Favorite Line?
For me, it's No, I said "'allo," but that's close enough.
shareI don't think movie has strong lines but I can't get the David bowies music number out of my head
shareYeah, there aren't a lot that really stick out, are there? To me, that's either a sign of mediocre writing or really good writing. If bland, that's bad, but if it's uniform because it just all feels natural, that's good. This one, I think it's maybe more of the latter.
The film's lines, generally, seem to be "faerie story platitudes", where every moment seems to need a bit of a moral, or fable-istic "point" to it. Either its stuff directly lifted out of old tales and riddles (the lying/truth doors) or its little adages created for the film (you have no power over me). Much like faerie stories, there are a lot of repeated-points/lines, too. "It's not fair!" sticks out.
Now, after all that, there are still a few lines that elevate themselves and stick out in my head, although they're hardly of the sort I quote every day or anything.
I do like when Sarah (for the thousandth time) says, "That's not fair!" and Jareth responds, "I wonder what your basis of comparison is?" That's a good line, it's ironic tone is good delivery, but it also highlights a crucial flaw with Sarah and her (start of film) self-centredness. I also like it, I think, because a lot of people struggle with this problem of assumptions based on personal (false) impressions, and they might learn a good deal about the world and themselves by considering why they feel so dumped-on.
I also find the constant misnaming of Hoggle amusing.
But, generally, I'd stand by the idea that the dialogue is all pretty good, generally, so doesn't have many stand-outs. They don't stand-out because they all stand-up, as it were. I'm entertained by the fieries "hey, lady!" and babble about heads, just as I love Sir Diddymus' constant "knightly" chatter, but I can't pick one line because all of their interjections are just in-character and elevate the moment.
So, overall, it's very good dialogue...
The basis of comparison line is clever and wise indeed.
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