Yes, I know, it sounds wrong. Terribly terribly wrong. In point of fact it was a perfectly normal part of conversation over dinner at a very nice restaurant. It was in reference to mint leaves on top of a mojito. It was perfectly OK to touch the mint leaves, crush them between the fingers, smell them appreciatively and then eagerly coo "Oooh rub it and then smell it". It was perfectly OK... in context.
This got me thinking about the dramatic power of context. The strength of action, atmosphere and attitude. As I review the dinner conversation, it was rife with comments that in a different context, might have gotten us thrown out or at least a finger wag from the manager. And yet, there were no comments or looks or anything. Our attitude was one of innocent celebration and that was all that was really seen or heard.
I know that dialogue is a key skill for the screen writer and some shows, e.g. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, set themselves apart with their dialogue quirks. And there are always incredibly quotable lines that you don't want to lose, e.g. Go Ahead Make My Day... However what you remember at the end of the day tend to be images and story. Without this backbone, I wonder, would a quirky dialogue style or fabulous one-liner make its way into our memory? Can anyone think of examples where dialogue or a one-liner overtakes the importance of story telling?
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