Bad Monologues vs Good Monologues (Writing Advice)
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- Опубліковано 17 кві 2024
- Learn what separates bad monologues from good ones. Examples from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Good Will Hunting, Any Given Sunday, and more!
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FULL MONOLOGUES:
- GOOD WILL HUNTING: • Good Will Hunting | 'Y...
- ROCKY IV: • Rocky Balboa's speech ...
- GAME OF THRONES TYRION’S TRIAL: • Game of Thrones Season...
- A VALENTINE'S MATCH: Not available on UA-cam
- 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU: • 10 Things I Hate About...
- SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN: • Snow White and the Hun...
- ANY GIVEN SUNDAY: • Al Pacino best speech ...
- STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI: • Star Wars The Last Jed...
- GAME OF THRONES JAIME MONOLOGUE: • Game of Thrones: Seaso...
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Rocky ended the cold war, I don't see any problems here
Let's fucking go!
Haha I really should've given him credit for that one
...and it ended with a speech about believing in ourselves and without violence.
If you are familiar with latest generation of Soviet leaders you can see that the first to clap is a man resembling comtrade Gorbachov; and the last to stand is a man resembling his main opponent in the party, comrade Ligachev. This is the time of "perestroyka", and "change" was one of the favourite Gorbachov's slogans. Surely, it's all quite cartoonish, but the parallel is there.
So, yeah, there is more to this scene than meets the eye.
My thoughts exactly
"As we all know Heath Ledger doesn't care about money"
I had to pause the video I was laughing so hard
I like to believe that an actor's roles are all the same character, just in different times and places. There are some for whom it works well:
Liam Neelson in Batman and the Taken series works.
Same. Then I had to check the comments to ensure mentioning it was the top comment.
he cares about sending a message
He's only burning his half.
Same here
Monologues can feel like exposition dump, but good ones feel like art!
Absolutely. Gotta inject the right amount of heart into them to make them shine
💯🎯
@WriterBrandonMcNulty Kudos for not picking a speech from LOTR or Braveheart. Great speeches, but everyone has heard them.
But they all disappear like tears in the rain.
The Star Wars prequel movies were all bad writing, that monologue didn't stand out for badness. But maybe the movies should have been about Luke and Kylo's backstory.
Fun fact: part of the reason Kat’s monologue in 10 Things I Hate About You sounds natural is that her beginning to cry wasn’t in the script, it was just the actress’s natural reaction in the moment.
Fun fact: I can’t not cry with her every single time, even just then!
I miss Julia
I'm sure you will disagree but I liked the Hallmark one better, maybe because my wife delivers monologues exactly like that on a daily basis
That's what good actors do, they change the script for the better.
No wonder her crying felt so real. It’s the biggest reason that scene gets to me.
Theoden's Battle Cry in Return of the King always gives me chills.
A SWORD DAY!! A RED DAY!!!! boo-effin'-yah
@@Sure0Foot DEEAAATHHH!!!!
Same answer. Especially as the inspiring speech is juxtaposed with the orc motivational approach: "Form ranks, maggots!"
Forth Eorlingas!
Ere the sun rises!
"This fails because it sounds like a Wikipedia summary"
Hahaha 😆
Simon Cowell directness. You're really good at this. 😊
Haha thanks!
C3PO did a better job resuming what happened before to the ewoks in Return of the Jedi.
All-time favorite monologue. I cannot even think of this scene without getting misty eyed:
“I can’t do this, Sam.
I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
What are we holding onto, Sam?
That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”
Runner up:
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die."
Ah, yes, Sam's is a classic. Great call
My favourite comes from the StarCraft video game.
*Raszagal:* "Congratulations, your success has brought us the promise of hope against the zerg. However, we face a new threat within our own ranks. In your absence, Judicator Aldaris and an entire legion of Khalai survivors from Aiur have begun an open revolt against us."
*Zeratul:* "By the gods, this is ill news indeed. Why would Aldaris betray us so?"
*Raszagal:* "He and his brethren believe it was wrong for them to have abandoned Aiur and consorted with our people. Their prejudices have driven them to perpetuate the Conclave's sins against us. Even now, Aldaris and his loyalist templar forces are preparing to attack our citadel."
*Artanis:* "I can scarcely believe this. As if the zerg were not enough. Matriarch, are you certain of this?"
*Raszagal:* "All too certain, young templar. As matriarch of the dark templar and custodian of this world, I hereby order you to terminate Judicator Aldaris and quell this untimely uprising without delay. There will be no dissent among us while the zerg are poised to strike."
