The Great Debate returns to Last Movie Outpost, to present another movie-related topic for our beloved Outposters to get their teeth into. Fittingly, the subject of this debate was inspired by an Outposter and a discussion the other day.
It is easy, as we marvel at increasingly fantastical special effects, grand sets (both practical and digital), massive stunts, and bombastic scores, to forget the very heart of any performance in any movie – the dialogue. Without the dialogue, an actor is simply an empty vessel. A meat puppet. Without the dialogue, the set pieces are pointless, in service of nothing.
It can set the scene, it can provide exposition, it can make your heart soar or it can chill you to the bone. The dialogue being discussed that day was not bombastic and cheesy, such as Liam Neeson’s Taken ultimatum. It was not heroic yet flippant, such as Superman pointing out to Lois that flying is a safe way to travel. It is not, arguably, all that famous. It is, however, superb. It is the scene in Alien when the disembodied head of android Ash outlines his orders and expresses “sympathies” for the crew.
This set my mind racing and immediately a topic for a Great Debate at the Outpost was formed. The question is simple. In all of the entire world of movies:
What is the greatest dialogue ever put to film?
It can be an extended scene featuring multiple actors. It can be a tight, single-character soliloquy. Is it the Purgatory discussion from In Bruges? Is it the milk and rats scene from Inglorious Basterds? Something more left-field, such as Rory Breaker’s expletive-laden questioning of Nick The Bubble from Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels?
You have all of cinema to choose from Outposters. All of movie history. Choose wisely. Now… TO DEBATE!
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