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I love good dialogue. I can write mediocre dialogue myself; I'm just good enough to appreciate when someone's really good.
Shakespeare's greatest plays are almost entirely lines of dialogue, with minimal directions. Many great (or at least good) movies have memorable dialogue. The snappy, overlapping lines in Howard Hawks' movies; the naturalistic, multiply-overlapping background dialogue in Robert Altman's pictures; the vivid, spare lines of a John Wayne western; the smooth witty patter in a sophisticated comedy.
Here's (as I recall) one of my favorite movie lines:
But --
Cinema is above all a visual medium. Sometimes, the images communicate what's needed, and there's just nothing for the characters to say at that moment. I especially like scenes where the writer could have put some kind of speech into the character's mouth, but realized it would have weakened the moment.
Two examples to start off:
1) The final scene in The Third Man. What is there to say? Whatever he might have been hoping to hear, she's not gonna say it.
2) A scene in Knightriders, towards the end. Ed Harris comes into a diner to confront the fat, corrupt, abusive Sheriff's Deputy who had harassed his troupe and beaten up his friend earlier. The Deputy is just about to cram a bacon cheeseburger into his maw. Ed Harris sits down across from him, and doesn't say a word; just gives the guy a second to register that he's there. Then -- pow -- beats the crap out of him and throws him in the walk-in cooler. (Nobody interferes; in fact they're happy to see Officer Porky get the ass-kicking he deserves.)
So, does anybody else like scenes like that?
Shakespeare's greatest plays are almost entirely lines of dialogue, with minimal directions. Many great (or at least good) movies have memorable dialogue. The snappy, overlapping lines in Howard Hawks' movies; the naturalistic, multiply-overlapping background dialogue in Robert Altman's pictures; the vivid, spare lines of a John Wayne western; the smooth witty patter in a sophisticated comedy.
Here's (as I recall) one of my favorite movie lines:
I've seen it before: some hard-boiled egg takes one look at a pretty face, and -- bang! -- he cracks up and goes sappy!
But --
Cinema is above all a visual medium. Sometimes, the images communicate what's needed, and there's just nothing for the characters to say at that moment. I especially like scenes where the writer could have put some kind of speech into the character's mouth, but realized it would have weakened the moment.
Two examples to start off:
1) The final scene in The Third Man. What is there to say? Whatever he might have been hoping to hear, she's not gonna say it.
2) A scene in Knightriders, towards the end. Ed Harris comes into a diner to confront the fat, corrupt, abusive Sheriff's Deputy who had harassed his troupe and beaten up his friend earlier. The Deputy is just about to cram a bacon cheeseburger into his maw. Ed Harris sits down across from him, and doesn't say a word; just gives the guy a second to register that he's there. Then -- pow -- beats the crap out of him and throws him in the walk-in cooler. (Nobody interferes; in fact they're happy to see Officer Porky get the ass-kicking he deserves.)
So, does anybody else like scenes like that?