Body actions as Don Corleone gives a speech at the meeting of the five families.
Body actions as Don Corleone gives a speech at the meeting of the five families.
The scene is under 5 minutes.
He says 341 words.
But look at how much body movement there is in what is basically a short speech.
First, the words:
“How did things ever get so far? I don’t know. It’s so unfortunate, so unnecessary. Tattaglia lost a son and I lost a son. We’re quits. And if Tattaglia agrees, then I am willing to let things go on as they way they were before.”
(Bardzini speaksa few mines; Tattaglia speaks a few lines.)
“When? When did I ever refuse an accommodation? All of you know me here. When did I ever refuse, except one time? And why? Because I believe this drug business is going to destroy us in the years to come. I mean, it’s not like gambling or liquor, or even women, which is something that most people want nowadays and is forbidden to them by the pezzonovante of the church. Even the police departments that have helped us in the past with gambling and other things are gonna refuse to help us when it comes to narcotics. And I believed that then – and I believe that now.”
(Bardzini speaks briefly; another boss speaks briefly. Bardzini speaks again, briefly.)
“I hoped that we could come here and reason together. And as a reasonable man, I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary to find a peaceful solution to these problems.”
(Bardzini speaks briefly; Tattaglia speaks again. Bardzini speaks again, briefly.)
“You talk about vengeance. Is vengeance gonna bring your son back to you? Or my boy to me? I forego the vengeance of my son. But I have selfish reasons.
“My youngest son was forced to leave this country because of this Sollozzo business. All right. And I have to make arrangements to bring him back here safely, cleared of all these false charges. But I’m a superstitious man. And if some unlucky accident should befall him – if he should get shot in the head by a police officer, or if he should hang himself in his jail cell, or if he’s struck by a bolt of lightning – then I’m going to blame some of the people in this room. And that I do not forgive. But that aside, let me say that I swear on the souls of my grandchildren that I will not be the one to break the peace that we’ve made here today.”
Now, the beats:
He is standing.
Sits
Scoots chair forward
Put one hand on the table
Waves his hands
Clasps his hands
Shrugs
Looks down
Waves hand
Leans back in the chair
Waves with his left hand
Shifts his weight in the chair
Hooks his left hand over the back of the chair
He is served a glass of water and he shrugs it off
With both hands mildly
leans his head to the right
Raises his eyebrows
Lifts his right hand
Leans forward
Puts arm on the table
Points
Looks back and forth
Points
Taps the table
Nods
Leans back
Waves his hand
Nods
Plays with a button on his vest
Waves hands
Leans back
Looks back and forth
Leans forward
Put one hand on the table
Leans forward
Points at group
Glares
Taps his heart
Waves his hand across the table
Hooks his arm back over the chair
Points
Glares
Rubs his nose
Stands up
Shift his weight
Nods
Looks down
Cocks his head
Sticks his jaw out
Voice gets a little firmer
Glares
Kind of chews his lip
Shrugs
Leans back
Put his hand on his chest
Holds his hands out
I know, I know. It’s Marlon Brando and he’s a big famous actor. He has to move around during a speech – even a short one – to keep it from getting boring.
I get it.
Your characters need to move during their dialogues, too.
Look at the way Brando emotes such much drama into so few words, with pauses and inflections, and look at all the actions.
It’s just a way to say, if you are going to write, watch how people move when they speak. If you’ll watch great actors, you’ll get more than enough ideas for actions to include during your characters’ dialogues.
