Agreed. When Howard Hawks was directing Ball of Fire (1941) a screenplay by Billy Wilder. Wilder was one of the first screenwriters from Paramount's Writing Department to directing feature films. Hawks kept Wilder on the set during the filming teaching him film production techniques between takes. Hawks had a couple tricks to making a great movie: No fancy camera angles. Shoot medium height. Limit the close ups. Story is key, but dialogue is golden. Have an ear for great dialogue. Keep the screenwriters on the set for re-writes with the principle actors. Now look at all of Wilder's movies from The Major and the Minor (1942) to Buddy, Buddy (1981). Wilder was a natural when learning from Hawks.
I wonder if that was part of it. When using a language you’re not native to you are forced to become very deliberate in your wordchoice, even once you’ve attained fluency. I’ve found friends for whom English is #2 tend to use the language in a very rich way.
its like Holland, they had to recover their land from the sea, and when you've done this, you have purpose for every inch you recover. Its the same with learning, you'll learn nothing from someone who just knows, you'll only learn from someone who remembers how hard it was to learn.
Such wonderful videos! These are videos to be played more than once, once to understand what you're saying, and at least once more to see it demonstrated in the clips. You get much more out of them with multiple viewings.
Billy Wilder was once quoted - " they say Wilder is out of touch with these times.Frankly I regard it as a compliment.Who would want to be in touch with these times". That was in 1976,the age of the disaster epics.And if Wilder thought they were churning out trash then,what would he make of today's hollywood?
When Ninotchka asks Leon to play the record and not the radio, she is saying that she wants music that is just for them, as opposed to music that everyone is sharing in common. It is an indication of her transformation from a strict communist, saying that everything should be in common, to the more French way of living, private property, fancy hats, houses, and music just for two lovers. The scene shows that romantic love grows and is made more precious by being private and sheltered from the rest of the world.
Thank you for explaining the plot of Ninotchka, i've watched that movie dozens of times and have never been able to understand what was going on, but the witty dialogue is top notch. Billy Wilder always knew how to get a good laugh without overreaching. Great video.
I've always thought the key to good dialogue was writing different variations of, "M'yeah, see? Mm'yeah." With the help of this video, I now know better. Thanks, Moviewise!
Thanks for reminding people of what good romantic-comedy dialogue is supposed to sound like (especially compared to such recent atrocities as Anyone But You). Would love to hear your take on Preston Sturges, with The Palm Beach Story, Hail the Conquering Hero, and The Lady Eve as prime examples. He also wasn't afraid of a little slapstick, to keep the cheap seats happy. ;-)
I discovered this gem of a movie during high school and had such a crush on Leon. I hope you cover Lubitsch someday as I still quote TO BE OR NOT TO BE.
Excellent video. Thank you. My favourite Lubitsch film is "Trouble in Paradise" and my favourite scene is the opening dinner fist date in the hotel suite, where both partners know the other is lying about who they are, yet they fall in the love anyway. Also, the peace conference joke is one of the funniest ever.
I get all my movie recommendations from this channel now. Sabrina was excellent btw. It was weird to watch a romcom that had a 3rd act that was more nuanced and understated.
There are so many movies with problematic third acts, it's practically a cliche. A movie where everything works smoothly and is there for a reason (a reason that's not just a crazy twist or added because of studio notes and test screenings), can feel strange because it's exceptional.
I would simply add that Cole Porter's brilliant lyrics, and sophisticated melodies, made Vincente Minnelli's SILK STOCKINGS a wonderfully witty musical of this Lubitsch classic, and has some staying power of its own, thanks to another superb cast - and, of course, Stereophonic Sound!
Billy Wilder was one of the best writers of dialogue. As a writer myself, I use him for inspiration in my own writing. Most movies, even movies that I love, have mediocre to average dialogue. They don’t aspire to be anything more. The dialogue is simply there to move the plot along. I think this is partly because writers are afraid of alienating the audience or coming off as too unrealistic. Ironically, by training audiences to see dialogue in this way, they will of course feel uncomfortable when they encounter anything else. I myself believe that language can be beautiful and musical, through which the human condition is revealed. That’s what Shakespeare did in his plays. The dialogue he wrote wasn’t realistic, even for his time. No one spoke in rhyme, but he used heightened dialogue like a composer uses music: to explore themes and emotions that cannot be so easily articulated through naturalism alone. Such poetry touches the soul and makes it feel alive. That is what is lost in modern cinema.
