ANTHROPOLOGY 281--Duranti Greetings Analysis--WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)--"THE TELEGRAM"

Dr J Ferguson

University of Nevada, Reno

Spring 2018

James Langelle

“We Were Soldiers” (2002) Directed by Randall Wallace--“The Telegram”

JULIE (Madeleine Stowe), the wife of Lt Col Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), is at her home on a military base, presumably Fort Benning, GA, and is quietly looking at a variety of photos of her family. The Colonel is in Vietnam and his unit, the 7th Cavalry, has just engaged a large force of NVA regulars in the La Drang Valley, it is late November, 1965. As she is carefully going over the framed photos, a yellow taxi pulls to a stop outside. JULIE sees the taxi, falls down, tightly holding a rosary and senses ominous news as the doorbell rings: The CABBIE (uncredited in film)   is at the doorway, JULIE goes to the door and answers. The CABBIE is at the door holding a telegram and removes his hat as JULIE answers.

CABBIE  Mrs. Moore? (pause as JULIE approaches screen door) Col. Moore’s wife?

JULIE    (quietly and with blank expression) Yes.

CABBIE  (looking at the telegram)  I need help finding an address.

JULIE   (screaming) Address!!   Do you know what this is!!

CABBIE stares, looks down dumbfounded.

JULIE     (screaming) Do you know what you just did to me!!

Silence as CABBIE shakes his head and looks down. CABBIE walks back down the steps, holding telegram and hat in hands. CABBIE stops, turns around, waves telegram in left hand, hat in right hand.

CABBIE  (apologetic)  I..I don’t like this job, Ma’am.. (pause) Just tryin' to do it.

CABBIE puts his head down, turns around, walks slowly down sidewalk back to taxi.

JULIE   (authority in voice) . WAIT..! (opens screen door, goes down steps) Wait !

CABBIE, with hat on head, stops, turns around, JULIE catches up with and confronts him.

JULIE   I’ll take it to her. (closeup shot of JULIE taking telegram from CABBIE)

JULIE   (Calm but firm)  And tell the cab company if there are any others, bring them to me.

CABBIE nods silently, lowers head, turns around, walks back to taxi.  JULIE silently examines the name and address on the telegram.

The scene can be found on the internet:  “The Telegram”--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VglR1HaNlV8

The Duranti Greetings Analysis is as follows:

a.)  Near boundary:  occurs when they are face to face at the screen door.

b.)  Shared perceptual field:  as CABBIE and JULIE share the same scene.

c.)  Adjacency pairs: at least one did not occur when the CABBIE apologetically remarks

        “I don’t like this job Ma’am”

d.)  Relative predictability: JULIE has completely misread the CABBIE’S intentions, thinking the telegram was for her.

e.)  Spatiotemporal: although the scene as a stand alone does not totally convey the seriousness of the contact, the viewer senses something about the telegram that is ominous, more than likely, very bad news.

f.)  Identification of the interlocutor: It is an accidental encounter due to the CABBIE unable to locate the address on the telegram. JULIE completely misreads the intentions of the CABBIE and reacts accordingly.  Following the CABBIE’S retreat, JULIE repairs the encounter and makes the necessary adjustments in the adjacency to reconcile the grave error made by the CABBIE.

   

ANTHROPOLOGY 281/1001--Duranti Conversational Analysis (CA) Essay--"DR. NO" (1962): THE BACCARAT SCENE

ANTH 281-1000
Dr. J. Ferguson
University of Nevada, Reno
Spring 2018

 Dr. No, (1962), Directed by Terence Young --

Conversation Analysis (CA):  A.  Duranti Method

SYLVIA TRENCH--

http://jamesbond.wikia.com/wiki/Sylvia_Trench  

SYLVIA001-- (Time-2:47) The You Tube sequence.


Eunice Grayson plays the role of SYLVIA TRENCH, seated in a stunning red dress, with red lipstick to match, playing baccarat in “Le Circle” -Les Ambassadeurs Club in London. Her OPPONENT in the game is not immediately revealed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_Gayson





The dialogue from the scene follows:

SYLVIA: Card

Her OPPONENT at the table shows a Jack of Clubs and Eight of Diamonds. SYLVIA shows her cards, a Queen of Clubs and a Two of Hearts. The BANKER sits next to SYLVIA as she demands another hand be dealt.

