# Narrated Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920 "2004-03-01T15:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/1 "2004-03-01T15:56:11Z")
I was recently thinking about movies in which part of the story is told by voice-over and listing them to myself. I came up with Forrest Gump, A Clockwork Orange, Stand By Me, Raising Arizona, Shawshank Redemption, The Jerk (okay, maybe I’m reaching a little). Anyway, I realized these were all movies I had really enjoyed, so I thought I’d ask y’all to add to my list and let me know if you recommend any of them. I do realize that narration doesn’t necessarily make a good movie…case in point, Joe Dirt. ---
**Author:** ![JackaRoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@JackaRoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackaRoe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/2 "2004-03-01T16:03:24Z")
You missed “A Christmas Story”. I think “Mutiny on the Bounty” is narrated also. ---
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/3 "2004-03-01T16:36:20Z")
The first third of Fight Club is mostly narration. And it _rules._ ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/4 "2004-03-01T16:44:30Z")
Princess Bride and Johnny Dangerously are the 2 that sprung to mind. (and Stand By Me also actually, but you already mentioned that). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/5 "2004-03-01T16:44:35Z")
Biloxi Blues. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/6 "2004-03-01T16:46:21Z")
Just thought of Interview with a Vampire. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/7 "2004-03-01T16:47:07Z")
The Name of the Rose. The Road Warrior. (Has narration tags at beginning and end.) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/8 "2004-03-01T16:49:16Z")
The Man Who Would Be King. ---
**Author:** ![yellowcakesolid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cdc98d/32.png) [@yellowcakesolid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowcakesolid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/9 "2004-03-01T17:01:22Z")
Goodfellas ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/10 "2004-03-01T17:04:31Z")
Babe the Gallant Pig ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/11 "2004-03-01T17:06:14Z")
Blade Runner. Though good luck finding the right version. Also, the Naked Gun movies are narrated in spots. (Drebin’s inner monologues never fail to crack me up.) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/12 "2004-03-01T17:15:35Z")
_A River Runs Through It_ and _Dances With Wolves_ ---
**Author:** ![Nuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea666f/32.png) [@Nuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/13 "2004-03-01T17:38:28Z")
Dune ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/14 "2004-03-01T17:51:57Z")
Out of Africa Seabiscuit ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/15 "2004-03-01T19:04:11Z")
Not only is _Adaptation_ a great film with narration, but it also discusses this fact in the film and why it’s a bad idea and so on. The definitive film on why you should never, ever use it. So it uses it and it works! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/16 "2004-03-01T19:17:39Z")
The Usual Suspects used narration strongly, i.e., it pretty much IS a narrative, and American Beauty had narration too, IIRC. And to get to the stinky side of things, “Dune” had narration. It’s interesting to read all the really good movies that have narration. One of the things they teach in film school is that narration is almost always bad. Don’t TELL the viewer what is happening, SHOW them what is happening. But this often limits you ability to convey what the characters think and feel about what they are doing, especially if there is some subtlety to what they are thinking and feeling. (Note that many of the movies listed as having narration are noted for their strong characterization.) I think a lot of movies have been rurnt by lack of narration because of this film school meme. Frex, there’s a little known suspense movie called “Kiss the Girls Goodbye” (not the Morgan Freeman flick) that was about a psycho that kidnaps a woman and chains her up in his basement. She wears a gag while she’s his “guest” so she can’t talk. And there’s no narration by her to explain how she’s feeling. Since this constitutes a large chunk of the movie, it renders it very, very dull. A little character development via narration here would have made all the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/17 "2004-03-01T19:42:33Z")
Several classics: _How Green Way My Valley_ (1941), narrated by the adult Huw (Irving Pichel). _The Magnificent Ambersons_ (1942), narrated by Orson Welles. _Double Indemnity_ (1944), narrated hard-boiled style by the Fred MacMurray character into his Dictaphone machine. _I Remember Mama_ (1948), remembered by daughter Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes). _A Letter to Three Wives_ (1949), narrated by the troublemaking, never-seen author of the letters (Celeste Holm). _Sunset Boulevard_ (1950), narrated by the dead William Holden character. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/18 "2004-03-01T20:00:58Z")
_Fletch_ and _Fletch Lives_ are narrated. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/19 "2004-03-01T20:15:28Z")
Summer of '42 The Year My Voice Broke (Note that several of the movies listed are “nostalgia” films. The lead character is narrating his past.) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920/20 "2004-03-01T20:20:28Z")
(Speaking of which…) Radio Days [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/narrated-movies/231920.md?page=2)