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Some great familects from two films and a TV series
Reading time: 5 minutes
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For your edification, I’ve chosen dialogue from two films and a television series that are great examples of how some familects contain over-the-top eloquence and poetic slang:
A Clockwork Orange
ALEX
Welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, well. To what do I owe the extreme pleasure of this surprising visit?
…
ALEX
The Durango ‘95 purred away a real horrowshow — a nice, warm vibraty feeling all through your guttiwuts. And soon it was trees and dark, my brothers, with real country dark.
…
ALEX
Now then, Dim. What does that great big horsey gape of a grin portend?
Sin City
Context: Burt Shlubb (a.k.a. Fat Man) and Douglas Klump (a.k.a. Little Man) are two low-rent thugs for hire who have just hijacked a Jaguar convertible for their own nefarious purposes.
SHLUBB
I seek only the most lighthearted and momentary digression. The briefest indulgement in automotive pleasure–
KLUMP
…for cheap thrills. For such short-lived durability, Mr. Shlubb, you would risk engendering ill will on the part of our employers.
…
KLUMP
It is inclement upon me to comment with marked displeasure on your rash impulsiveness in selecting such an eye-catching and impractical car to heist, Mr. Shlubb. Relevant to said mission is the following query which I now put forth to you. Wherein this most streamlined and trunkless of transports, boner-inspiring though it may be, wherein are we to reposit our recently deceased cargo?
The Wire season 1, episode 9
Context: Here, the ‘shit’ that Joe is referring to is 4,000 ready-for-sale vials of crack cocaine that Omar Little (Michael K. Williams, rest in peace) recently stole from Avon Barksdale’s crew, and that Omar has just dropped on Joe’s desk. Further, ‘a hundert large’ is $100,000.
PROPOSITION JOE
What makes you think I ain’t gonna just take this shit off your hands and throw your ass up outta here?
OMAR
Avon falls, the projects be an open market again, right?
PROPOSITION JOE smiles, looks to LIEUTENANT, who nods.
PROPOSITION JOE
Lemme understand. Avon loses a hundert large to me on a bet, then you bring me some of his shit so that I can put your predatory self on his ass.
OMAR nods.
PROPOSITION JOE (CONT’D)
Not his day, is it?
Sources
The Wire, season 1, episode 9. Game Day. (56 minutes). Final shooting draft, 21 May 2002. HBO. Pp. 56-7. (Lightly amended.)
IMDb: A Clockwork Orange (1971) quotes – Malcolm McDowell: Alex.
Drew’s Script-O-Rama: Sin City Script – dialogue transcript.
Sin City illusion of eloquence.
A Clockwork Orange (1971) (136 minutes). Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Burgess. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Sin City (2005) (124 minutes). Screenplay by Frank Miller, based on Miller’s graphic novels of the same name. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, guest director Quentin Tarantino.
Game Day, The Wire, season 1, episode 9 (2002) (56 minutes). Teleplay by David H. Melnick and Shamit Chocksey. Story by David Simon and Edward Burns. Directed by Milčo Mančevski.