_Raszagal exits._
*Zeratul:* "There is something amiss here. The Matriarch has always been a wise and gentle soul. Though there is some merit in her decision, this is unlike her."
*Artanis:* "That may well be, but right now, we have a friend to kill. May Adun forgive us."
@@reubenmanzo2054 Even better: Mengsk's speech at the end of the first Terran campaign. Brilliant piece of propaganda.
@@Xenozfan2 Yes, or Stukov's monologue right before he dies. Or Tassadar's trial.
Come to think of it, in the first zerg campaign, all the Overmind's lines are monologues with maybe one exception.
@@reubenmanzo2054 "Let my death have some meaning!" Oooh, shivers, every time.
Spoilers for SC2:LotV's epilogue below.
When Stukov faces Narud in the epilogue the dialogue goes "Stukov. You've come to gloat, haven't you?" "No, I've come to say goodnight." A DIRECT CLOSING OF A STORY LOOP FROM SC:BW! I'm so happy they did that.
"I'm not going to be her brother, and here's why" 🤣🤣 Really looking forward to the new book, Brandon!
Haha thanks for the kind words!
I love that Jaime speech because it's so close to the book and GRRM writes such extraordinary characters in such a compelling way. There is some kind of catharsis in this monologue because we've spent so long hating and judging Jaime that when he reveals he's shades of grey (just like any other character in the series) it's so powerful and it all makes sense. Added to thay is the fact he's not a pov character from the start so you don't know what or how he thinks until later books, and here he's half crazed with physical pain, fever, and the heat from the tub after a rough time in the wild, so it all starts pouring out of him, that's why it's so satisfying.
Quint's monologue in Jaws where he talks about what happened when he was on the Indianapolis during the war - - I am mesmerized by that speech every time, no matter how many times I have seen that movie.
Perfect writing, perfect actor, perfect delivery.
Todd Stashwick gets to do a nod to this in the final season of Picard, as a survivor of Wolf 359 recounting the time he met "Picard" (i.e. Locutus). The character's last name is even Shaw.
patton's opening speech has the same effect on me...
"black eyes, like a doll's eyes." oh man!
It’s the best part of the movie, and it was never in the book!
Jaime’s monologue… is perfect.
Makes you want to forget “I never really cared for them. Innocent, or otherwise” even more.
That was the moment that started his almost perfect character arc.
@@brandonbuchner1771 I am still mad when I think about Jaime's redemption arc. It was set up so beautifully with an obvious but heartbreaking conclusion that we all knew would happen but instead they fucked it in the name of subverting expectations and made him go back to Cersei to die by rocks with her instead of killing her. Like wtf!!!!
@@karabomasibi2331 It's one of the examples I use to shown that 'subverting expectations' are crap if the only reason they're done is for a 'bet you didn't see that coming?' moment, subverting expectations still need to make sense for the character and situation.
Yeah so sad to remember the great monologues of early GOT knowing how the writing landed in the final season
Subverting expectations can be a great, surprising element in a story. It can also just be for a cheap shock factor. The latter is horrible.
"You want me on that wall! You NEED me on that wall!"
That monologue still gives me chills when I watch that movie.
My favourite monologue is hands-down Theoden's speech from Return of the King. Very well written, and the visuals make you feel like you're part of his army as he's talking.
That would be one of my favorites too. Also his monologue when facing possible defeat at Helm's Deep.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is chockful of great monologues! That's a great pick, so powerful.
I think as a monologue I prefer the one Aragorn gives at the black gate, but as a scene I prefer the one with Theoden, the built up tension from the music and its consequent release never fails to make me shed a tear
The Star Wars series "Andor" has a number of brilliant monologues. The ones by Fiona Shaw and Andy Serkis were powerful, but Stellan Skarsgård's monologue on sacrifice gave me goosebumps.
Yes! All were incredible.
Yes!!
And Deedra's speech to Bix before she's tortured
In my opinion the dialogue in Andor is by far the best Star Wars has ever had. It positively sparkled.
I'm surprised you didn't include Batty's "tears in rain" speech from BLADE RUNNER in here. Not only is it a poetic piece of art, but it changes the whole story and how we feel about Batty. He no longer feels like a villain by the end of his speech.
The amazing thing about that speech is that it's so short, but the impact of it is huge, making it feel longer than it actually is.
