The Karate Kid (1984) Writer: Robert Mark Kamen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ynryUjGFt8 Miyagi: Oh, missed spot. Daniel: What spot? Hey, hey, how come you didn't tell me you were going fishing? Miyagi: You not here when I go. Daniel: Well maybe I would have wanted to go. Ever think of that? Miyagi: You karate training. Daniel: I'm what? I'm being your goddamn slave is what I'm being, man, now we made a deal here. Miyagi: So? Daniel: So? So you're supposed to teach and I'm supposed to learn, remember? For four days I've been busting my ass and haven't learned a goddamn thing. Miyagi: Ah, you learn plenty. Daniel: I learned plenty. I learned how to sand your decks, maybe. I wash your car, paint your house, I paint your fence--I learned plenty, right. Miyagi: Ah, not everything is as seem. Daniel: Oh, bullshit, I'm going home, man. Miyagi: Daniel-san. Daniel-san! Daniel: What? Miyagi: Come here. (Daniel returns.) Miyagi: Show me 'sand the floor'. Daniel: I can't move my arm, all right? Miyagi rubs his hands together, then massages Daniel's sore shoulder) Daniel: What are you doing? Ow. Ow! What are you doing? Miyagi: Now show me 'sand the floor'. Daniel: How did you do that? Miyagi: Show! Daniel: Sand the floor? (Daniel crouches to the ground) Miyagi: Tut-tut. Sand up. Show me 'sand the floor'. (Daniel makes the motions of sanding) Miyagi: Nah, nah, nah. Sand the floor. Sand the floor. (Miyagi guides Daniel's hands through the motions) Miyagi: Big circles. Sand the floor. Sand the floor. Now show me 'wax on, wax off'. (Daniel crouches again) Miyagi: Ai! Daniel: (with flailing arm motions) Wax on. Wax off. Miyagi: (Mocking his motions) Wax on, wax off. Heh. (Again, guiding Daniel's hands) Wax on! Wax off! Concentrate. Look at my eye. Lock the hand. Thumb inside. Wax on. Wax off. Wax on. Wax off. Wax on. Wax off. Show me 'paint the fence'. Up. Down. (Daniel goes through the vertical hand motions.) Miyagi: Up. Down. Up. Down. Other side. Look eye, always look eye. Show me 'paint the house', side, side. Lock the wrist. Side, side. Side, side. Show me 'wax on, wax off'. (Without waiting, Miyagi attacks Daniel, but Daniel is able to repel his thrusts.) Show me 'paint the fence'. (Again, he attacks and Daniel repels) Show me side-to-side. (More attacks.) Show me 'sand the floor'. (Miyagi tries kick attacks, then goes for an all-out attack that uses all of Daniel's learned moves.) (When done, Miyagi bows and encourages Daniel to do the same. When he doesn't get the idea, he slaps Daniel's head.) Miyagi: Look eye, always look eye. (They bow.) Miyagi: Come back tomorrow. Dialogue on Dialogue: Characters often learn wisdom when they least expect it. This is one of the great "teaching moments" in film. Daniel, a frustrated and bullied teenager who thinks Mr. Miyagi is just taking advantage of him is suddenly shown that everything he's been through has actually prepared him to begin his fight training, but he was blind to it. This scene changes everything. It's the pivot point of the story. Before this he's uncertain, carefree, brash, and feels he's been taken advantage of. From this point forward he becomes focused, dedicated and committed to both his teacher and his goal to win the fight championship. He changes from deconstruction to reconstruction in this scene. This scene is also vital to the end of the film. The hand-rubbing and massage that Miyagi uses to soothe Daniel's sore shoulder foreshadows the same help he will give Daniel when he is lying in the locker room in the movie's darkest moment. It will be what makes it possible for Daniel to return to the fight for one last bout. Without this first demonstration, that final act wouldn't be believable. Here's it's casual, but in the final sequence it's Daniel's lifesaver.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger (screenplay) Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris (story) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q3cLEi7Iak OOGWAY: I see you have found the sacred peach tree of heavenly wisdom. PO: Oh, is that what this is? I'm so sorry, I thought it was just a regular peach tree. OOGWAY: I understand. You eat when you are upset. PO: Upset? I'm not upset. Why...why...why would you say I'm upset? OOGWAY: So why are you upset? PO: I probably sucked more today than anyone in the history of kung fu. In the history of China. In the history of sucking. OOGWAY: Probably. PO: And the Five! Man, you should have seen 'em. They totally hate me. OOGWAY: Totally. PO: How's Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior? I mean, I'm not like the Five. I've got no claws, no wings, no venom. Even Mantis has those...thingies. Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles. OOGWAY: Quit...don't quit. Noodles...don't noodles. You are too concerned with what was, and what will be. There's a saying: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called 'the present'." Dialogue on Dialogue: The elderly wise man is a trope so timeworn you'd think any writer would stay far away, but in this scene it's handled adroitly. Without spending much time lost on philosophy, they play it straight for the purpose it serves: to rescue Po's flagging self-confidence and set him back on the road toward his storyline destiny. It also speaks aloud Po's "tic"--his nervous habit of eating to relieve stress. This foreshadows the weakness that Shifu will later turn to an advantage when he realizes how he must train Po to prepare him to face Tai Lung.

