Hard at work, John Lee Mahin, one of Hollywood's greatest screenwriters.
From where do we draw wisdom?
First and foremost, Seraphic Secret relies on Torah, on the lessons of 3,000 years of Jewish history and the common sense advice of my wife Karen.
And then there are the movies, a moral landscape of immeasurable power where searing images and razor-sharp dialogue deliver lessons in human character that, for better or worse, shape modern man’s consciousness.
I know it seems ludicrous if not downright blasphemous noting Torah and movies as primary influences but the mind of yours truly, a screenwriter and movie-lover, is a stage of raging intellectual conflicts.
Here are several prime slices of dialogue that elegantly and economically reveal secret corners of our hearts and minds.
Greta Garbo and Marc MacDermott in “The Temptress,” 1926.
Screenplay by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez and Dorothy Farnum.
All we need to know about the Garbo character in five words.
Jean Harlow and Wallace Ford, “Beast of the City” (1932). Story by W.R. Burnett, dialogue and continuity by John Lee Mahin. Uncredited work by Ben Hecht.
Jean Harlow as Daisy: [Seductively] It’s a funny thing. You drink beer to make you cool, and it just makes yuh hot.
Richard Widmark and Jean Peters, “Pickup on South Street” (1953) written and directed by Sam Fuller, real name Rabinovitch.
“You look for oil, sometimes you hit a gusher.”
Richard Widmark’s apt metaphor for kissing Jean Peters.
Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, “Out of the Past” (1947) screenplay by Daniel Mainwaring with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M. Cain, from his novel “Build My Gallows High.”
Jane Greer as Kathie: Oh Jeff, you ought to have killed me for what I did a moment ago.
Robert Mitchum as Jeff: There’s time.
This lovely piece of dialoge affirms the doomed relationship of a less than heroic noir chump and the dazzling femme fatale.
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
20 Comments
Dear Robert: Shabbat Shalom. Do you recommend OUT OF THE PAST?
Speaking of CASABLANCA: For anyone who feels the way I do about it, that it’s a great, slendid, marvelous, wonderful tearjerker, but it’s been SHOWN TO DEATH, try PASSAGE TO MARSEILLES.
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While they may not be as pithy as your selection, here is a collection of memorable movie quotes, some of which, made it into everyday familiarity:
http://www.filmsite.org/greatfilmquotes.html
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Thanks so much for the link. Good stuff.
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Lines that I never forgot:
Gen. Chang: “My people need breathing room!” Capt. Kirk: “Earth. Hitler. 1939.” (Star Trek: Undiscovered Country)
Dr. Crane: “Just tell him you’re sorry.” Dr. Campbell: “I don’t think he knew it was me.” (Medicine Man)
and one with no words at all: Samuel Lapp (Lukas Haas) pointing at the picture of McFee (Danny Glover) and John Book (Harrison Ford) putting his hand over Samuel’s to hide it, and nodding. (Witness)
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I recently saw a documentary by Denise Crosby about the Trekkie phenomenon. An amazing obsession unlike anything ever seen in TV or movie culture.
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There is a lot of Shakespeare in Star Trek. I know of people who wouldn’t otherwise be interested in the Bard that will watch his plays just to understand the references in ST. But sometimes Star Trek throws in other literary allusions.
He was so proud of himself that I didn’t have the heart to correct him.
At the end of Undiscovered Country, Starfleet tells Kirk he has to take the Enterprise back to be decommissioned. He follows Spock’s advice and decides to ignore that command, telling Sulu to go to the “Second star to the right, and straight on until morning.”
My friend sitting next to me in the theater leaned over and whispered “Shakespeare.”
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Patrick Stewart (Capt. Jean-Luc Picard) was a respectable British Shakespearean Actor, and many of the Star Trek-TNG scripts took advantage of it.
My personal preference, is that while Shakespeare has some things that sound absolutely great, it’s too archaic for everyday use, but JRRT
(John Ronald Reuel Tolkien) is just the right blend of dignified stilted yet modern enough to get away with for incorporation of quotes into appropriate situations.
My favorite Book and Movie quote of his, is very handy when restaurant service is delayed, or just not up to par:
The Courtesy of your Hall has lessened of late, (name ) (Restauranteur) !
– Gandalf to King Theoden, in The Two Towers
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Ha! Yes!
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I’m partial to “I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I will not now be ashamed.”
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By the way, I have a full-size cardboard Jean Luc in my office. He gets dressed up in my favorite football and hockey team jerseys in the appropriate season. He seems to like that, but he doesn’t care for the Minnesota Twins shirt my co-worker makes him wear.
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I am not a die hard Star Trek fan, but admired the series (the original) when it was shown on NBC. Big Hollywood had a post on the the producer (and sometimes writer) of the series, Gene Coon – I was surprised that he contributed a lot to the Star Trek “universe” – inventing the Kingons and the Prime Directive.
So It takes a lot I think….to make immortal screen dialogue.
I liked TNG too but some of the spin offs, like Deep Space Nine – couldn’t get into.
You all more versed will understand which is which but of the movies – based on the original characters, my friend Larry says that either the odd – or even – numbers are the best.
Funny too I read just yesterday that The Wrath of Khan while one of the most favored had one of the smallest budgets.
BTW interesting post today Robert – I still can’t get over the power of those 5 words from The Temptress - of course the opposing dialogue – from MacDermott is what makes it so powerful – so we can say that just the famous words by themselves isn’t what makes the power…
“We’ll always have Paris” couldn’t have had the power it does against the cardboard plane at that Burbank set if we didn’t know the backgrounds of Rick and Ilsa would they?
For that matter if it was called by the original screen title “Everybody Comes to Rick’s” would those 4 words have resonated?
One more BTW – I too think A Stranger Among Us is a gem…
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It’s the evens: 2, 4, & 6. The rest are poor by comparison, except for 5, which is amazingly awful. The one thing it accomplished was to extract a promise from Shatner never to direct again.
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He was so proud of himself that I didn’t have the heart to correct him.
Dear DrCarol: I’m not as nice as you are.
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I remember being in a deli and they had a poster of the “100 most memorable movie lines”
(Casablanca was well represented).
Do you think – in many cases – the screenwriters realize that they are writing something so powerful – that it is revered though the years? I read that Casablanca was really being written – in some cases – the day before the actors got it.
The Temptress – wow is all I can say about economy of words and power of what it conveys.
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Bill:
I can only speak for myself. Sometimes I’ll write a scene or a piece of dialogue and sit there basking in my genius. But on film it dies. In contrast, I’ll compose a line that’s just a throaway and it ends up leaping off the screen.
There are, however, a few lines I’ve written with great pride that actually work.
One of my favorite pieces of dialogue was for Melanie Griffith in “A Stranger Among Us” where she habitually greets people with:
“What’s new and exciting?”
These four words define her character with great accuracy. For a few weeks after the film was release many people greeted me with that line.
Of course, this validation made me proud and happy.
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I love that movie.
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The lines from The Temptress belong in the order placed. Numero uno.
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Barry:
That’s why I put it first. It’s spectacular screenwriting.
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Dear Robert: I don’t agree. I think that whole epilogue to THE TEMPTRESS is stuck-on and silly. It was added to appease the moralists and bluenoses and show that if you sashay around in organdy collars, breaking hearts and wrecking lives, you will end up flat on your back, in the gutter like a drunken girlscout.
If you wanted to include a Garbo line, why not this one, from CAMILLE: “These are the only friends I have and I’m no better than they are.,
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“These are the only friends I have and I’m no better than they are.”
CORRECTION. DON’T DELETE.
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