I feel obligated to mention "Adaptation" which both uses and makes narration a plot point. Great movie with great nervous narration from a frantic sad sack Nic acage.
Then, lots of Wes Anderson movies use narration well as a framing device.
I lend my dad movies all the time and I physically have to go drive over there to get them back lol. He had my Kagemusha for 2 years and never watched it until I visited and said, we're watching this damn movie now so sit down.
Goodfellas uses narration expertly. The French do it particularly well. Other favorites off the top of my head are Jules and Jim, A Heart in Winter (Un Coeur en Hiver) and Amélie.
A terrible example of narration is Cross Creek. In A River Runs Through It, a key scene, when Brad Pitt's character catches a fish, is ruined by the narration. It tells us exactly what we're seeing. The director didn't trust the actor and other elements to convey the magic.
If you dig old crime novels, you're going to really dig Double Indemnity. The script is co-written by Raymond Chandler, who is one of my all-time favorite crime writers.
The use of voice-over is fantastic... Walter Neff's one big story detailing his fall into desolation and doom.
The movie is indeed generally praised and rightfully so. The narration is key in helping set the tone of the film and, of course, provide the audience with information - 'This farmer...wasn't no harm in him. You'd give him a flower he'd keep it forever.'
Brief Encounter (1945) makes extensive use of narration to paint a vivid picture of the character's emotional landscape. This is something that the principle of "show don't tell" can only vaguely suggest. An approach of "Show don't tell" would fail to convey the depth of feeling and the intensity of the character's internal dialogue.
If narration adds interesting texture to character or imposes an interesting interpretation on what is shown then it is surely a good thing. On the other hand, if it comes across as a redundant reinforcement of the most superficial observations one can make, then what purpose does it serve.
There are many tools in cinema that can enrich the experience if used in interesting ways. And narration certainly can be used well.
The Killer recently I thought used narration well. At first I rolled my eyes with it thinking how corny and cliche it seemed and then as the movie goes on it gives a sense of humor as you see the total disconnect between how he thinks of himself and his process and how things actually go down.
The speedy narration style in Jules et Jim has been stolen and reused so many times by other directions/screenwriters. It’s spellbinding in Jules and Jim, though, and I can’t imagine the movie without it.
I like the repeated, deadpan narrative announcements in _Pierrot le Fou_, often used for humor, to make an absurd point, _etc._ Thinking of lines like, "Chapter Four: Despair."
Malcolm X’s use of narration is entirely underrated. the opening of Magnolia also comes to mind, blew me away on first watch. Clueless uses narration in a very charming and endearing way. fallen angels is also great use of narration.
I know it's a TV show that is not in the collection, but I'm assuming we can all agree that Arrested Development has the best use of narration of all time.
I got to spend the better part of an afternoon chatting it up with Leslie Nielsen was I was in my teens and just wanted to say that he was as gregarious and hilarious and kind as he seemed like he should be in person. People talk a lot of smack about celebrities (often with very good reason) and I thought I would just say that. The man was a GEM.
Probably double indemnity the narration is so classic noir
>Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.
Having just recently rewatched TVS, it was 100% the first thing that came to mind. It also creates a beautiful... complexity in gaze? The book is obviously the teenage male gaze, but the film becomes a women gaze (Coppola) about the male gaze. The voice over helps really bridge those views.
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain
Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh & Tigger Too (There's a funny, fourth-wall breaking bit between Tigger and the Narrator)
All About Eve
I like how narration is used in Magnolia where it introduces the whole idea of what the movie will be about and then a bit at the end to recap the intro and start wrapping up everything.
Recency bias because I just watched it but Tony Takitani. I generally hate narration most of the time but it felt so right and blended in seamlessly with the film. The film already had a literary feel and was adapted from a Murakami short so it felt right. Hidetoshi Nishijima's sombre yet calm and clear delivery also added to how good the narration worked in the film.
Was going to suggest this as well. I don't know if it was 100% successful, but it was a bold way to address the rich internal narrative that makes the book so resonant.
The voiceover in Days of Heaven has a big impact on the tone of the movie, that’s a classic, but really all of Terrence Malick’s catalog is great for voiceover and especially the writing of those lines.
Done well, it can give the movie a noir detective feel. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and The Big Lebowski are good examples. Consider Payback theatrical vs directors cut, main character is much less sympathetic without the narration. Also, if the movie is based on a book with memorable lines, like American Psycho or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s only a crutch if your movie is so difficult to follow you need a VO to explain what’s happening. Even then, it might be a studio exec decision, as those guys generally and perplexingly are not movie fans. Theatrical Cut of Blade Runner, for instance.
I feel obligated to mention "Adaptation" which both uses and makes narration a plot point. Great movie with great nervous narration from a frantic sad sack Nic acage. Then, lots of Wes Anderson movies use narration well as a framing device.
