“Valar Morghulis”, “Say my name”, and “Zed’s dead baby”, all these dialogues make you think of the particular film or series that they are from. In this case, it was Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and, Pulp Fiction respectively. The point is, that dialogues are memorable. Be it a one-liner or even some random nonsense (like Samuel L. Jackson’s “This is some serious gourmet sh*t” from Pulp Fiction), dialogues are important.
On the contrary, directors like Denis Villeneuve and George Miller seem to state that dialogues only seem to slow the pacing of a movie. Well, they are right but not in a context that people understand. With great dialogues, the films are often slow and they take time to build these lines with character development. Movies like George Miller’s Mad Max franchise, do not have time for dialogue!
George Miller Says Dialogues Slow Things Down!
Before we start the discussion, let’s get some facts straight. The topic of dialogue started when it was revealed that Anya Taylor-Joy has only 30 lines to say in the upcoming George Miller movie Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
In an interview, veteran director George Miller (who created and directed the Mad Max franchise) revealed that dialogues slow things down. With the Mad Max franchise being a high-octane film with action scenes and explosions, it becomes pretty obvious that there’s no time for dialogue.
“The problem with dialogue is that it tends to slow things down. Film is a medium often best enjoyed at high speed,” said Miller in an interview with Telegraph
On the other hand, another veteran director was of the same mind until people started opposing him. Denis Villeneuve, known for directing the iconic Dune franchise agreed with Miller’s sentiments that dialogues were unnecessary.
However, it seems that Miller and Villeneuve have two very different contexts about the importance of dialogues. Both of them are right but only under different circumstances.
Why Denis Villeneuve’s Statements Are Different From George Miller’s!
Although it may seem like both directors are saying the same thing, the case isn’t simply true. Denis Villeneuve is a director known for directing the Dune franchise. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in leading roles, the franchise is comparatively very slow than the Mad Max franchise.
When Villeneuve says that dialogues only slow things down, he should not include the Dune franchise in it since the films are already pretty slow. Some people may call it an artistic form of expression where the eyes listen and the heart feels but oftentimes, the movies end up remaining unexplained.
This is the reason why dialogues are important and unimportant at the same time. Plus, it would be no fun seeing the hero kill the villain without saying any punchline. We mean, look at John Wick, even that film has dialogues that have become famous worldwide. And as Fred and George Weasley said in the Harry Potter franchise… “Mischief managed”.