You're wonderful, in a loathsome sort of way...

To me, dialogue in old movies really seperates them from their modern descendents. While today we might have more "realistic" speech on screen, in older films not a single line was wasted and we are often kept bemused by rapid one-liners and witty deliveries. If you really want to catch an old film that epitomizes this style--look no further than one involving a newspaper reporter. These fiends would talk so fast on screen it became pretty clear that they were both interviewer and interviewee when it came to a story they wanted.

In "His Girl Friday," Cary Grant uses all of his wiles to lure ex-wife Rosalind Russell away from her new fiance and back to the life of a newspaper reporter. When faced with the scoop of a lifetime Russell must decide between her love of a story and the new love in her life. The entire film is filled with fast talk and if your head is spinning: Cary Grant has always been easy on the eyes...

CONVERSATION

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