MovieChat Forums > The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Discussion > Couldn't take the "tough guy" dialect

Couldn't take the "tough guy" dialect

posted 4 years ago by Thaisticks (3020)
7 replies | jump to latest

So I thought I would try watching this "classic." I had seen parts of it as a kid--I remember the scenes where they are prospecting were well done and dramatic. But now, I could not continue after about 30 minutes. The way the men talked was a real turn off. It seemed so artificial, the tough-guy rat-a-tat-tat rhodomontade. Must have impressed me as a kid but as an adult I know people don't talk that way, or if they ever did I don't particularly want to listen to it. It's just fake machismo.

[–] Redsfan001 (6144) 4 years ago

That was the style back then, scripts were probably two to three times as long back in the day.

Do you feel the same about The Maltese Falcon (1941)?

Actors had to talk fast to get all of the dialogue in and keep the movie under two hours.

Something similar is happening today in Superhero movies. The scripts are not as long, but the action scenes are taking up 30-40% of the movie. To get the story/plot in, the actors have to have fast witty dialogue.

Added to this, social engineering from Hollywood, has made masculine tough guy talk out of style.

[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

I thought that was just Bogey´s style though. Tim Holt who played Curtin seemed to talk at a much more reasonable pace.

[–] Redsfan001 (6144) 3 years ago

There are exceptions, but Walter Hustson's character was a fast talker also.

I forget where I read this..but it made sense to me for long scripts.

Maybe Bogart's fast talking style started a trend.

[–] huwdj (4566) 3 years ago

When you think about it Cagney and Robinson talked pretty fast as well - maybe it was just the Warner Bros. style?

[–] Redsfan001 (6144) 3 years ago

Yeah that right! Those old films with the fast talking make the characters appear smarter.

But I did read it was because they had to fit the dialogue in...just forgot where I picked that up.

[–] BillySlater (4241) 3 years ago

Yeah I don´t doubt there is some truth to it, I´ve found with older, classic films that the dialogue is much pacier than it is today.

[–] BlissNEsb (108) 4 years ago

Okay