T h i s
I will never not think about it when both monologues and communicating the theme
This. That one monologue completely flipped the audience impression of his character, and is still one of the best I've ever seen in cinema.
Exactly! My favourite, too. Completely changed the meaning of the whole movie and my view of the characters. Masterpiece!
Possibly because it wasn't scripted, so it might not be illustrating his point in the video? It was completely ad-libbed by Rutger Hauer
While Good Will Hunting was released a few years before I got married I didn't get around to seeing it until after my wife had died. That speech was powerful!
🥺
My absolute favorite monologue is Mal's speech after they discovered Miranda in Serenity.
"Sure as I know anything I know this, they will try again. A year from now, ten. Maybe on another world or maybe on this very rock swept clean. Sooner or later they'll swing round to the belief that they can make people.... better. And I do not hold to that.
"So no more running. I aim to misbehave."
Man, Serenity was so good. Another thing that made that speech was so good, is the interior of the ship has always been dark, and kind of cold. But in that moment, in that speech, the galley, the inner most heart of the ship is LIT UP with warm bright light. AS though her heart is full of light and heat and purpose, as is Mal's.
brown coats!
Red’s parole speech and explanation of Andy’s escape in Shawshank are pretty sweet.
His explanation of Andy’s escape was not monologue. It might’ve been a soliloquy- I don’t know if narration can be soliloquy.
@@ElZo1212o true… you have a point. But, it is still remarkable.
One of my favourite new monologues is the one from Stellan Skarsgård in Andor. Such a brilliant speech.
Yes!!!!
"Calm. Kindness. Kinship. Love. I've given up all chance at inner peace. I've made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an equation I wrote 15 years ago from which there's only one conclusion: I'm damned for what I do. My anger, my ego, my unwillingness to yield, my, my eagerness to fight, they've set me on a path from which there is no escape. I yearned to be a savior against injustice without contemplating the cost, and by the time I looked down…there was no longer any ground beneath my feet. What is my sacrifice? I'm condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else's future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I'll never see. And the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror or an audience or the light of gratitude. So what do I sacrifice? EVERYTHING! You'll stay with me, Lonni. I need all the heroes I can get."
I also love the prison monologue because it so fits the character and situation.
"My name is Kino Loy. I'm the day shift manager on Level Five. I'm speaking to you from the command center on Level Eight. We are, at this moment, in control of the facility...
"How long we hang on, how far we get, how many of us make it out, all of that is now up to us. We have deactivated every floor in the facility. All floors are cold. Wherever you are right now, get up, stop the work. Get out of your cells, take charge and start climbing. They don't have enough guards and they know it. If we wait until they figure that out, it'll be too late. We will never have a better chance than this and 'I would rather die trying to take them down than giving them what they want.' We know they fried a hundred men on Level Two. We know that they are making up our sentences as we go along. We know that no one outside here knows what's happening. And now we know, that when they say we are being released, we are being transferred to some other prison to go and die, and that ends today! There is one way out. Right now, the building is ours. You need to run, climb, kill! You need to help each other. You see someone who's confused, someone who is lost, you get them moving and you keep them moving until we put this place behind us. There are 5,000 of us. If we can fight half as hard as we've been working, we will be home in no time. One way out!"
Two monologues I've always enjoyed were: Choose Life from Trainspotting and Dr. Evil backstory monologue during family therapy.
LOL
Another thing I noticed about the good monologues is that even if you have not seen the movie/show, the monologue stirs something in you. I haven't seen Good Will Hunting or Any Given Sunday, but both monologues gave me goosebumps. I have seen 10 Things I hate About You and that one yet again, made me tear up. Good monologues stand on their own.
Oh mercy! When you said "let's look at a good example" I thought Heath Ledger was Tommy Wiseau for a moment 😂
Hahahah I can't unsee this now
I thought the same thing!
OMG the dichotomy between Heath Ledger and Tommy Wiseau
Oh, hi Mark.
Me too! 😂
I know you didn't want Game of Thrones to completely dominate this list, but i would have put Tyrion's speech before the Battle of Blackwater here. It's not too long, is almost poetic with how blunt and straightforward he is while reiterating the stakes to the soldiers, and is terrific character development for Tyrion. He shows he understands common people and what motivates them better than most nobles, and for all his flaws, he's no coward. Tyrion was the character you liked and felt sorry for, recognizing how much of an unfair shake he got from the world, but this was the moment the audience got to see him be an unlikely hero.
