Monday, May 12, 2014

Spoilers (To 10-Year Old Movie) Ahead

You know that movie The Village? What I want to know is, when they decided to start that society modeled after the "old days," why did they have to talk like that? You know, "we will not" instead of "we won't," stuff like that. Did they think contractions were contributing to the downfall of society?

Of course, I realize that it aids in fooling the audience into thinking we're actually watching old-timey people. But from a practical standpoint, if I were starting my own 1905 village, I'd just talk like I do now.

Comments:
Mom here: Pretty much a given for writers to think that leaving out contractions allows the reader to either know the characters are from outer space even though they're disguised as earthlings; to do the same if reader is supposed to think the time is long past; etc. I don't think Spock used contractions, but not sure. (I know you will check that.) Pulp fiction is a far cry from literature for reasons like that. (In that ad on NESN that airs about nine million times during every Sox game, the wizard/moron on the horse doesn't use contractions. Whoever wrote that copy could not come up with scintillating adjectives and it kills me that someone is getting paid a lot of money for "dark" castle and "glimmering" lake. (Jere, you are such a good son to tolerate your mom venting on your blog. I herewith give you permission to say, "Ma, would you write your own damn blog!?!?!?)
 
Laura is watching something set in the old West (I think) and she recently remarked that the wise and elder-type Native Americans never use contractions.
 

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