Inspired by this thread, it occurs to me that most Dopers and their contemporaries could probably quote (or at least easily recognize) dozens of lines from The Princess Bride. I think you could use almost any line in the entire flick and the source would be recognized. Why is that movie so quotable? Is it merely William Goldman’s clever way of turning a phrase?
And it’s not just a phrase. Say the single word “Inconceivable!” or “Mah-wage!” and see what happens. It’s a way of separating the Dopers from the screaming eels.
Can you think of another with as many recognizable lines? Casablanca comes to mind.
I think you’ll find a sizable subset of any appropriately large fandom that can (and will) quote entire movies to each other endlessly. Casablanca may be a good candidate, but something tells me comedies are more suited to this kind of thing. The Monty Python movies come to mind, as well as those of Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein in particular). Mayhap the SDMB just has an over-representation of these fans.
So you’re saying Dopers are not typical of contemporary society but the exception? What would happen if you took a random person off the street and asked for a Princess Bride quote?
Well, the exception may be the Princess Bride contingent, but I don’t think the effect is absent in society as a whole. Chances are if you asked a random person off the street, if they can’t quote from Princess Bride, they could probably quote from some other movie favorite of theirs (unless they were not a movie fan at all).
But yeah, if you’re asking if the SDMB is atypical in its enthusiasm for The Princess Bride, I would think yes, it probably is. I love the movie (and quote it to friends and family who share my opinion), but I’m not entirely sure it’s as popular amongst the unwashed masses as it is here.
Don’t call me Shirley, but is there a common thread in this thread? Do the frequently-quoted movies have a certain something that you can put your finger on?
Basically, quotability deals with phrases that are short and witty. Long sentences, no matter don’t work. The more of these in a film, the more quotable they are, but it’s very hard to be truly witty.
It also helps if the phrase is repeated in the film.
Hmm . . . If we’re talking comedy, I think part of it is the call-and-response of set-up and punchline. Some quotes are single lines, to be sure, but a lot are back-and-forth exchanges that give two or more parties to a conversation the opportunity to participate in the quote-fun. These things can even be started innocently enough by one who isn’t consciously quoting, but provides the perfect set-up for a quote the other(s) can’t resist providing (for instance, I have to mentally restrain myself every time I hear someone say “It’s possible” so that I don’t immediately say " - pig.").
This is a great question. The ones that have been mentioned so far (except for Casablanca, which doesn’t have nearly as many quoted lines as the others, IMO) have great or at least very clever lines that are delivered in a somewhat over-the-top manner, to the point where many people quote the lines while imitating Inigo Montoya or the Black Knight from Holy Grail.
I would like to add Caddy Shack to the list. Most men my age (58) can quote lots of lines from that one.
I think what may be unusual is how many Dopers know how many of those lines are from The Princess Bride. There are many lines from that movie which have entered pop culture in many different countries, but which if you asked most people where are they from, they wouldn’t be able to tell you. That happens with many other highly-quotable sources: many people make references to the Bible frequently having no idea that they do - or thinking that they’re quoting their favorite metal band (which they are, but it’s a quote of a quote); I’ve run into the same regarding quotables from Shakespeare, Molière or the Golden Century Spanish writers.
A prized possession of mine is a T-shirt with one of those ‘HELLO, my name is’ labels printed on it. The blank field has ‘Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.’ printed in it. You’d be amazed the number of civilians who have no idea what that means or where it’s from.
That’s a good point. I wonder how many people quote lines from The Simpsons (for example) without being aware of their origin. “Cromulent” hasn’t (yet) made it to the OED, but Wiktionary will define it for you.
In terms of stopping a random person on the street, I actually think you’re far more likely to find someone who can quote Casablanca than The Princess Bride. “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “Play it again, Sam” (a slight misquote, but still widely used) have really permeated the culture. They’ve been constantly reused and repackaged in a way that I don’t think lines from The Princess Bride have been, even the Inigo Montoya bit.
In general, Dopers are smarter than the average bear. Also, when one finds a group of people who share one’s interests, one tends to stick around. I love Monty Python and Douglas Adams and Airplane and the Princess Bride, and so do a lot of people here… so I feel comfortable in this community and decided to stay and contribute.
It’s like asking why a knitters circle is so full of people who like yarn.