Daily Dialogue — November 13, 2012
Miyagi returns from fishing as Daniel is painting the house.
Miyagi: Oh, miss spot.
Daniel: What spot? Hey, how come you didn’t tell me you were goin’ fishing?
Miyagi: You not here when I go.
Daniel: Well, maybe I wanted to go, you ever think of that?
Miyagi: You karate training.
Daniel: I’m WHAT? I’m bein’ your goddamn SLAVE is what I’m bein’ here man, now c’mon we made a deal here!
Miyagi: So?
Daniel: SO? So, you’re supposed to teach and I’m supposed to learn! For 4 days I’ve been bustin’ my ass, and haven’t learned a goddamn thing!
Miyagi: You learn plenty.
Daniel: I learn plenty, yeah, I learned how to sand your decks maybe. I washed your car, paint your house, paint your fence. I learn plenty!
Miyagi: Ah, not everything is as simple as…
Daniel: Oh, bull****! I’m goin’ home, man!
Daniel turns to walk away.
Miyagi: Daniel-san! Daniel-san!
Daniel: What?
Miyagi: Come here. Show me wax on, wax off.
Daniel does not move.
Miyagi: Show.
Daniel: I can’t lift my arms.
Miyagi rubs his hands together, applying pressure to Daniel’s shoulder.
Daniel: Ow!
Miyagi: Now show. On, off.
Daniel: How’d you do that?
Miyagi: Show. Left right. Left right. Left right.
Daniel follows, blocking Miyagi’s incoming punches, realizing what’s happening.
Miyagi: Sand floor.
Same thing, only this time Daniel deflects Miyagi’s incoming kicks.
Miyagi: Paint fence.
Daniel complies, blocking the attacks towards his head.
Miyagi: Side side.
Daniel deflects two rapid punches.
Miyagi: Look eyes.
Daniel locks eyes.
Miyagi: Wax on.
Miyagi fires a punch. Daniel deflects it easily.
Miyagi: Wax off.
Another block.
Miyagi: Paint up.
Miyagi fires for the head. Daniel snap blocks it.
Miyagi: Down.
Daniel’s palm stops Miyagi’s fist.
Miyagi: Side.
Block.
Miyagi: Side.
Another block.
Miyagi: Sand.
Daniel sweeps two kicks out of the way.
Miyagi: On off.
Miyagi attacks. Daniel successfully deflects and blocks each attack. Miyagi stops. Daniel catches his breath.
Miyagi: Come tomorrow.
Miyagi picks up his fish and walks into the house.
— Miyagi [Pat Morita], Daniel [Ralph Macchio], The Karate Kid (1984), written by Robert Mark Kamen
This week’s Daily Dialogue theme is Teacher-Student, suggested by Teddy Pasternak. Today’s suggestion by David Proenza.
Trivia: Former screenwriter Dennis Palumbo has said that he was offered the screen writing job for the film but reacted to the offer by saying he’d be “willing to do it if he (the title character, Daniel Larusso) lost the fight in the end.” Palumbo explained his reasoning: “You can’t have Mr. Miyagi tell him, ‘It doesn’t matter if you win or lose,’ for 90 minutes and then have to have him win.” Palumbo went on to say, “But that’s because I was being a moron… Now, they made four sequels to that movie, so obviously I was wrong.”
Dialogue On Dialogue: If you were to aggregate the most memorable scenes from 80s movies, this one would have to be on the list. As David noted when he suggested it, “One of the coolest scenes ever, with one of the ultimate payoffs in film.” Setup. Payoff. And done really well.
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