I know we faff on a bit about how much more awesome movies and cinema were back in the '80s and '90s , but goddammit it's true. Remember how exciting it was when you'd clumsily slide a tape into your VHS machine, sit back, fix the tracking and get set for some pre-movie goodness including the oh-so special Idents? I know, what the hell is an Ident right? Trust me, when I tell you, it'll all fall into place and your spine will be engulfed with the silky warmth of nostalgia.
Film Idents are the little 15-60 second clip shown before the actual movie. You know, the winged horse galloping towards the screen, the toga-adorned goddess holding the torch, the star spangled snow-capped mountain or the churning machine gears that preceded the main event and often set the mood with some creepy synth sweeps or joyous trumpets. Idents are still very much a part of today's TV and motion pictures, with the studios/production companies that are still in business either completely revamping their Ident or just updating them with a modern and digital friendly shine, but, in my mind, their heyday is in the past. With pirating rife and VHS an antiquity, the Ident's relevance and power has been reduced to that of Betamax.
So, in honour of the mighty Ident of times past, we've selected our favorite 20 Idents going back as far as the '70s all the way up to the late '90s in our guide to the best movie intro logos. Revel in the nostalgia and don't worry about the lines across the screen coz there's no tracking control needed here.
1. Worldvision Home Video Inc
2. Screen Gems
3. Disney
4. United Artist
5. Viacom
6. Touchstone
7. Lionsgate
8. Columbia
9. Paramount
10. 20th Century Fox
11. MGM
12. Miramax
13. Universal
14. Dimension
15. New Line
16. Morgan Creek
17. Regency
18. Cannon Group
19. Orion
20. Carolco