Movies that feel like just one scene can be incredibly immersive and compelling, pulling the audience into the position of the characters. Some of these movies take place in one location, or they use long, continuous takes to tell their stories in real-time. Either technique can be more grounded and personal than most other movies, especially if the film is aided by a finely crafted script and excellent acting. However, if the movie falls short in any of these key areas, then it can become too static, and therefore uninteresting for the audience.
Movies with one long scene work better in some genres than in others. Action thrillers are especially suited to these techniques, because they can captivate an audience for the entire duration of the movie. When the camera follows one character very closely in real time, it creates a closer bond between that character and the audience. This can be useful for tense personal dramas, but it could hinder a comedy or anything with a large ensemble cast. Movies that are mostly just one scene are often interesting narrative experiments, even if they don’t always produce results.
10 Phone Booth (2002)
A propulsive thriller in a tiny box
Colin Farrell carries the entirety of Phone Booth from within a small square box. It’s testament to his compelling talents as an actor that Phone Booth can retain such dynamism without moving from its location, but the script also helps with some neatly timed tricks to increase the tension. Phone Booth keeps up a frantic pace, and it doesn’t outstay its welcome, clocking in at just 81 minutes. It’s a simple concept, but Phone Booth‘s well-measured execution produces a taut thriller that lives a lot longer in the mind than it does on screen.
9 Rope (1948)
Hitchcock’s masterful tale of two murderers
Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope is adapted from a stage play, and it tells the story of a pair of men who throw a dinner party to prove that they can committ the perfect murder. The action unfolds in real-time as one of the guests, played by James Stewart, begins to grow suspicious of the two men. Hitchcock expertly ratchets up the tension over the course of the dinner party, even though Rope is less than 90 minutes long. Rope also benefits from Hitchcock’s use of the subjective camera, which forces the viewer to side with the murderers at times.
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8 Lifeboat (1944)
Another limited-setting classic from Hitchcock
Rope isn’t the only movie Hitchcock directed which takes place in a single setting. Lifeboat follows the survivors from a passenger vessel which was sunk by a German U-boat. The passengers try to pull together despite their difficult circumstances, but the presence of the U-boat captain causes a rift in the group. Despite the limited setting, Hitchcock’s direction keeps things fresh. He constantly finds new ways to frame the same characters in the same setting, often according to how the shifting power dynamics of the group form new alliances and enemies.
7 Birdman (2014)
Birdman follows a middle-aged actor best-known as the star of a superhero blockbuster franchise as he desperately tries to restart his career in a Raymond Carver adaptation on Broadway. The camera doesn’t always linger on Riggan Thompson, sometimes dipping into secluded areas of the theater beyond his knowledge to expose the secrets that his cast and family are keeping from him. Birdman only breaks away from its continuous take for the ambiguous final scene, which could either be occurring in real life, in a dream just before death, or in limbo.
6 12 Angry Men (1957)
Taking place in the jury room as 12 men deliberate on a murder trial, 12 Angry Men presents a cross-section of society’s attitudes toward criminal justice. From the outset, there are those among the jury who hope to render a “guilty” verdict for reasons beyond what they have seen in court, but Juror 8 sticks by his guns and slowly begins working away at each other juror, asking them to re-evaluate not only the facts of the case but their own prejudices and preconceptions. 12 Angry Men is a finely balanced character piece, relying on a superb cast.
5 Buried (2010)
Although Ryan Reynolds has developed a reputation as a primarily comedic actor, but Buried showcases his talents in a more dramatic role. Paul wakes up in a coffin buried underground with only a few everyday items to try and work his way out. Buried is a breathless, claustrophobic thriller. There are shades of Hitchcock, but such a bold filmmaking stunt requires an original streak. Buried uses lighting as part of the narrative, arming Paul with a lighter, some glowsticks, and a faulty flashlight. As their light slowly dies, so too does his hope of rescue.
4 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
John Cazale’s remarkable acting legacy includes just films, but each one was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. In Dog Day Afternoon, he and Al Pacino play a pair of witless bank robbers whose simple in-and-out job quickly descends into an inescapable nightmare as police surround the building. By containing the action within the building, playing out mostly in real-time, Dog Day Afternoon draws the viewer into the frenzied state of its thieves. It feels far more grounded than other heist movies, which offer sleek, rebellious fantasies about getting rich by outsmarting the system.
3 My Dinner With Andre (1981)
My Dinner with Andre uses conversation alone to propel its narrative, as a pair of old friends reconnect over a dinner at a high-class restaurant. Any attempts to describe the movie invariably undersell its brilliance and its ability to utterly captivate its audience with nothing but two actors and a table for them to sit at. The two men are both involved in the New York theater scene, and My Dinner with Andre is as much a deconstruction of art and narrative as it is about life. The camera places the viewer at the table, right alongside the old friends.
2 Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Based on the play by Edward Albee, Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opens up the deep faultlines in the marriage between an associate professor and the university president’s daughter. When they invite a young couple into their home after a party, their pleasant facade shatters and reveals the years of trauma and neglect in their marriage. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is one of Elizabeth Taylor’s best movies, and her husband Richard Burton also delivers a career-defining performance. Taylor perfectly captures Martha’s use of sex and alcohol as a means of repressing her dissatisfaction.
1 1917 (2019)
1917 opens with two soldiers sleeping in a field, and this is just about the last moment of peace in the entire story. Soon, the soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines, as the camera follows them in one continuous shot. 1917‘s use of the long take creates a deeply immersive image of the First World War, drawing the audience down into the trenches alongside the British troops. Although the scenery changes a lot, the focus stays on the same characters, and the cuts are masked expertly using sophisticated digital editing techniques.