Thank you for another marvelous video, planning to watch Ninotchka after this! 👏🙌 Would like to see 100k subscribers for this channel (for start) - then I would regain hope that the 7th art's healing and audience appreciating true movies again 🥰
Ironically I'm struggling a bit to understand some of the dialogue. I don't know if it's the original audio, the quality of the copy or something else. 6:54 What does he say after "must you flirt?" ? But it definitely feels great to have good dialogue from time to time ^^
Never heard of this movie. I'm sure it's great, but I'm Russian and for me this romantic line feels the same as if main character fell in love with Magda Goebbels. She was a part of Civil war, she is obviously a part of Stalin's terror. No way to drink cocktails and flirt with her. Same story would be rather fun in 70s with some rigid Soviet secretary. But in 30s she's totally a butcher.
Wilder & Brackett and, later with Izzy Diamond, were great teams. Alone Wilder could not write, unlike Bergman, who wrote after he stopped directing. This smart and literate dialogue will never come back because audiences are not literate and neither are producers or directors. They speak demotically, which is to say, without either art, nor artifice.
It really made me sad when you compared Ninotchka to modern romantic comedies. Where Billy Wilder respected his audience, saw them as intelligent people who can recall a fact from earlier to make a comeback for a joke, who had wide vocabulary to appreciate a clever play on words, contemporary screenwriter sees their audience as imbeciles who need to have the jokes explained to them and have patience of a five year old child who can't stand a slower, serious scene and need to be bombarded with quick, primitive exchanges
Don't need to be so cynical. All you have to do is to look at Bojack Horseman if you want a modern example of a work that makes full use of the power of words. It even has one episode that's just an episode-length soliloquy and another that's entirely silent and tells its story through visuals. For other non-filmic modern masterworks, there's also the video game Disco Elysium which is a 1 million word long maximalist masterpiece which uses every single literary technique possible. Even Succession came out recently, which Moviewise analyzed before. These three are examples of contemporary works that display enormous literary craft and received huge critical acclaim when they came out. Classical Hollywood had its fair share of cliched dreck that nobody remembers nowadays. You have the entire history of human creation at your fingertips, and you can access media from countries all over the world. If you can't find any gems or 'intellectual' works, that speaks more about your lack of resourcefulness than it does the current state of art.
@@harryaudessis3869- Indeed, in 1956 Theodore Sturgeon observed that "90% of everything is crud". The vast majority of one art form is, practically by definition, mediocre. When we revisit the past we remember the very good, the very very bad (because it is fun to badmouth it) and ignore everything in between. This happens to me as I try to recall the anime that I feasted upon in the '80s as it does to the responsible of buying rights for a "movie classics" channel, hence the reason why we seldom see the crap that shared space with good works before we were around.
Agreed. When Howard Hawks was directing Ball of Fire (1941) a screenplay by Billy Wilder. Wilder was one of the first screenwriters from Paramount's Writing Department to directing feature films. Hawks kept Wilder on the set during the filming teaching him film production techniques between takes. Hawks had a couple tricks to making a great movie: No fancy camera angles. Shoot medium height. Limit the close ups. Story is key, but dialogue is golden. Have an ear for great dialogue. Keep the screenwriters on the set for re-writes with the principle actors. Now look at all of Wilder's movies from The Major and the Minor (1942) to Buddy, Buddy (1981). Wilder was a natural when learning from Hawks.
It's incredible that he could write so well when English wasn't even his first language.
I wonder if that was part of it. When using a language you’re not native to you are forced to become very deliberate in your wordchoice, even once you’ve attained fluency. I’ve found friends for whom English is #2 tend to use the language in a very rich way.
Not the first case, though. Joseph Conrad and Vladimir Nabokov come to mind.
its like Holland, they had to recover their land from the sea, and when you've done this, you have purpose for every inch you recover. Its the same with learning, you'll learn nothing from someone who just knows, you'll only learn from someone who remembers how hard it was to learn.
35 seconds in and already you get the LIKE. Ninotchka is a treasure of a movie.
Such wonderful videos! These are videos to be played more than once, once to understand what you're saying, and at least once more to see it demonstrated in the clips. You get much more out of them with multiple viewings.
Billy Wilder was once quoted - " they say Wilder is out of touch with these times.Frankly I regard it as a compliment.Who would want to be in touch with these times".
