Montage by definition is the production of a rapid succession of images in a motion picture to illustrate an association of ideas. In film, montages can really help the narrative progress by telling a long part of a story in a short amount of time. We can see examples of this technique in a variety of movies throughout time. Montages can also be used to tell the back-story when a new character is introduced, as well as in a comedic fashion by remaking a part in an old film in the new one. It can also be used to show a memory sequence that allows you to see how what emotions a character is feeling when they come into contact with something from their past.

One of my most favorite montages of all time is from the film “Dirty Dancing”. I’m sure the sentiment I have for this movie is shared with many. This iconic “training” montage shows so well how a filmmaker can use editing to show something that would have taken weeks to months to do (in this case training for a dance show) and condense it down into a fast progression that fast forwards to the next point of the movie.

My next two montage examples are from two of my most favorite movies of all time, “Amelie” and “The Royal Tenenbaums”. Both of these edits piece together the childhoods of the main characters into a small amount of time. This allows you as a viewer to get obtain a better understanding of who these people are and what they had been through in a part of their life in a 3-5 minute edit.

“Amelie”

“The Royal Tenenbaums” – should you watch this movie in it entirety, you will notice several montages. Wes Anderson directs this movie, and I believe every movie he has ever made has at least one montage. Definitely worth a Google search, if you are a fan of the style of his films.

This last montage that I will share with you is another that shows an life in fast forward. From the movie “Up”, the story of Carl and Ellie’s married life mashed into 4 minutes and 28 seconds. Short but so powerful and sentimental.