"My friends, you bow to no one" - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

radagastly · 03-22-2014, 08:24 AM

I have a general problem with most film dialogue in the first place. It adds some detail and exposition that would otherwise be absent, but it is rarely an improvement on the overall experience. That being said, much of Hollywood has become dependent on dialogue to fill creative gaps in their effort to tell a story through visual images alone. Not that there is no place for dialogue at all. If you're adapting Shakespeare, for example, it's very much about the beautiful language, and therefore it needs to be there. My objection is the substitution of dialogue for the more creative challenge of imparting the same feeling and information in silence. The best films are enjoyable and engaging even with the soundtrack turned off.
That being said, I don't think that "Praise them with great praise!" is any less hokey (or more hokey, for that matter) than "My friends, you bow to no one." But books are all about the words that they're made of, and film is about the moving visual image. A wordless bow, without the line, would have been more universally effective in a visual medium.

03-22-2014, 08:24 AM	#29
radagastly Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Washington, D. C., USA Posts: 299	Dialogue. in film I have a general problem with most film dialogue in the first place. It adds some detail and exposition that would otherwise be absent, but it is rarely an improvement on the overall experience. That being said, much of Hollywood has become dependent on dialogue to fill creative gaps in their effort to tell a story through visual images alone. Not that there is no place for dialogue at all. If you're adapting Shakespeare, for example, it's very much about the beautiful language, and therefore it needs to be there. My objection is the substitution of dialogue for the more creative challenge of imparting the same feeling and information in silence. The best films are enjoyable and engaging even with the soundtrack turned off. That being said, I don't think that "Praise them with great praise!" is any less hokey (or more hokey, for that matter) than "My friends, you bow to no one." But books are all about the words that they're made of, and film is about the moving visual image. A wordless bow, without the line, would have been more universally effective in a visual medium. __________________ But all the while I sit and think of times there were before, I listen for returning feet and voices at the door.