Movies with no or little dialogue. Why you like it or don't like it

BelangerRRRRRRR

BelangerRRRRRRR

Sup people!

Simple questions but always make some good discussion. So I want your opinons on movies with no or little dialogue. Yes I want to know if you like it or not but what I really want to know is why.

Feel free to elaborate. I will tell my position on this question later. I want people first. :)
 
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indietalk said:
It really has nothing to do with a dialog statistic, it's the story.
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Yeah, it's always about story anyway. But some people have different préférences. You never herd?: YURK this movie was bad, there was not enough dialogue. Sorry I herd that many many times, even on There Will Be Blood were the story is just terrifically good.

So yes, dialogue matters for some people. and the opposite exist to. To munch dialogue in a movie takes out the cinematic feel, it feel more like T.V. Guess what, I herd that to:yes:!!!
 
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Matter of personal taste, I suppose. Some people get caught up in irrelevant issues and miss the forest for the trees.

I write and direct stage plays, which are entirely dialogue-driven. I also write and direct motion pictures, in which I make every effort to "show it, don't say it". Common denominator, as previously stated, is STORY!

Spielberg's first long-form work, Duel, is an example of a nearly perfect story told cinematically. What little dialogue there is could be excised entirely and the movie would still make complete sense.

Annie Hall, on the other hand, is an equally masterful film, but it would not work at all without the dialogue.

I personally have never heard anyone complain about too little dialogue in a movie, but, alas, the pettiness of some folks will never cease to amaze me.
 
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2001 Productions said:
I personally have never heard anyone complain about too little dialogue in a movie, but, alas, the pettiness of some folks will never cease to amaze me.
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LOL!


I can tell you why..... a lot of viewers don't want to see a "filmed play". If you see enough no budget indie movies, you'll find yourself wishing for the bad actors to quit talking and get on with the plot. :lol:

Sure, there are some great dialogue driven movies, like CLERKS, RESERVOIR DOGS, etc. These are well written exceptions. Few movies can pull that off and remain interesting for 100 minutes. Sometimes, less is more.

Personally, I like movies that are a visceral experience. I want to see the details, not just hear characters saying, "the city has been destroyed!" Show me some rubble and smoldering buildings. Ideally, the visuals and dialogue should compliment each other.
 
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indietalk said:
It really has nothing to do with a dialog statistic, it's the story.
Click to expand...

Agree completely. There are great movies that are great because of all there dialog and movies that are great because of there lack of dialog, just as there are movies that are ruined by having too much or too little.

All depends on the story. I would say most try to keep it in a safe middle area and great directors/screen writers can move to the extremes safely. It's when you get not so great directors that try to move from the safe zone that we get trouble.
 
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If the story keeps moving forward visually in an interesting way, there is no need for dialog. I enjoy movies that tell the story visually - as long as it tells a story or provokes thought. Movies like Tetsuo and Eraserhead aren't dialog heavy and don't even tell a story in the straightforward traditional sense. But they are extremely entertaining films (for me, anyway) because of the inventiveness and direction of the visuals.
 
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BelangerRRRRRRR said:
Yeah, it's always about story anyway. But some people have different préférences. You never herd?
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I think that's what indietalk was doing - offering his
opinion. That's what you wanted, right?

My opinion on movies with no or little dialogue is if
the story works then I like a movie with no or little
dialogue. As far as I can remember I’ve only seen one
narrative film with no dialogue - Russell Rouse’s “The
Thief” - and I liked it. A film I love is Luc Besson’s “Le
Dernier Combat” which has one spoken word. And
there’s Gene Kelly’s “Invitation to the Dance” which is
all music - but not a narrative film. Do “Caveman”,
“Quest for Fire” and the original “One Million Years B.C.”
count? The "dialogue" isn't in any real language, but
there is dialogue. And there's always “Hell in the Pacific”
and it's remake "Enemy Mine" - both of which I like.

Or are you also including films like Godfrey Reggio”s
“Koyaanisqatsi”, “Naqoyqatsi and “Powaqqatsi” in your
question?
 
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The question I am addressing-

So I want your opinons on movies with no or little dialogue. Yes I want to know if you like it or not but what I really want to know is why.

I like movies that tell a good story. By "telling", I mean communicating. Some stories use dialogue to communicate while others rely more on the visual sense.

Two examples=

Pulp Fiction- Heavy on dialogue. While the visuals are great the dialogue really puts this film over the top (IMO).

In the Bedroom - Script is 110 pages, the film is 130 minutes. I think this is a great film because the actors, primarily Tom Wilkinson and to a lesser extent, Sissy Spacek do a great job telling the story through their actions and inactions. There are several parts in this film where the camera simply observes the actors and nothing is said, but the viewer knows exactly what the message is and what they are feeling.

So, you ask why do we like movies without dialogue. It comes down to telling a good story. Tell it with dialogue or visuals or both, I don't care, as long as the story is communicated. I don't prefer without to with or with to without, I want a good story to come across in whatever means necessary. Simple as that.
 
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and don't forget Sergio Leone who was very resourceful with dialog. Once Upon A Time in the West almost 3 hrs long only 24 pages of dialog and I followed it without a problem. All of his movies were like that. Ah.. telling stories with pictures what a concept.
 
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