Globally homogenized films often utilize that personable yet condescending news announcer lingo so cutesified by the prose stylists of Time magazine. It uncomfortably echoes something that’s imposed from without and dead, like the Roman Empire. In contrast, regional dialect weds characters to their setting. The sounds – whether of tsunamis or trickling brooks – mixed in with the dialogue can make words come as alive as the flora and fauna that the cinematographer dangles in front of our eyes. Different uses of regional dialect can also personalize the characters.
In O Brother Where Art Thou? (USA, 2000), Ulysses Everett McGill takes pride in his high-fallutin’ vocabulary, as he and his surviving buddy Delmar ride in the back of ...
Get Great Adaptations: Screenwriting and Global Storytelling now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