SYLVIA  The house will cover, (not intelligible)..?

BANKER: Oui, Madame.  (pause)  Oui, Masseur, charges sil vous plait.

OPPONENT, still out of sight, deals another round from the card shoe.

SYLVIA  Card.

BANKER  Card, Sir.

This time the OPPONENT reveals a King of Clubs and a Nine of Hearts; SYLVIA throws in the cards without revealing her hand.

SYLVIA   I need another Thousand..

The OPPONENT (still off camera) , removes a cigarette from a chrome case

OPPONENT I admire your courage, Miss ...uh… (pause)

SYLVIA (writing a check) Trench, Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr.,.. (pause)

OPPONENT  (close face shot, lighting cigarette with a lighter)   Bond, James Bond.





The scene continues with SYLVIA suggesting to raise the limit, another hand is dealt and it appears the overall greeting-introduction has reached a climax. The STEWARD  interrupts and 007 leaves the table, soon trailed by SYLVIA. Small talk ensues about a further rendezvous and the scene gradually comes to a conclusion.

Duranti  Conversational Analysis:

    The pause, lighting of the cigarette with the  introductory clause,

                                   “Bond.., James Bond.”

     is the single most signature statement ever made in a 007 film. It doesn’t happen at the beginning of the film, there is no formal greeting of SYLVIA with BOND; the introduction serves as the greeting. The iconic James Bond music theme gradually creeps into the scene as 007 introduces himself. There probably is no better introduction style greeting ever made in any other film. James Bond was a nobody when the film was released in 1962. I saw it as a second run feature at the Midway Drive In on South Virginia St, now an indoor cinema next to the sprawling Peppermill Casino, then just a little pancake house next to a dirt lot. The film was years ahead of its time and paved the way for spy thrillers for years to come.

    To this day, no one has matched a James Bond film in its long running history, through the many stars who portrayed the role. But it was Sean Connery who carried the iconic image of 007 far better than anyone of his successors, and it was due to the very first scene where he introduced the character to the world, in three simple words. The multimodal gesture of lighting the cigarette, combined with the rather amused stone-cold, self-confident expression on Connery’s face assures the viewer that Bond will be the central figure in the action adventure thriller. Sylvia becomes his first girlfriend, but not his last, in the film

    His third girlfriend, a rising star Ursula Andress, clad in a bikini, Honey Ryder introduces herself but leave it to say when she asks 007 his name in this introductory greeting, he abbreviates it to “James.”

    What can we learn from the initial, iconic greeting by 007 in the baccarat scene? The Duranti analysis is as follows:

Adjacency, they were sitting across the table in a crowded casino, the scene unfolded with the a plaque on the exterior of the club, while inside a STEWARD carries a message to the table; but waits to deliver as the game is in full progress.

Reciprocity in the conversation is initiated only after SYLVIA loses two hands and requests more money to play; it is here that BOND first speaks,  

The near-boundary and shared perceptual field are already established in the scene; SYLVIA appears to be the interlocutor.

Adjacency Pair occurs when 007 first speaks.
Relative Predictability of Format appears to be moot at least until the three words are introduced that identifies the recipient. The fact that the James Bond theme plays in the background signifies that the interlocutor may not be SYLVIA at all.
In fact the formulaic interpretation of the predictability component has no bearing on this unique interchange of conversation. Certainly one could expect a reciprocation when SYLVIA  asks 007 his name, but the scene stands as a unique paradox in the introduction of a film character that would stand the test of time for decades to come. Here we have an example of a rather mundane conversational exchange being completely outclassed by the delivery performance of Sean Connery, who in a simple response established, without a doubt,  the qualitative norm for an introductory greeting.

  In conclusion, no matter how many times the viewer watches the scene, it is unique in every aspect, unparalleled in conversation exchange, with a minimum  of delivery. The screenwriters were Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood and Berkely Mather (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._No_(film) but is unclear who drafted the sequence. If anyone needed an introduction to 007, there is no better than this scene.