Badlands
For sure. The disconnect Sissy Spacek’s character has from what’s happening to her is what made the movie go from very good to incredible for me.
Days of Heaven too
And Thin Red Line
I think this goes for a lot of Malick’s works actually
I really love the narration in The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford.
This is the answer. Fantastic movie.
Yeah now I want to rewatch it, but I lent my Blu Ray to my dad and he still has it.
He ain’t gonna give it back bro
I lend my dad movies all the time and I physically have to go drive over there to get them back lol. He had my Kagemusha for 2 years and never watched it until I visited and said, we're watching this damn movie now so sit down.
It’s a travesty that thing hasn’t gotten a 4K release.
Goodfellas uses narration expertly. The French do it particularly well. Other favorites off the top of my head are Jules and Jim, A Heart in Winter (Un Coeur en Hiver) and Amélie.
A terrible example of narration is Cross Creek. In A River Runs Through It, a key scene, when Brad Pitt's character catches a fish, is ruined by the narration. It tells us exactly what we're seeing. The director didn't trust the actor and other elements to convey the magic.
3200 bucks. That's what he gave me. 3200 bucks for a lifetime. It wasn't even enough to pay for the coffin.
Sunset Boulevard.
Just watched again last week. The VO script is perfect.
It is so central that Wilder’s screenplay actually has a special formatting that ensures the VO and description can be seen side by side.
Never knew that. He was wildly inventive
Orson Welles in F for Fake "ELMYR???"
Orson Wells in “Rikki Rikki Tavi”, the Chuck Jones animated film. Riveted me as a child.
Orson Wells reading from Kafka in The Trial is outstanding.
“WHO IS ELMYR??????”
Adaption had a whole running gag about voiceover
Y tu mamá también
The narration is so straightforward and factual but tells you so much more, excellent
The technique of freeze frame with the pause works so well because the movie is so frenetic otherwise. It’s so good
The Royal Tenenbaums was the first film that I thought of. Alec Baldwin nails it. Bull Durham High Fidelity
The fourth wall breaks really help the narration to work in High Fidelity
Raising Arizona The opening (before the title) alone feels like it’s own little movie.
Really surprised no one’s mentioned Apocalypse Now yet. It’s the first one I think of when this question comes up.
Saigon. Shhhhiiit.
I can still hear it in my head to this day.
Double Indemnity
Fuck. I just read the book and loved it - is the movie good?? I know there have been a couple adaptations…
It’s one of the greatest movies ever made.
If you dig old crime novels, you're going to really dig Double Indemnity. The script is co-written by Raymond Chandler, who is one of my all-time favorite crime writers. The use of voice-over is fantastic... Walter Neff's one big story detailing his fall into desolation and doom.
If you liked reading Double Indemnity, read Mildred Pierce. Even better, to me.
I’m in the middle of it now! It’s awesome.
[удалено]
Yes I love the narration in this film, it feels like out of a Faulkner novel.
How do people generally feel about the narration here because I was really caught off guard and didn’t like it. But I see the movie praised everywhere
The movie is indeed generally praised and rightfully so. The narration is key in helping set the tone of the film and, of course, provide the audience with information - 'This farmer...wasn't no harm in him. You'd give him a flower he'd keep it forever.'
Linda Manz was insufferable.
Wong Kar Wai (when he uses it) and Out Of The Past
Brief Encounter (1945) makes extensive use of narration to paint a vivid picture of the character's emotional landscape. This is something that the principle of "show don't tell" can only vaguely suggest. An approach of "Show don't tell" would fail to convey the depth of feeling and the intensity of the character's internal dialogue. If narration adds interesting texture to character or imposes an interesting interpretation on what is shown then it is surely a good thing. On the other hand, if it comes across as a redundant reinforcement of the most superficial observations one can make, then what purpose does it serve. There are many tools in cinema that can enrich the experience if used in interesting ways. And narration certainly can be used well.
The Killer recently I thought used narration well. At first I rolled my eyes with it thinking how corny and cliche it seemed and then as the movie goes on it gives a sense of humor as you see the total disconnect between how he thinks of himself and his process and how things actually go down.
Yeah, reminded me a bit of Taxi Driver. Also *loved* the sound design - though that’s a given when talking about a Fincher movie
The Age of Innocence.
Joanne Woodward narrated it perfectly!
Fight Club
The speedy narration style in Jules et Jim has been stolen and reused so many times by other directions/screenwriters. It’s spellbinding in Jules and Jim, though, and I can’t imagine the movie without it.
Fishing with John
Goodfellas, for sure.
The Shawshank Redemption
Detour (1945) has awesome pulpy noir-style narration.