I actually felt that more when he killed the guy on the road with the shield, well before this battle. It was a great moment, and I think that was when Tyrion first realized that despite his stature, he actually could fight and win. It was a little shocking to him, but I think it gave him the courage he needed for the Battle of Blackwater.
One of the best monologues I've ever seen, particularly in Star Wars, is in Andor when the character, Luthen Rael (played brilliantly by Stellan Skarsgård), is talking about what he's sacrificed for the Rebellion.
Ohhh my god, yes. That was one of the best monologues ever.
Love it too! And the recorded one by Andor's mother in the last episode is also dynamite.
Heyyy, I was hoping I’d find some Andor enjoyers out here
Andy Serkis also had no right to go so hard on his monologue in Andor too
that whole show is so good! theres also the monologue in the finale
Jaime's monologue still gives me chill to this day.
It pains me how GOOD GoT was...
To quote Mystery Men: "Used to. That's the problem, Captain. USED to."
House of the dragons is still great and so are the books. If only George could bring himself to finish them...
I just pretend the series ended when Arya boarded that ship for Braavos.
One of my favorite monologues is when Maximus reveals himself to the emperor in Gladiator
Just an awesome scene, Crowe kills it
Father to a murdered son.
Husband to a murdered wife.
That speech was a great one. As was "what we do in life, echoes in eternity."
My name is Maximus, Decimus, Meridius. Commander of the armies of the north. General of the Felix Legions…I love it…the reveal is awesome.
Bernard Hill’s King Theôden monologue before the ride of the Rohirram never ceases to hype me.
especially when you remember orcs feared two things: horses, and death DEEEEAAAAATH!!!!!
My favorite monolog is Quint's speech in Jaws about his experience of delivering the bomb. It made me forget about the shark.
i can hear his voice in my head....
You Sly Dog! We Caught You Making Videos About Monologuing! 🤪
But yeah that scene with Tyrion in the Courtroom was extremely cathartic, which yeah is also ironic considering that he was at his lowest point mentally. But having the context of Tyrion’s abuse from Tywin (simply because Tyrions Mother died giving birth to him) spilled out in a vicious monologue would spell Tywin’s downfall right there.
“I’ve Been On Trial For That, MY ENTIRE LIFE.”
That scene is incredible because all the right pieces are in place--everyone who matters/mattered to Tyrion is present and he can launch his feelings at them. Such a well crafted scene
The line about "a thousand lying whores" with the cutaway to Shae puts the biggest hook in me.
Yet not a single clip of Syndrome. Tragic.
One of my favorite monologues was in Breaking Bad. The scene where Jesse's Rehab Counselor tells the story of how he accidentally killed his daughter under the influence.
I don't even remember the visuals of the scene, but the scene I imagined will never leave my head.
Such a subtle, yet powerful performance by the great Jere Burns
The Hospital scene where an injured Jesse monologues to Walt (In “One Minute”) is another great Breaking Bad monologue as well.
Breaking Bad is loaded with good ones. Almost included the "One Who Knocks" speech in this video.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty "Better Call Saul" has some really great speeches too. My personal favorite is Mike's speech in Season 1 where he talks to his daughter-in-law about how he failed his son by making him take a bribe.
@@jkta97 That was beautiful. Throughout two excellent series, Johnathan Banks is the definition of stoic, but the way he breaks when talking about Matty is just devastating. E
Jaime's monologue is amazing, but Gwendoline Christie's reaction to it elevates that scene so much. That's 2 outstanding actors with an amazingly written scene giving a performance of a lifetime. Rewatch - look at her eyes' reactions. A masterclass on acting and reacting by 2 magnificent actors.
Here for Andor representation: Skarsgaard and Andy Serkis, incredible. Andor’s mother also has some amazing lines and monologue at the end
My favorite will always be Atticus Finch's closing arguments from To Kill a Mockingbird
What I love so much about Jaime's monologue is he does an amazing job of helping you picture the events of that fateful day. We only saw a glimpse in the actual show of him killing Aerys, but this actually makes you visualize it in your mind, and that is fantastic. Meanwhile, Luke's dialogue is clunky and cagey. He may be ashamed of what he tried to do, but it comes off feeling more like he doesnt want to admit his actions that led to things going as sideways as they did. And I've seen some comments online and heard people in real life defend his monologue, saying he's vague because he's ashamed or because he's blocked the events from his memories. But that doesn't actually fit with what we heard and saw in that scene. And no disrespect to Mark Hamil, but the anguish and other emotions that were in Jamie's monologue are not there in Luke's. And I would think a man who almost tried to kill his own nephew, unwittingly helping to push him into the Dark Side, and leading to the death of all of his students, and nearly himself, would be in absolute AGONY over what his actions led to. But we don't get that.
