Briefly explain how language in film can be more complex than in literature

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. In the first place, the words of a movie, like those of the live theater, are spoken, not written, and the human voice is capable of far more nuances than the cold printed page.
2. The written word is a crude approximation of the connotative richness of spoken language. Thus, to take a simple example of no literary merit, the meaning of the words “I will see him tomorrow” seem obvious enough in written form. But an actor can emphasize one word over the others and thus change the meanings of the sentence completely.
3. Unlike actors, writers don’t underline words in every sentence. On the other hand, actors routinely go through their speeches to see which words to stress, which to “throw away,” and the ways to best achieve these effects—in each and every sentence. To a gifted actor, the written speech is a mere blueprint, an outline, compared to the complexities of spoken speech.
4. Written punctuation is likewise a simplified approximation of speech rhythms. The pauses, hesitancies, and rapid slurs of speech can only be partially suggested by punctuation.
5. Dialects can also be a rich source of meaning in movies. Because they are usually spoken by people outside the Establishment, they tend to convey a subversive ideology.