That was in 1976,the age of the disaster epics.And if Wilder thought they were churning out trash then,what would he make of today's hollywood?
One of the great films from the great year of 1939. Ninotchka is first class, and I'm glad to finally see it being talked about.
When Ninotchka asks Leon to play the record and not the radio, she is saying that she wants music that is just for them, as opposed to music that everyone is sharing in common. It is an indication of her transformation from a strict communist, saying that everything should be in common, to the more French way of living, private property, fancy hats, houses, and music just for two lovers. The scene shows that romantic love grows and is made more precious by being private and sheltered from the rest of the world.
Thanks = I don't Patreon, Wiseman, but you can't deny, your good taste doesn't go unrewarded.
Thank you very much! And I’m always aware of your longtime support ;)
Thank you for explaining the plot of Ninotchka, i've watched that movie dozens of times and have never been able to understand what was going on, but the witty dialogue is top notch.
Billy Wilder always knew how to get a good laugh without overreaching. Great video.
I swear this guy DOES NOT miss. HOW?!
Nah big whiff on that furiosa video
@@FencingMessiah agree to disagree
the best cinema channel on UA-cam without a doubt. his Jeanne Dielman takes are a miss though
I've always thought the key to good dialogue was writing different variations of, "M'yeah, see? Mm'yeah."
With the help of this video, I now know better.
Thanks, Moviewise!
Thanks for reminding people of what good romantic-comedy dialogue is supposed to sound like (especially compared to such recent atrocities as Anyone But You). Would love to hear your take on Preston Sturges, with The Palm Beach Story, Hail the Conquering Hero, and The Lady Eve as prime examples. He also wasn't afraid of a little slapstick, to keep the cheap seats happy. ;-)
I discovered this gem of a movie during high school and had such a crush on Leon.
I hope you cover Lubitsch someday as I still quote TO BE OR NOT TO BE.
I can't believe that this film has eluded me. I must buy it & watch it then watch it again
It's absolutely perfect
Excellent video. Thank you. My favourite Lubitsch film is "Trouble in Paradise" and my favourite scene is the opening dinner fist date in the hotel suite, where both partners know the other is lying about who they are, yet they fall in the love anyway. Also, the peace conference joke is one of the funniest ever.
YOOOO finally someone talking about this banger.
I love how much you love movies -- and how well you talk about them.
Keep these great videos coming, Moviewise!
Ive seen this film so many times, every few months is due for a rewatch. Its my favourite film of 1939, a year with so many great films ❤
Sig Ruman had real comic chops. Hearing his lines here brought back to me how much of a great job he did in Stalag 17.
Cheers, dahling!
I get all my movie recommendations from this channel now. Sabrina was excellent btw. It was weird to watch a romcom that had a 3rd act that was more nuanced and understated.
There are so many movies with problematic third acts, it's practically a cliche. A movie where everything works smoothly and is there for a reason (a reason that's not just a crazy twist or added because of studio notes and test screenings), can feel strange because it's exceptional.
The throwback is called a callback.
I was wondering if he was using the term differently but it sure seems like a regular old callback.
@Hegder I should say in America it's called a callback. Might be different in other places.
That recut of two unrelated scenes from It's A Wonderful Life into something dirty... 🏆
I’m crazy about that video!
ua-cam.com/video/LRf_RN7Dkww/v-deo.htmlsi=QHYgxeUIeaZc8ryz
I never knew Wilder was a writer of Ninotchka. No wonder it's so good. It's been many years since I've seen though.
is there really no modern movie with such brilliancy?
I came to ask the same question. I’d like our esteemed host to advise us.
For me, There's Still Tomorrow (Italy) reminded me of such writing
A perfectly made film that never ages and never fails to be witty, charming, and romantic.
I would simply add that Cole Porter's brilliant lyrics, and sophisticated melodies, made Vincente Minnelli's SILK STOCKINGS a wonderfully witty musical of this Lubitsch classic, and has some staying power of its own, thanks to another superb cast - and, of course, Stereophonic Sound!
Currently watching Ninotchka and really like it so far
Great stuff as per
One of the few Wilder films to have eluded me. I must find it.
