Overview

Examining the centrality of dialogue to American independent cinema, Jennifer O'Meara argues that it is impossible to separate small budgets from the old adage that 'talk is cheap'. Focusing on the 1980s until the present, particularly on the films by writer-directors like Jim Jarmusch, Noah Baumbach and Richard Linklater, this book demonstrates dialogue's ability to engage audiences and bind together the narrative, aesthetic and performative elements of selected cinema. Questioning the association of dialogue-centred films with the 'literary' and the 'un-cinematic', O'Meara highlights how speech in independent cinema can instead hinge on what is termed 'cinematic verbalism': when dialogue is designed and executed in complex, medium-specific ways.

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9781474420624

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Reviews

What a delight to see the study of filmic dialogue pushed forward by O'Meara! Incorporating the latest research and clear analysis, her engaging insights are applicable to a wider field than the six writer-directors she foregrounds.'--Professor Sarah Kozloff, author of Overhearing Film Dialogue

What a delight to see the study of filmic dialogue pushed forward by O'Meara! Incorporating the latest research and clear analysis, her engaging insights are applicable to a wider field than the six writer-directors she foregrounds.' -- Professor Sarah Kozloff, author of Overhearing Film Dialogue

Author Information

Dr Jennifer O’Meara is an Associate Professor of Film Studies at Trinity College Dublin. She is the author of Women's Voices in Digital Media (2022, University of Texas Press) and Engaging Dialogue (2018, EUP).

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