Not sure why my mind is being drawn to such little details this week, but here’s the opening titles to The Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin, a BBC sitcom, written by David Nobbs.
So, after Reggie gets his kecks off, and runs down the slope, the camera ‘falls’ and then ‘rises’ again. This feels like an unmotivated camera movement to me, though thematically it makes sense. It just doesn’t feel quite right.
The more I watched it, the more I was convinced it was serving another purpose. It’s not a thematic move, it’s a necessary one. And sure enough, at the 15 second mark, you can see what’s being done.
As Leonard Rossiter disappears, another head pops up, in slightly the wrong place. That’s obviously the real person who goes swimming out in the cold water.
Or maybe I am imagining things.
What do you think?
