MovieChat Forums > The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952) Discussion > Some really stupid writing

Some really stupid writing

posted 9 years ago by duckofprey
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The first words the vision said were "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

It is my biggest peeve with a lot of writing in film and television. .

Somehow I doubt that if the Virgin Mary appeared to anyone and spoke to them in any language, contractions like "don't" and "won't" would not included in the vocabulary had it been English. The line should have "Do not be afraid, I shall not hurt you."

It has happened in the Star Trek shows with English speaking Kingons and Vulcans, it has happened in some of the Biblical themed films from the 1950s etc.

Again, just a peeve of mine.

[–] bastasch8647 9 years ago

I completely understand your point. Otoh, sometimes "the vernacular" can also work, as it did in the 1960 Kirk Douglas/Stanley Kubrick film Spartacus, where a certain amount of "slang" was used, as well as everyday speech. This reflected the amazing diversity of peoples and languages and dialects in the Roman Empire of the time. So I don't begrudge this film for its use of contractions - I get the notion that the Lady does not want to overawe the kids, so her speaking is not too "high-falutin'" - thus setting the children at ease. I think it works because in all the other more sacred and solemn Lady-dialogue, she does speak with the expected dignity of a celestial denizen...