Billy Wilder was one of the best writers of dialogue. As a writer myself, I use him for inspiration in my own writing. Most movies, even movies that I love, have mediocre to average dialogue. They don’t aspire to be anything more. The dialogue is simply there to move the plot along. I think this is partly because writers are afraid of alienating the audience or coming off as too unrealistic. Ironically, by training audiences to see dialogue in this way, they will of course feel uncomfortable when they encounter anything else. I myself believe that language can be beautiful and musical, through which the human condition is revealed. That’s what Shakespeare did in his plays. The dialogue he wrote wasn’t realistic, even for his time. No one spoke in rhyme, but he used heightened dialogue like a composer uses music: to explore themes and emotions that cannot be so easily articulated through naturalism alone. Such poetry touches the soul and makes it feel alive. That is what is lost in modern cinema.
Great stuff.
In double indemnity he wrote with Raymond Chandler, another master of snappy dialogue.
It’s a shame they hated each other lol
Make a video on why "the knack... and how to get it" is the greatest edited movie in action movie history
Thank you for another marvelous video, planning to watch Ninotchka after this! 👏🙌 Would like to see 100k subscribers for this channel (for start) - then I would regain hope that the 7th art's healing and audience appreciating true movies again 🥰
Ironically I'm struggling a bit to understand some of the dialogue. I don't know if it's the original audio, the quality of the copy or something else.
6:54 What does he say after "must you flirt?" ?
But it definitely feels great to have good dialogue from time to time ^^
"Why, I don't have to, but I find it natural."
Ace in the Hole referenced! 🎉
Yes.
Any recent dialogue that come anywhere close to Billy Wilder's?
Pal, you are a genius, please go and write a movie. This videos are great but you have to create something out of all your knowledge!
I'm sorry, we're out of cream.
You could have chosen Miller's Crossing
A+ to infinity...........
Shinobu Hashimoto is the greatest screenwriter of all time
Who would you say the dialogue master(s) are in the modern age?
I don't think anybody does it consistently. But as weird as the sounds, the one recent movie that comes to mind for me is The Big Lebowski.
@@commieRob I remember the Coens. They used to make movies, right?
To me, the most recent thing that comes close to Wilder’s wit in my opinion are the writers for FRASIER (especially the late 90s).
@@Michelle-Eden sometimes they made movies. Other times they made The Lady Killers.
Coens
Its still called woo.
Never heard of this movie. I'm sure it's great, but I'm Russian and for me this romantic line feels the same as if main character fell in love with Magda Goebbels. She was a part of Civil war, she is obviously a part of Stalin's terror. No way to drink cocktails and flirt with her. Same story would be rather fun in 70s with some rigid Soviet secretary. But in 30s she's totally a butcher.
Wilder & Brackett and, later with Izzy Diamond, were great teams. Alone Wilder could not write, unlike Bergman, who wrote after he stopped directing. This smart and literate dialogue will never come back because audiences are not literate and neither are producers or directors. They speak demotically, which is to say, without either art, nor artifice.
It really made me sad when you compared Ninotchka to modern romantic comedies. Where Billy Wilder respected his audience, saw them as intelligent people who can recall a fact from earlier to make a comeback for a joke, who had wide vocabulary to appreciate a clever play on words, contemporary screenwriter sees their audience as imbeciles who need to have the jokes explained to them and have patience of a five year old child who can't stand a slower, serious scene and need to be bombarded with quick, primitive exchanges
Don't need to be so cynical. All you have to do is to look at Bojack Horseman if you want a modern example of a work that makes full use of the power of words. It even has one episode that's just an episode-length soliloquy and another that's entirely silent and tells its story through visuals. For other non-filmic modern masterworks, there's also the video game Disco Elysium which is a 1 million word long maximalist masterpiece which uses every single literary technique possible. Even Succession came out recently, which Moviewise analyzed before. These three are examples of contemporary works that display enormous literary craft and received huge critical acclaim when they came out. Classical Hollywood had its fair share of cliched dreck that nobody remembers nowadays.
You have the entire history of human creation at your fingertips, and you can access media from countries all over the world. If you can't find any gems or 'intellectual' works, that speaks more about your lack of resourcefulness than it does the current state of art.
@@harryaudessis3869- Indeed, in 1956 Theodore Sturgeon observed that "90% of everything is crud".
The vast majority of one art form is, practically by definition, mediocre.
When we revisit the past we remember the very good, the very very bad (because it is fun to badmouth it) and ignore everything in between. This happens to me as I try to recall the anime that I feasted upon in the '80s as it does to the responsible of buying rights for a "movie classics" channel, hence the reason why we seldom see the crap that shared space with good works before we were around.