It's not Mark Hamil's fault. That's what he was given to work with.
@@janiefallout8 That's what I'm saying. That's why I said no disrespect to Mark Hamil.
@@SaiyanSweetheart45 You said you don't disrespect him but didn't clarify why he had to deliver this clunky monologue. The fact is that somebody wrote it that way and somebody directed it that way and they are at fault.
Definitely Rocky’s “That’s how winning is done!” speech in Rocky Balboa. I can’t believe it was omitted from this video.
Hands down the best monologue I've seen was Orson Welles in the Third Man. His speech about people on the Ferris Wheel with Joseph Cotten is an example of his genius.
I'm glad you brought this up because I meant to watch The Third Man a while ago but put it off because I wasn't in the mood for an older movie. Gotta get around to it ASAP. Heard amazing things
"Third Man" is such a great movie!
Yeah, Third Man. I haven't seen it in about ten years. I should watch it again. It's great. It's such great commentary for the period just following WW2.
@@WriterBrandonMcNultyWing tips.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I watched it about 15 years ago, and for the first 30-40 minutes was really underwhelmed and thought about switching off. But stuck with it and got sucked into the story
“But as we all know, Heath Ledger doesn’t care about money…” that line made me laugh way harder than it should’ve great line
Gosh Tyrion gives me goosebumps every time. That was tense, deeply emotional, unexpected... Gosh that was a masterful performance with masterful writing.
Thanks for sharing those books btw. And your videos are among the best on youtube for perfecting writing.
Loved it. This was a great one! Also, another thing about Jaime's monologue is the foreshadowing. "Caches of wildfire all over the city." I like being reminded just how good GOT was for the first few seasons.
It was excellent until it went past the books.
Two of my favorites are:
Apocalypse Now: I love the smell of napalm in the morning. While a cliche at this point, it connects to the plot's insanity theme. It gives us information about the psychology of the soldiers and the David vs Goliath battle in Vietnam.
LOTR - Return of the King: Theoden's speech. I think it's a very good "before the battle" speech. By itself, it doesn't do what the Any Given Sunday speech does, but everything comes together when you take the fact that the speech also applies to King Theoden. He orders his soldiers to "ride for ruin, and the world's ending" and to die, and he rides along with them. He doesn't watch the battle from a safe hilltop, he is at the front of his army, commanding troops from the battle. That's what creates the "we" feeling.
Kilgore is great.
"Someday this war is going to end."
And he is genuinely sad to consider that. He is a warrior completely in his element here. Zero fear. He is almost hit with a mortar and shrugs it off.
My absolute favorite monologue scene is actually a DOUBLE monologue. It’s the scene in Midnight Mass where the two main characters each take turns going into detail, describing what each of them thinks happens when you die. It’s one of the most beautifully written, brilliantly acted scenes in TV or movies.
It is crazy how good monologues can achieve amazing storytelling, but even when you are not a writer you feel it when something is off. I had this when I watched Avatar TLA (the new live action) recently. In the first episode there is a big Monologue from Katara, just a bad backstory dump, telling Aang and the audience how and why she had to grow up fast. In the original the same is achieved by Katara saying while she was sledding on a penguin "Wow I did this the last time when I was a child" and Aang just responds with "You still ARE a child".
A big thank you to you Brandon, you and channels like yours are the reason why I can´t enjoy most new stuff nowadays, because I realize now why the writing is bad in so many cases... :D
"By Grabthar's hammer, what a savings."
(Just kidding.)
An actual favorite is Sheriff Bell's monologue at the end of No Country for Old Men. The first time I saw the movie I was disappointed, because it seemed anticlimactic. But it grew on me, and now I think it's genius.
I loved that monologue too. Disappointingly, the novel’s author, Cormac McCarthy, would later write his own original screenplay and insert one of the most out-of-place fails of a monologue ever witnessed in film.
"... what a savings" was perfect: this line told me that once great Sci-Fi show sold its sole. The delivery oozed humiliation endured out of desperation. The bored crowd of about 20 people, and behind a vast, empty parking lot.
