Captain America dialogue analysis, transcript and audio file for Captain America (2011)
Because I love Steve Rogers very, very much, because I'm a dialogue obsessive and because I found him frustratingly hard to write, last year, after Captain America: The First Avenger came out, I made an audio dialogue file of all his most important lines. I think you've guessed by now that it wasn't to be my last.
Collected here are Steve's most important lines of dialogue from Captain America: The First Avenger, as an aid to writers who want to write him. At less than 10% of the runtime of the movie, this counts as fair use for educational purposes.
This post was created with the transcription aid of yunafire
Analysis:
Because Steve Rogers, even before the serum, never hesitates to tell anyone what he thinks, it's easy to miss the fact that he doesn't actually talk very much. He always makes his opinions known and he's happy to talk with friends, but he doesn't need as many words to do it. Captain America has fewer lines in his own movie than Black Widow has in The Avengers.
Because of this, and because it shows him in a wider variety of moods and contexts than The Avengers, I've decided to transcribe and analyze his dialogue in Captain America: The First Avenger instead of The Avengers.
Steve tends to speak in short, slightly choppy phrases and sentences, and is prone to dropping unnecessary words, particularly at the beginning of sentences. (Not always, but generally.) See: "You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?" and "Got hit, couldn't shake it." Much of the humor and emotional content of his speech is carried entirely by tone of voice, which, while not wildly dramatic, is extremely expressive. His joking tone is wry when he's feeling down, sly when he isn't and usually self-deprecating either way.
In Brooklyn and while relating in private and informal contexts to Peggy, Doctor Erskine and Bucky, Steve's pronounciation and grammar is moderately informal. He tends to pronounce constructions like "want to", "going to" and "kind of" as "wanna", "gotta" and "kinda". See: "I got no right to do any less than them" and "You know what? It's kinda growin' on me." His accent is clearly audible, if not terribly strong.
In a military context once he enlists and when acting officially as Captain America, Steve speaks somewhat more formally while otherwise retaining the same basic speech patterns. He pronounces words more crisply and distinctly, no longer dropping "g"s or slurring syllables, his grammar is slightly more formal and his accent is less obvious. It's possibly simple code-switching which he may have done all his life, possibly his war bonds stage training, or perhaps a combination of the two. It relaxes to varying degrees, despite the costume or context, when he's speaking privately with friends or in moments of exhaustion and high emotion. It relaxes almost entirely in an informal context with friends only reappearing for humor or rhetorical emphasis, as see: "You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"
When giving orders or transmitting military intelligence, Steve's speech is confident and commanding, but still efficient and economical with words. See: "Right. The treeline is northwest, eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find."
Even in Brooklyn in the 1940's, Steve doesn't really use period slang. The only word appearing that's anachronistic to the present day is "dame". Instead, his era is made obvious by subtle cues of word choice and phrasing.
Before or after Captain America, Steve becomes notably awkward and conversationally inept in precisely one situation - in a romantic context with a woman he doesn't feel comfortable with. See: "I guess I just don't why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame. Or a beautiful...a woman. An agent! Not a dame. You are beautiful, but..." and "Well, that, you know? That, that depends on the definition."
And now, for your own analysis and convenience...
The Transcript:
Mustard gas. He was in the hundred and seventh infantry, I was hoping I could be assigned...
She was a nurse, in a TB ward. Got hit, couldn't shake it.
Look, just give me a chance.
Hey, you want to show some respect?
Hey, you wanna shut up?
I can do this all day.
Well, I'd settle for just one.
What'd you tell her about me?
And my little red wagon?
I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky. Bucky, come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand, this isn't about me.
How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you.
Jerk. Be careful.
Don't win the war 'til I get there!
Excuse me?
Steve Rogers.
I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies, I don't care where they're from.
Yeah.
Got the jitters, I guess.
Can I ask you a question?
Why me?
I know this neighborhood, I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. Behind that diner.
You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?
I guess I just don't why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame. Or a beautiful...a woman. An agent! Not a dame. You are beautiful, but...
This is the longest conversation I've had with one. Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.
Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years it just... didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait.
The right partner.
Taller.
Hi.
What are you doing here?
Yeah. Uh. I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I'm used to are usually more, uh... twelve.
Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit.
At least he's got me doin' this. Phillips woulda had me stuck in a lab.
You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country. Finally got everything I wanted. And I'm wearing tights.
So are you two? Do you...fondue?
Are you sure this thing works?
As soon as I'm free, turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!
The hell I can't! I'm a captain!
Right. The treeline is northwest, eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find.
Yeah, I knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times.
It's me, it's Steve.
Come on.
I thought you were dead.
I joined the army.
A little.
So far.
Some of these men need medical attention. I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.
The fifth one was here in Poland, near the Baltic. And the sixth one was about... here. Thirty, forty miles west of the Maginot line.
These are the weapon factories we know about. Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map.
Yes, sir. I'll need a team.
With all due respect, sir. So am I.
How 'bout you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?
You know what? It's kinda growin' on me.
Don't take it so hard. Maybe she's got a friend!
Uh, I don't think they were all married.
Well, that, you know? That, that depends on the definition.
Well, what about you and Stark? How do I know you two haven't been...fonduing?
Really?
Yeah, and I threw up?
Now why would I do that?
I know you did.
Did you read the report?
Then you know that's not true.
Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do.
Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.
I can do this all day.
You're late.
Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die.
Peggy, this is my choice.
Gonna need a rain check on that dance.
You got it.
You know, I still don't know how to dance.
We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your...
Where am I really?
The game. It's from May, 1941. I know 'cause I was there. Now I'm gonna ask you again. Where am I?
Break what?
Yeah. Yeah, I just... I had a date.
The Audio File:
For your listening convenience, here's an audio file of his dialogue from the movie. The sound quality isn't perfect, but was cleaned up as much as possible. This file was created for my own use last year, shortly after the movie came out and is slightly less complete when it comes to short, extraneous dialogue.
http://anonym.to/?http://www.sendspace.com/file/8h76pe
You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth (
comments)
Collected here are Steve's most important lines of dialogue from Captain America: The First Avenger, as an aid to writers who want to write him. At less than 10% of the runtime of the movie, this counts as fair use for educational purposes.
This post was created with the transcription aid of yunafire
Analysis:
Because Steve Rogers, even before the serum, never hesitates to tell anyone what he thinks, it's easy to miss the fact that he doesn't actually talk very much. He always makes his opinions known and he's happy to talk with friends, but he doesn't need as many words to do it. Captain America has fewer lines in his own movie than Black Widow has in The Avengers.
Because of this, and because it shows him in a wider variety of moods and contexts than The Avengers, I've decided to transcribe and analyze his dialogue in Captain America: The First Avenger instead of The Avengers.
Steve tends to speak in short, slightly choppy phrases and sentences, and is prone to dropping unnecessary words, particularly at the beginning of sentences. (Not always, but generally.) See: "You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?" and "Got hit, couldn't shake it." Much of the humor and emotional content of his speech is carried entirely by tone of voice, which, while not wildly dramatic, is extremely expressive. His joking tone is wry when he's feeling down, sly when he isn't and usually self-deprecating either way.
In Brooklyn and while relating in private and informal contexts to Peggy, Doctor Erskine and Bucky, Steve's pronounciation and grammar is moderately informal. He tends to pronounce constructions like "want to", "going to" and "kind of" as "wanna", "gotta" and "kinda". See: "I got no right to do any less than them" and "You know what? It's kinda growin' on me." His accent is clearly audible, if not terribly strong.
In a military context once he enlists and when acting officially as Captain America, Steve speaks somewhat more formally while otherwise retaining the same basic speech patterns. He pronounces words more crisply and distinctly, no longer dropping "g"s or slurring syllables, his grammar is slightly more formal and his accent is less obvious. It's possibly simple code-switching which he may have done all his life, possibly his war bonds stage training, or perhaps a combination of the two. It relaxes to varying degrees, despite the costume or context, when he's speaking privately with friends or in moments of exhaustion and high emotion. It relaxes almost entirely in an informal context with friends only reappearing for humor or rhetorical emphasis, as see: "You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"
When giving orders or transmitting military intelligence, Steve's speech is confident and commanding, but still efficient and economical with words. See: "Right. The treeline is northwest, eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find."
