Why did epic length movies have overture's?

Question

Many Epic films (like '2001' or 'Lawrence of Arabia')began with an overture before the Distributior's Logo. When did this tradition begin and why did this stop over time...?

Answer 1

Overtures came before the age of the Silver Screen -- many operas and ballets have overtures as well. These short movements set the mood for the rest of the performance, whether it's on the stage or on the screen.

I can think of a couple of reasons why the overture isn't used as much for epic length movies these days, the first being that people don't make very many epic length movies to begin with -- the American public rarely has the attention span, unless the movie involves a lot of explosions or special effects.. we're too easily distracted by bright, shiny objects.

Secondly, even for the longer movies, the director may feel it important to just dive into the story, rather than having an extended sequence when nothing happens except the overture and opening credits. They don't want to leave their audience wondering if the rest of the movie is going to be this slow.

Finally, composers of movie scores often prefer to utilize the repeated theme as a device to tie the entire movie together. In orchestral circles, this is known as a chaconne, and is perfectly demonstrated in the movie "The Red Violin," where the same music weaves its way through the movie.

Answer 2

Lawrence Of Arabia Length

Answer 3

because before there were movies they had plays and operas for entertainment and they start with overtures. They just wanted to make the movies in the fashion of modern opera.

Answer 4

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