Adding another monologue here that is literal poetry, from the Brooklyn 99 episode "The Mole", when Captain Holt is asked "is everything okay?" and he launches into a monologue full of poetic imagery that perfectly sums up the episode thus far while also letting us know his own emotional state. Andre Brauer's delivery is exquisite. The repetition of the line "And you ask, 'Is everything okay?'" is perfect, as it grows heavier and heavier with each stanza of hardship - yet also perfectly answers the question.
I have quite a few favorite monologues/speeches.
- The Lord of the Rings has so many i like.
- Roy Batty in Bladerunner.
- And it's probably a cliche, but i always adored the President's speech in Independence Day.
- And Mufasa explaining the Circle of Life to Simba.
Agreed ❤
Kenneth Brannaugh's St. Crispin Day speech in Henry V was pretty rock'n'roll. First time I'd ever seen a Shakespeare production. The dude can write!
An underrated example of listener reaction you didn't bring up is Airplane! and how at the end it turns one of these tropes on its head by having Robert Stack keep monologuing into the phone while the movie's wrapping up and no one cares anymore
Christmas Ted, what does that mean to you? For me it was a living hell. Do you know what it feels like to fall in the mud, get kicked in the head with an iron boot? Of course not, that never happens, dumb question Ted, forget it
LOL
Scent of a woman when Al Pacino defends the honour of a student in front of the whole school. A movie well worth watching if you haven't already.
best rally cry that I know is Theoden's when they charge for Gondor. DEEEAATH
“I’m in a bad vs good mood!” Great line definitely should include that in future bad vs good videos.
Hans Landa's (played by Christoph Waltz) speech at the beginning of Inglorious Basterds was one of my favorites.
The rallying monologue from Robert Pullman from Independence Day still gets me fucking pumped.
I've found my people
Bill Pullman* but yes SO EPIC!
I love that speech/monologue.
hells yes!
I had the same reaction when i first saw the Snow white and the huntsman speech. I was like wtf? am i supposed to be willing to fight and possibly die based on that speech!?
Same
Brandon is dropping these fast, penetrating breakdowns then ending the vid with no pomp. Mark of master.
14:52 Surprised you didn't use the Theoden's "Death!" speech.
Aragon's "Men of the West" speech at the Black Gate and Erwin's final charge speech from AOT are two of my favourite speeches in all of fiction.
In William Wallace‘s first pre-battle speech in Braveheart, I really liked how he started off kind of mediocre, then asked „WILL YOU FIGHT?“ and got the crowd‘s deserved response (being „not convinced“), but then went on and upped the game to a point where it felt earned when the crowd finally joined his battle cry.
Felt like so much was lifted from Shakespeare'sHenry V, Crispian's Day speech before Agincourt. "Men will hold their manhood light who were not with us this day..." of course, from the greatest quill to ever exist.
Luthen Rael’s monologue from Andor is top tier
Some good monologues I can think of:
-Jack Nicholson's "you can't handle the truth" rant in A Few Good Men
-Lucilla's speech at the very end of Gladiator
-technically not a monologue because Bond puts in a few words, but Trevelyan's reveal as Janus in Goldeneye.
Aemon's speech to Jon Snow in season 1. Where he says "love is the death of duty". It has such an impact on every season going forward.
I'm currently writing an antagonist who does a LOT of monologing... this should be helpful
Nice. Best of luck with you story!
One of my favorite monologues is from "Seven Samurai" where Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) brings back a pile of armor that the farmers had gotten by killing fallen samurai. The other six samurai get angry at Kikuchiyo for doing so and judge the farmers for their actions. This causes Kikuchiyo to launch into a speech where he proceeds to point out how devious and murderous farmers can be. He then moves the speech into a new direction by revealing that the oppression of the farmers by samurai class is what has made them so desperate that they would resort to backhanded tactics. As he gets more and more manic from the speech, he suppresses tears but finally breaks down crying. The other samurai realize that he was born the son of a farmer. The speech works because it highlights the theme of class difference, and it shows Kikuchiyo's inner conflict. He loathes what the samurai have done to the villagers, but he still desires to be seen as a samurai. The reaction to the speech is also appropriate because the other samurai react with quiet shame and finally gain some empathy for a man they (and we) had initially viewed as a comical madman.
Watched the Last Samurai today with our kids. Epic movie.
Man that Robin Williams monologue though. Guy was such an amazing actor
The heath ledger joke is actually brilliant
That Any Given Sunday monologue gives me chills every single time. Amazing. Thank you for another phenomenally helpful video, Brandon!
