Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by dado5 on January 20, 2003 at 09:01:26

In Reply to: dialogue delivery in 40s and 50s films posted by neilgl@earthlink.net on January 05, 2003 at 20:10:10:

Sitting through some of the classic old films, I really get a sense of how dialogue-stuffed they often were. Probably 20-40% more words spoken than in a similar genre contemporary film. There are alot more lingering character shots and zooming/panning scenary cuts in today's films than there ever were back then. And that is not even including how much screen time goes into effects nowadays.

We just watched The Philadelphia Story yesterday. Compare the amount of dialogue in that film to say, Sleepless in Seatle or The Wedding Planner or some other contemporary romantic comedy.

I think as a result, the candance of speech was faster in many a film back then and that this may contribute to what we see today as a forced style of acting. On the other hand, this amount and pace of converstion creates an effect of drawing the viewer in and, I think, encourages a level of concentration that is just not required in viewing one of today's typical Hollywood releases. This may come off as almost a sort of work that is needed to sit through an older film and may similarlly affect any classic/contemporary comparison.

Anyway, just my 2 cents on this topic.

Rob