Denis Villeneuve Hates Dialogue and Wants to Make a Silent Film; Says "Movies Have Been Corrupted by Television"
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve is not a fan of dialogue. In fact, he hates it, and he wants to make a silent film. He believes dialogue was never meant for movies, and that movies have been corrupted by TV. He certainly has an interesting opinion here.
During an interview with The Times of London, the actor explained why he doesn’t care for dialogue, saying:
“Frankly, I hate dialogue. Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound, that is the power of cinema, but it is something not obvious when you watch movies today. Movies have been corrupted by television.”
He then went on to talk about his desire to make a silent film, saying:
“In a perfect world, I’d make a compelling movie that doesn’t feel like an experiment but does not have a single word in it either. People would leave the cinema and say, ‘Wait, there was no dialogue?’ But they won’t feel the lack.”
I agree that there are visuals in movies that are burned into my memory, stunning visuals and sound. My mind goes straight to Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terestrial with the kids riding on the bike through the sky, and the end of the film when E.T. as the alien’s spacecraft descends from the sky and everyone is looking at it in awe. It’s a visual that makes my heart swell. There is minimal dialogue in that end scene and it emotionally breaks me every time.
But, there are also incredible movies with awesome dialogue! If the dialogue is good, then I have no issues! Without dialogue, there wouldn’t be great quotes from movies! There are a lot of movies that are remembered for their good lines! I love movies with great dialogue and I quote these movies all the time! I think Villeneuve needs to sit down and watch The Big Lebowski.
While there is room to tell stories with no dialogue, I think there’s nothing wrong with dialogue, especially if the script is good. What are your thoughts on what Villeneuve had to say here about dialogue in movies?