Even in Brooklyn in the 1940's, Steve doesn't really use period slang. The only word appearing that's anachronistic to the present day is "dame". Instead, his era is made obvious by subtle cues of word choice and phrasing.
Before or after Captain America, Steve becomes notably awkward and conversationally inept in precisely one situation - in a romantic context with a woman he doesn't feel comfortable with. See: "I guess I just don't why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame. Or a beautiful...a woman. An agent! Not a dame. You are beautiful, but..." and "Well, that, you know? That, that depends on the definition."
And now, for your own analysis and convenience...
The Transcript:
Mustard gas. He was in the hundred and seventh infantry, I was hoping I could be assigned...
She was a nurse, in a TB ward. Got hit, couldn't shake it.
Look, just give me a chance.
Hey, you want to show some respect?
Hey, you wanna shut up?
I can do this all day.
Well, I'd settle for just one.
What'd you tell her about me?
And my little red wagon?
I'm not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky. Bucky, come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That's what you don't understand, this isn't about me.
How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you.
Jerk. Be careful.
Don't win the war 'til I get there!
Excuse me?
Steve Rogers.
I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies, I don't care where they're from.
Yeah.
Got the jitters, I guess.
Can I ask you a question?
Why me?
I know this neighborhood, I got beat up in that alley. And that parking lot. Behind that diner.
You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back. Can't say no forever, right?
I guess I just don't why you'd wanna join the army if you're a beautiful dame. Or a beautiful...a woman. An agent! Not a dame. You are beautiful, but...
This is the longest conversation I've had with one. Women aren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.
Well, asking a woman to dance always seems so terrifying. And the past few years it just... didn't seem to matter that much. Figured I'd wait.
The right partner.
Taller.
Hi.
What are you doing here?
Yeah. Uh. I had to improvise a little bit. Crowds I'm used to are usually more, uh... twelve.
Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit.
At least he's got me doin' this. Phillips woulda had me stuck in a lab.
You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas and being on the front lines, serving my country. Finally got everything I wanted. And I'm wearing tights.
So are you two? Do you...fondue?
Are you sure this thing works?
As soon as I'm free, turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!
The hell I can't! I'm a captain!
Right. The treeline is northwest, eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find.
Yeah, I knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times.
It's me, it's Steve.
Come on.
I thought you were dead.
I joined the army.
A little.
So far.
Some of these men need medical attention. I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action.
The fifth one was here in Poland, near the Baltic. And the sixth one was about... here. Thirty, forty miles west of the Maginot line.
These are the weapon factories we know about. Sergeant Barnes said that Hydra shipped all the parts to another facility that isn't on this map.
Yes, sir. I'll need a team.
With all due respect, sir. So am I.
How 'bout you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?
You know what? It's kinda growin' on me.
Don't take it so hard. Maybe she's got a friend!
Uh, I don't think they were all married.
Well, that, you know? That, that depends on the definition.
Well, what about you and Stark? How do I know you two haven't been...fonduing?
Really?
Yeah, and I threw up?
Now why would I do that?
I know you did.
Did you read the report?
Then you know that's not true.
Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do.
Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.
I can do this all day.
You're late.
Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die.
Peggy, this is my choice.
Gonna need a rain check on that dance.
You got it.
You know, I still don't know how to dance.
We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your...
Where am I really?
The game. It's from May, 1941. I know 'cause I was there. Now I'm gonna ask you again. Where am I?
Break what?
Yeah. Yeah, I just... I had a date.
The Audio File:
For your listening convenience, here's an audio file of his dialogue from the movie. The sound quality isn't perfect, but was cleaned up as much as possible. This file was created for my own use last year, shortly after the movie came out and is slightly less complete when it comes to short, extraneous dialogue.
http://anonym.to/?http://www.sendspace.com/file/8h76pe
You can also read this entry on Dreamwidth (
comments)