Movie - Unforgiven Youtube - https://youtu.be/8wGiJcq95Ug The Schofield Kid: Was that what it was like in the old days Will? Everybody riding out, shooting, smoke all over the place, folks yelling, bullets whizzing by? Will Munny: I guess so. The Schofield Kid: Shit, I thought they was going to get us. I was even scared a little, just for a minute. Was you ever scared in them days? Will Munny: I can’t remember, I was drunk most the time. The Schofield Kid: I shot that fucker three times. He’s taking a shit, he went for his pistol and I blazed away. First shot… I got him right in the chest. Say Will… Will Munny: Yeah? The Schofield Kid: That was the first one. Will Munny: First one what? The Schofield Kid: First one I ever killed. Will Munny: Yeah? The Schofield Kid: You know how I said I shot five men? It weren't true. That Mexican that come at me with a knife, I just busted his leg with a shovel. I didn't kill him or nothing, neither. Will Munny: Well, you sure killed the hell outta that fella today. The Schofield Kid: Hell yeah, I killed the hell out of him didn’t I? Three shots and he was taking a shit. Will Munny: Take a drink kid. The Schofield Kid: Jesus Christ. It don't seem real... how he ain't gonna never breathe again, ever... how he's dead. And the other one too. All on account of pulling a trigger. Will Munny: It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have. The Schofield Kid: Yeah, well, I guess they had it coming. Will Munny: We all have it coming, kid. Comment - The wisdom of an experienced killer to the novice who realizes he doesn't have the stomach for the profession. Great movie.

Thanks, Will. All three, good examples of the conveyance of wisdom. I've got some in mind to add to the mix this week unless others chime in.

From Philomena: At the end of the film, Martin and ancient Sister Hildegard are arguing as Philomena enters the room. Philomena: Stop, stop! I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bring him in here like this to make a scene. Martin: Why are you apologizing? Anthony was dying of AIDS, and she still wouldn’t tell him about you. Philomena: It happened to me, not you. It’s up to me what I do about it, it’s my choice. Martin: So, what, you’re just going to do nothing? Philomena: No. (beat) Sister Hildegard, I want you to know that I forgive you. Martin: What, just like that? Philomena: Not just like that, that’s hard, that’s hard for me. But I don’t want to hate people. I don’t want to be like you. Look at you. Martin: I’m angry! Philomena: It must be exhausting… Sister Claire, I wonder, would you be so kind as to take me to my son’s grave? Philomena exits with Sister Claire. Martin exits, and then turns. Martin: Well, I couldn’t forgive you. No clip, but the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG3QP8foCvg Both Martin and Philomena are in turmoil at the beginning of the movie -- his career is in shambles, she's looking for her long-lost son. She's been a bit ditzy throughout the film, going on about her romance novels and whatnot, and had her religious faith shaken, and this scene at the end so quietly and powerful demonstrates how far she's come. And how far, at this point, Martin hasn't. Great bit of wisdom.

The English Patient (1996) Screenplay by Anthony Minghella Based on the Novel by Michael Ondaatje HANA My darling, I'm waiting for you - how long is a day in the dark, or a week? The fire is gone now, and I'm horribly cold. KATHARINE (O/S) I really ought to drag myself outside but then there would be the sun... I'm afraid I waste the light on the paintings and on writing these words. We die. HANA We die, we die rich with lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed... ...bodies we have entered and swum up like rivers... KATHARINE (O/S) ...fears we have hidden in like this wretched cave... ...I want all this marked on my body. We are the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of powerful men... ...I know you will come and carry me out into the palace of winds, the rumors of water... That's all I've wanted - to walk in such a place with you, with friends, on earth without maps. HANA The lamp's gone out and I'm writing in the darkness... Trivia: Writer Michael Ondaatje published „The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film“, the editor of „The English Patient“ (Among this film Murch has worked on are American Graffiti, The Conversation, the remake of A Touch of Evil, Julia, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather (all three), The Talented Mr. Ripley). It is one of the most fascinating books about film editing and also about film making. Trivia found on IMDB: Anthony Minghella read the novel in one sitting after completing a previous shoot in New York; when he finished, he was completely disoriented and at first couldn't remember where he was, but he phoned Saul Zaentz the next morning to try and interest him in the project. Saul Zaentz not only read the book but discovered that author Michael Ondaatje was giving a reading near Saul Zaentz's home that weekend. Anthony Minghella wrote 20 drafts of the screenplay. Dialogue about dialogue: Katharine‘s wisdom paints an utopia for a world where not countries borders rule over humans. Her letter summarize what the movie tells: It‘s the people suffering from war. And her letter unites Almásy and her in their deaths - within the Herodotus‘ book Almásy always had with him. Beyond that Katharine‘s letter reflect how stories and knowledge are handed over. Starting from Herodotus to Almásy, from Herodotus to Katharine, from Almásy to Katharina and vice versa, to Hana. And this wisdom is marked on our bodies and brains. Therefore it‘s interesting how the dialogue goes from Hana reading to Katharine‘s Voice Over and back. Giving them a shared voice about loose and life. (I‘ve found some versions of the script, where Katharine‘s letter is interrupted by Hana leaving the castle. The letter is then underlying Katharine and Almásy flying through the air for one last time. It seems that they worked while editing it on creating this shared voice.)