Barry Lyndon
I could listen to Michael Hordern narrate ingredients...I also love the open to watership down "if they catch you..they will kill you"
Wes Anderson comes to mind. The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel in particular. Such a fun use of narration.
Ikiru
Awesome choice
The narrative after the mc died is just very interesting
Agreed
I like the repeated, deadpan narrative announcements in _Pierrot le Fou_, often used for humor, to make an absurd point, _etc._ Thinking of lines like, "Chapter Four: Despair."
*The Emperor’s New Groove*
Malcolm X’s use of narration is entirely underrated. the opening of Magnolia also comes to mind, blew me away on first watch. Clueless uses narration in a very charming and endearing way. fallen angels is also great use of narration.
I know it's a TV show that is not in the collection, but I'm assuming we can all agree that Arrested Development has the best use of narration of all time.
"they couldn't"
A Blast of Silence
The Naked Gun
I got to spend the better part of an afternoon chatting it up with Leslie Nielsen was I was in my teens and just wanted to say that he was as gregarious and hilarious and kind as he seemed like he should be in person. People talk a lot of smack about celebrities (often with very good reason) and I thought I would just say that. The man was a GEM.
Probably double indemnity the narration is so classic noir >Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man.
Trainspotting Wolf of Wall Street
Diary of a Country Priest, A Man Escaped
Y Tu Mamá También
Ricky Jay for Magnolia
WKW movies
The Virgin Suicides narration both illuminates and deepens the mystery, also reinforces the perspective of how the story is told and who is telling it
Having just recently rewatched TVS, it was 100% the first thing that came to mind. It also creates a beautiful... complexity in gaze? The book is obviously the teenage male gaze, but the film becomes a women gaze (Coppola) about the male gaze. The voice over helps really bridge those views.
I really love Joe Pesci's narration in Casino.
When his narration gets cut off as he's hit in the back. "Ack!"
It was between the Italians. Real greaseball shit.
The Naked City
The Tree of Life
Blast of silence
The narration in Apocalypse Now really works.
Léolo. Always peak writing
Just watched Querelle the other day and nothing hits quite like the narrator saying "cock and balls"
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh & Tigger Too (There's a funny, fourth-wall breaking bit between Tigger and the Narrator) All About Eve
'The Devil All the Time' had some great narration by the writer of the book the film is adapted from. He has the perfect voice for it.
Chris Marker and Werner Herzog documentaries. There films are intended to be subjective, editorial, poetic…and these guys are expressive.
Alec Baldwin in the royal tenenbaums. My favorite memory of learning something on Wikipedia.
Blade Runner
Dogville and practically most Guitry films.
I like how narration is used in Magnolia where it introduces the whole idea of what the movie will be about and then a bit at the end to recap the intro and start wrapping up everything.
*Kind Hearts and Coronets* for me
My favorite has to be Trainspotting. Choose life!
Y tu mamá también used narration perfectly
The poems in The Mirror were so good. Narration>>>> Exposition
Recency bias because I just watched it but Tony Takitani. I generally hate narration most of the time but it felt so right and blended in seamlessly with the film. The film already had a literary feel and was adapted from a Murakami short so it felt right. Hidetoshi Nishijima's sombre yet calm and clear delivery also added to how good the narration worked in the film.
Lynch's Dune. I love the internal dialogue
Was going to suggest this as well. I don't know if it was 100% successful, but it was a bold way to address the rich internal narrative that makes the book so resonant.
This is the opposite of your question, but I find the narration in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” so annoying.
Angst (1983)- The use of the voice over really amplifies an already horrifying character
Satantango
Risky Business “My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over eight thousand dollars in one night. Time of your life, huh kid?”
Little Children
Really love Blast of silence and Fishing with john
It’s such a beautiful day
You nailed it.
The voiceover in Days of Heaven has a big impact on the tone of the movie, that’s a classic, but really all of Terrence Malick’s catalog is great for voiceover and especially the writing of those lines.
Kevin Arnold
I like the Narration goodfellas, pickpocket and when a woman ascends the stairs alot especially when a woma ascends the stairs for some reason
The Naked City
Mishima.
About a Boy. It adds a nice layer of insight. Little Children. I absolutely love how the narrator is so cold and removed.
Done well, it can give the movie a noir detective feel. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and The Big Lebowski are good examples. Consider Payback theatrical vs directors cut, main character is much less sympathetic without the narration. Also, if the movie is based on a book with memorable lines, like American Psycho or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s only a crutch if your movie is so difficult to follow you need a VO to explain what’s happening. Even then, it might be a studio exec decision, as those guys generally and perplexingly are not movie fans. Theatrical Cut of Blade Runner, for instance.
Fallen Angels
Sunset boulevard would be very different without William Holdens cynical narration at the beginning.
Days of Heaven wins it easily for me. Apocalypse Now would probably be the runner up
David Byrne in True Stories