The Revenant (2015) was used as an exercise in looking into dialogue. The beauty of this film is felt through the landscapes and the skilful cinematography. The Revenant is a film that is action lead with the dialogue providing only a snapshot of the narrative, so much so it would be possible to watch the film in silence and still be able to grasp the storyline. The sparse dialogue gives small capsules of information, making each word relevant, with no time spent on bulking out conversations. The purpose of the dialogue in The Revenant, is to expand on the already self-explanatory action. Visually, you can feel the emotion of Hugh Glass when his son is brutally murdered in front of him, powerless to help. Which is compounded when Hugh explains to his fellow officer, that his son was all that he had, simple but extremely emotive phrase.
‘Dialogue is a lean language in which every word counts. Count for what? To characterize, to more the story along, to have an impact on the reader’s emotion.’ (Stein,1995, p.113)
(Photography: 20th Century Fox)
References:
The Revenant, 2015 (film), directed by Alejandro G. INARRITU. USA: 20th Century Fox
Stein, S. (1995). Solutions for Writers. New York: St. Martin’s Press