My favorite rally cry monologue has got to be from The Lego Movie when Emmit makes a speech to rally all the master builders to his cause. Truly inspirational!
It doesn't hold a candle to the "dicks, pussies and assholes" speech from Team America.
Pure art
One of my favorites is Van Damme in JCVD where he plays himself. That may not sound quite appealing but it's a surprisingly good monologue. It made me think that Van Damme can act, but then again, he was playing himself. Still a great performance.
Just re-watched Breaking Bad and there are TONS of amazing monologues. They are so good you recognize them immediately just from a few words. Walt's "I am the one who knocks", Jesse's confession at the rehab clinic "I'm here to sell you drugs! I made you my bitch!", Mike's "No more half measures" and so many more.
I've been referencing "No more half measures" a lot lately.
A good example of exposition that I personally love is the monologue Mike Ehrmantraut delivers in the episode Five-O from Better Call Saul
He basically details the entire backstory of how his son was killed, but its done so goddamn well with the acting and writing and its amazing seeing a grizzled, stoic old man break down and cry, recollecting the story of how he disappointed his son, and how his son died. I highly recommend not only the monologue but Better Call Saul as a show in general, the Chicanery monologue also being a very famous one.
"And I had to show him... that I was down in the gutter with the rest of them... broke my boy... I broke my boy..."
To me that was one of the best episodes ever. Not just Better Call Saul but of all TV.
"...and that is how an RBMK reactor explodes"
chills!
One thing that really helps Jaime's monologue is the emotion of the great acting. Not just how Jaime himself is obviously pained by the memory, but also Brienne's changing unspoken reaction, where she starts uninterested assuming it's just him making excuses and then her look slowly turns to horror as he describes what happened. She doesn't need to answer his question because her reaction is enough.
I think the best warfield monologue is Aragorn’s speech before the Black Gate battle. So much inspiring and poetic.
I love how concise your videos are. Great job, and thanks for the help.
You listed quite a few. I love the Bladerunner Roy Batty ending monologue. I did not understand that monologue when I was young, but now that I am old it resonates strongly.
Fantastic material! Today, anyone needs to be a good story teller, not just a professional writer. Us, entrepreneurs, need to tell strong, hearthwarming monologues too!
Favorite monologue? Least favorite monologue? Let us know!
Don't know if you cover games, but there's a monologue from one of the StarCraft campaigns that comes to mind. One of the characters had been accused of being a traitor and is hunted down. At the climax, we get this scene.
*Duran:* "Vice Admiral Stukov, I'm here under orders to terminate your command."
*Stukov:* "Lieutenant Duran, I'm not surprised. We both know exactly what it is you're here to terminate. Get on with it."
*Duran:* "Say goodnight, Stukov."
*Stukov:* "To hell with--"
_Duran shoots Stukov and exits the room as Stukov collapses on the floor. Admiral DuGalle is heard on a radio._
*DuGalle:* "Lieutenant Duran, report your situation immediately."
_There is a moment of static before Stukov reaches the intercom._
*Stukov:* "Gerard, old friend. You do indeed have a traitor in your midst, but it is not me. Duran, he has been playing us both from the start. He convinced you to destroy the Psi Disrupter even though it was our best chance at beating the zerg... and then on Aiur, he allowed the zerg to overrun us even as we had the fugitives in our grasp. I came here... to activate the one hope we have of defeating them... and you killed me for it. Heh... heh... Duran is your enemy, Gerard. I suspect... that he may even be infested as well. Use the Disrupter, Gerard... finish our operation... let my death have at least some meaning...."
_Stukov collapses, dead._
*DuGalle:* "Alexei! No. What have I done? What have I done? Computer, where the hell is Lieutenant Duran?"
*Adjutant:* "The Lieutenant no longer registers on my sensors, Admiral. He appears to have vanished."
*DuGalle:* "No."
Which category do you think that would fit under?
When you put your question of the day in the comments you should pin it so it'll be at the top.
Mia Goth in Pearl comes to mind. I usually hate monologues no matter how good they are but Pearl really benefits from it
From the thumbnail, I thought this was going to be another cheap shot at Star Wars, but it's actually a really good breakdown of what works and what doesn't in a monologue, thank you for that!
My favourite backstory monologue is from The Night Manager, where Olivia Coleman's character explains why she's so hell bent on stopping that weapons dealer, amazing monologue by an amazing actress!
