Reading the Title Sequence (Vorspann, Générique)

This article is a survey of forms and functions of title sequences in film. Using a scattered but substantial base of references, it seeks to contribute to the analysis of this ingenious cinematic form. In particular, it proposes to read the title sequence as self-reflexive, namely, as a reading of the film itself in which the title sequence is integrated. Through their distinguishing functional characteristics, title sequences stand in as representative of an alternate kind of movie.