29 PM
comment #9
pmnapoli
says ...
Yes, I remember this trailer kicking ass -- right up until the very final shot of Stallone doing that gravity defying leap across the chasm. I remember sitting in the theater and right then knowing that this was going to be nothing but another ridiculous, stupid-ass action movie.
Posted by pmnapoli
at June 26, 2009 2:35 PM
comment #10
Scott Mendelson
says ...
I don't know if it's on the lists mentioned above, but there has never been a better trailer for a worse movie than the second, action-centric trailer for The Avengers.
Posted by Scott Mendelson
at June 26, 2009 2:42 PM
comment #11
Josh Massey
says ...
"Yes, I remember this trailer kicking ass -- right up until the very final shot of Stallone doing that gravity defying leap across the chasm."
And about a million people shared your scorn, which is why the shot never appears in the final film.
Posted by Josh Massey
at June 26, 2009 3:18 PM
comment #12
Josh Massey
says ...
I think my favorite trailer is the first teaser for Terminator 2, showing the "creation" of Schwarzenegger. I just remember the absolute rush through the entire crowd when it debuted.
And it was almost matched by the subsequent trailer - at the line "These were taken today." This was, of course, before we knew Arnold played a good guy.
Remember when you didn't know every plot detail of a film a year beforehand? That was nice.
Posted by Josh Massey
at June 26, 2009 3:22 PM
comment #13
poseidon72
says ...
If summer movies nowadays were as GOOD as Cliffhanger I would be VERY happy!
Posted by poseidon72
at June 26, 2009 3:23 PM
comment #14
lazarus
says ...
That list was a load of crap for not including The Phantom Menace. Say what you want about the film itself, but that trailer built up the anticipation to an almost unbearable level.
Posted by lazarus
at June 26, 2009 3:25 PM
comment #15
Ghost072
says ...
I really loved the trailers for Burn After Reading and Man on Wire. And the final Star Trek trailer was pretty good, too, especially since it actually captured the feel and quality of the film (what a concept). And the trailer for Hunger is pretty powerful and old school as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUeXTA44ZFo&feature=related
Posted by Ghost072
at June 26, 2009 4:05 PM
comment #16
slutsky
says ...
The worst thing about that article is the fact that each of the 50 trailers is on a separate page. Yeesh. Talk about desperate for clicks.
Posted by slutsky
at June 26, 2009 4:24 PM
comment #17
Travis Crabtree
says ...
I remember seeing that in the theater and getting jacked. "Holy shit! A decent-looking Stallone movie!"
On another, less summer action movie note, the original trailer for "Philadelphia" was one of the best I've even seen. Makes me cry like a child.
Conversely, the IFC list failed by showing "The Matrix" on their list. It's really only a good trailer in hindsight because we all recall what a balls-out kick-ass movie it is. Before it opened though, the buzz was kind of weak. I saw the trailer at the Chinese Theater and everybody laughed as soon as they saw that Keaunu was in it. (same thing for "Speed", which, in its own way, ended up kicking ass, too)
Posted by Travis Crabtree
at June 26, 2009 5:10 PM
comment #18
dangovich
says ...
In terms of feasibility, Stallone's leap is on par with the bus jumping the freeway breach in Speed.
Posted by dangovich
at June 26, 2009 5:40 PM
comment #19
BurmaShave
says ...
Lithgow actually ruins CLIFFHANGER, and I'm sure he thought he was saving it.
Posted by BurmaShave
at June 26, 2009 5:51 PM
comment #20
Travis Crabtree
says ...
"Cliffhanger" certainly had one of the best / most harrowing opening ten minutes of any movie I've seen in the past 20 years.
Posted by Travis Crabtree
at June 26, 2009 6:03 PM
comment #21
DeeZee
says ...
BTW, Cliffhanger's legally free on Youtube.
"I was totally sold on Cliffhanger after seeing it. And then, of course, I saw the film."
But what about Judge Dredd?
Posted by DeeZee
at June 26, 2009 6:30 PM
comment #22
vansmith
says ...
That was awesome, movie was very entertaining, great concept, thriller on ice. I see the black guy at the urth cafe....
Posted by vansmith
at June 26, 2009 11:20 PM
comment #23
markj
says ...
My favourite trailers: The Abyss, Die Hard With A Vengeance (the classical music one), Schindlers List and Star Wars Episode One.
Posted by markj
at June 27, 2009 12:22 AM
comment #24
Terry McCarty
says ...
Actually, the trailer for THE TWO JAKES could count as another classic example of making a disappointment look like a mouthwatering must-see.
Posted by Terry McCarty
at June 27, 2009 12:40 AM
comment #25
StoneFan1
says ...
Wait, I thought "Cliffhanger" was the only decent Die Hard ripoff flick of the late-80's, early-90's, No?!?!?
Talking about great trailers, I caught the one for "Dr. Strangelove" on TCM. WOW! That was fantastic!!!!
Posted by StoneFan1
at June 27, 2009 7:27 AM
comment #26
StoneFan1
says ...
"Heat" and "Nixon" had great trailers in 1995.
Posted by StoneFan1
at June 27, 2009 7:31 AM
comment #27
JB Moore
says ...
Hell yeah! Nice call Jeff. I brought this very trailer up in a conversation just a couple of days ago. The person/people who cut it deserve a medal.
I saw Cliffhanger at a theater in Alpine, TX that was hands-down the most pathetic venue I have ever encountered in my life. Imagine the New Beverly's screen (no knock on the New Bev, we all know it's small), but smaller, with about half the audience capacity, about six or seven HOME STEREO speakers lined up under the screen for the Memorex experience, and a concession booth that was pretty much like the one Kramer ran in Seinfeld - I think there were three or four boxes of candy, canned drinks, and the popcorn machine was broken. Saddest theater ever.
Posted by JB Moore
at June 27, 2009 8:04 AM
comment #28
George Prager
says ...
Lithgow should only be on stage and in Brian DePalma movies.
Posted by George Prager
at June 27, 2009 10:35 AM
comment #29
George Prager
says ...
LITTLE CHILDREN? No fucking way. Where is EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC? MAGIC?
Posted by George Prager
at June 27, 2009 11:45 AM
comment #30
Steven Kar
says ...
Reni Harlin should be praised for directing 2 of the best action movies of the past 2 decades. Everything else he's done was shit but Cliffhanger and Die Hard 2 were terrific. The action was expertly designed, shot and cut together, was quite imaginative in many instances, and did not cost 100 mil.
Posted by Steven Kar
at June 28, 2009 4:24 AM
comment #31
Jay T.
says ...
"If summer movies nowadays were as GOOD as Cliffhanger I would be VERY happy!"
Totally agree. Cliffhanger isn't the greatest movie, but it's a hell of a lot better than most of the summer popcorn flicks coming out the last decade or so.
Posted by Jay T.
at June 28, 2009 11:43 AM
comment #32
Krish
says ...
That was really a fantastic movie trailer. But the movie was fantastic too.
Posted by Krish
at February 4, 2010 11:11 AM
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