Honestly almost crying here listening to Kat's speech in 10 things I hate about you. I don't think I realised as a kid (when I last watched the movie) how powerful that monologue is.
Oh my goooooooooddddd I was so desperate for this content! I cant believe my favorite youtuber posted it (I have to finish a monologue this weekend and I'm really struggling, super insecure) Thanks a lot!!
Sam wise Gamgee's monologue at the end of The Two Towers still evokes tears from my eyes.
I like Terrance Man's monologue at the end of Field of Dreams: it brought home the importance of what can be viewed as a silly game.
Man your videos are equally as entertaining and informative. I love the good vs bad series haha
Oberyn monologue in Tyrions cell. Simple but so much subtext👌🏾.
Great video, Brandon. Good luck on your new book.
Thanks!
I love that I always agree with your examples. Sometimes I don’t really know why I don’t like certain scenes/movies. But you do a really good job at explaining it and I’m like, ah! That’s it!
Glad to hear it! That said, there's nothing wrong with disagreeing, especially within something as subjective as storytelling
President Whitmore’s speech in Independence Day still gives me chills. According to myth, the mighty, unanimous applause he received from everyone in attendance was genuine based on his delivery.
Of my favorite monologues: Al Pacino in 'The Devils Advocate' when he states he's a humanist.
I'm not sure if it counts as a monologue per se, but Valerie's Letter to V in V for Vendetta is really powerful and emotional.
My favorite monologue of all time comes from my favorite movie of all time. V for Vendetta. These speech in the beginning third of the movie is the perfect blend of poetics, information, and visual symbolism. Fills me with chills every single time I watch it.
Ohhhh good call. Have you read the graphic novel? Probably my favorite work by Alan Moore.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I watch the movie every November 5th! It's a holiday in my house, I love the graphic novel as well ❤️
One of my absolute favorites is Marlon Brando at the end of Apocalypse Now. Something about him saying "I cried, I wept like.. some grandmother" just gets me every time.
that monologue from Independence Day from the president before the final battle is my favorite.
My two favorite monologues are the free churro monologue from bojack horseman and Luthens speech from andor
I love these bad vs good videos, I'm writing an essay for my A Level EPQ and am using this format, thank you Brandon you're a lifesaver
Princess Bride: Inigo's monolog to Westley describing his obsession with the Six Fingered Man. Love it. I particularly love that their honorable duel was set up (even more than Inigo giving Westley a chance to rest) when Inigo handed the Six Fingered Sword to Westley to let him admire the craftsmanship--and he handed it back. There are two details that were not included in the movie that were in the book, that are a shame. 1) Before Count Rugen came, Domingo complained that he was NOT the artist his customers claimed. He TOILED for a year, wasted his health away, until he produced the Six Fingered Sword. He beheld his work, and Inigo came into the room. "Inigo, Inigo, I have done it...I am an artist!!" Just thinking about this line makes me tear up. 2) When Domingo refused Rugen's bartering, he said why before Rugen killed him. "You had a chance to possess beauty, and you are more worried about gold. This sword belongs to my son, you shall never have it!" EDIT: also, Conan's prayer in Conan the Barbarian. Effin' love that.
Aragorn's speech before the battle at the Black Gate in The Return of the King is my favorite monologue of all time.
Great advice (as usual)! The main thing I wanted to commend you for, however, was how you did the spoiler warnings!
Such a great idea of highlighting major spoilers visually in red. Makes it very apparent and easily distinguishable.
Definitely gonna steal that idea myself if I ever make a video essay :p
I find it passing odd that I am loved by one for a kindness I never did, and despised by so many, for my finest act.
-Jamie Lannister
As ever, your ability to produce videos at the perfect moment with just the right advice continues to shock me. How you manage to write with your fingers so deep in the brains of aspiring authors is wonderfully baffling.
I'm close to the end of my first novel and I've hit a wall on writing the scene where the mentor and student arrive at a new understanding. In other words, it is indeed monologue time in my tale and these tips will help a lot. I'm truly grateful for your concise breakdowns as they make it easy to turn my own work over to get a better look at the moving parts inside.
Didn’t know I needed a channel like this! But I do! Thanks!
Hey Brandon. Really enjoyed Entry Wounds. Like your UA-cam stuff too. Keep doing what you love, man!
Hey thank you! Thrilled to hear you enjoyed EW. If you don’t mind, please leave a brief review on Amazon-reviews are a huge help with the algorithm