The opening credits to Breakfast at Tiffany’s might just been the best in cinema history. That’s a very subjective statement. But here’s why I love this opening.

If you haven’t seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I wouldn’t blame you if you skipped it all together. It has its moments, don’t get me wrong. But in my opinion, this opening is without a doubt the best bit of the film. I don’t think I don’t think I can pin down exactly what is it about this opening that has made me fall in love with it. But I think it all comes down to this, I just want to be standing there with her. The whole scene oozes with this feeling of peaceful… contentment. Like there is no better place in the world to be at that very moment than looking through those windows. There’s no agenda, no problems or worries. There is just nothing more to it than having well, breakfast at Tiffany’s.

So, how does the movie cast this enchanting spell? I think it’s a lot of things working together in union like all great movie scenes. Starting with the setting, this is New York City but not as we know it. The streets aren’t bustling with people and cars. It’s no loud and lively. We see only one person. There’s literally no one else around. She is alone in a city home to millions of people, starring through windows that would usually have several other peering in too. How is she able to do this? Well, it’s all about the time of day. It’s very early in the morning. So early that it’s light but the street lights are still on. I think that this early morning setting is another reason why this scene is particularly evocative. There’s something so peaceful and tranquil about being awake so early in the morning. You see the world in a completely different light both literally and figuratively. There’s an almost magical quality to it and this scene beautifully plays into that feeling. Hepburn finds the pristine serenity that this time of day provides. There is no rush, no stress. There is nothing more that needs to be done than to look through these windows.

And that’s another thing I love about this scene, there’s such a calming simplicity to it. There’s no dialogue or significant moments of actions. It’s just a character eating a pastry looking through shop windows. Which on paper doesn’t sounds like an engaging way to open a movie. But that just highlights how well crafted this scene is. The beauty is in its simplicity and I for one just want it to last forever.

Obviously we can’t take about this scene without mentioning Hepburn’s costume. Right off the bat, there’s a mystery being planted. Why is she dressed so elegantly for 6am in the morning? There is such a compelling juxtaposition between how she is dressed and the activity she is engaged in. Who wears that to eat a pastry and window shop? We get such an insight into who Holly is as a character, yet we know nothing about her. But we do know that she’s the kind of person who you’ll find eating pasties outside Tiffany’s in the early morning wearing an elegant black dress. I find it impossible not to get swept up in this scene. And we haven’t even mention probably what deserves the most credit for giving this scene its power. The music.

A heavenly rendition of moon river plays throughout and it is just so serene. Not only is it a wonderful score, but it fits the scene so well. It perfectly encapsulates everything about the moment. The elegance of Hepburn, the calming essence of the early morning. The solitary nature of her actions. There’s an almost wistful feeling to the music, but in a positive way if that makes any sense at all. It’s imploring you relax and soak in this sequence.

This music, along with everything else I mentioned, makes the scene feel somewhat ephemeral. It feels like it’s captured a time and a place and a moment that can never be repeated. Although you could probably go to NYC, get up really early and reenact this scene one morning. I’m sure it wouldn’t be the same. Strangely enough, in a later scene where Hepburn’s character actually visits Tiffany’s during opening hours, the store clerk she speaks with says this about a ring from a cracker jack box.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. This scene is, in a way, a connection to the past. A time capsule. A portal through which we can gaze back to a specific point in time and feel like we were there, right there, standing next to the girl in the elegant black dress. And that’s why I think the opening credits to Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a magnificent movie moment.