MovieChat Forums > Enemy Mine (1985) Discussion > What is the 'Human Taalman'?

What is the 'Human Taalman'?

posted 12 years ago by eholzapfel26
9 replies | jump to latest

Quote from the movie:
Davidge: "If one receives evil from another, let one not do evil in return. Rather, let him extend love to the enemy, that love might unite them." I've heard all this before... in the human Taalmaan.
Jerry: Of course you have. Truth is truth.

I've looked up "Taalmaan" and can find no definition for it.
Is this just a misprint, a misquote or a slip of the tongue? Did Davidge (Dennis Qaid) actually say or mean to say "Talmud"?
Or was this something made up for the movie - that earth's spiritual scriptures had been collected into something humans now called the "Taalmaan"?

[–] Jrdn853 12 years ago

Just watched this movie tonight. I assumed he was talking about his own religious/philosophical point of view, albeit not one that he followed at the start of the movie.

Aren't there quite a few religions/philosophies which preach this to some degree?

[–] eholzapfel26 12 years ago

I haven't seen the movie in quite some years (but recently wanted to use this quote on a discussion board).

I think I was reading it wrong by thinking Davidge is refering to some earth book used by humans called the "Taalman"...
Does Jerry the alien refer, at some point earlier in the film, to HIS people's holy book being called the "Taalman"? If so, then perhaps Davidge is saying he's read these concepts before in the "Human Taalman" (meaning the human equivalent of the alien's "Taalman", i.e. the Bible.)

Is this correct?

[–] wight1984 12 years ago

That was what I assumed.

He meant the bible.

[–] jcshetler 12 years ago

the bible.

"It was Hell down there." Inspector Clouseau

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] ago-silverman 12 years ago

Sounded like rhey used rhe word Talmud (Hebrew: talmūd "instruction, learning", from a root lmd "teach, study") is a central text of mainstream Judaism. The thoughts and "discussions" in writing over the many centuries about the different passages of the bible...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud

in VA

[–] Moviac 12 years ago

Davidge was definitely referring to the Bible.

It is unfortunate that they chose the word "Taalman" because of how similar it is to "Talmud" this inevitably lead to confusion and mishearing.

They should've called it the Xaxfargle.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] 12 years ago

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