Quotes by Director | Beyond Motive 29/66

top of page

Quotes by Director

"I always think the Sex Pistols and the Ramones as very, very important because they stripped things down."

"I always think the Sex Pistols and the Ramones as very, very important because they stripped things down."

Jim Jarmusch, American Director

4

"Ross Hunter was my assistant on Take Me to Town, He was a young man, an actor before that, and learned a lot on the picture. During shooting, Goldstein left, and Ross was most pleasant. He never interfered."

"Ross Hunter was my assistant on Take Me to Town, He was a young man, an actor before that, and learned a lot on the picture. During shooting, Goldstein left, and Ross was most pleasant. He never interfered."

Douglas Sirk, German Director

4

"Working on the themes I was interested in, through the context of a particular family, was a very economical way of dealing with a lot of the issues I was concerned with."

"Working on the themes I was interested in, through the context of a particular family, was a very economical way of dealing with a lot of the issues I was concerned with."

Atom Egoyan, Canadian Director

4

"It's a pity that I can never really enjoy my movies because, after the mixing, your capacity as a spectator just disappears. I have to think about what I felt just before the mixing."

"It's a pity that I can never really enjoy my movies because, after the mixing, your capacity as a spectator just disappears. I have to think about what I felt just before the mixing."

Pedro Almodovar, Spanish Director

4

"Egotism is not a good quality. It's not something to be admired or even tolerated. It wouldn't be tolerated in a field commander and it shouldn't be tolerated in a movie director."

"Egotism is not a good quality. It's not something to be admired or even tolerated. It wouldn't be tolerated in a field commander and it shouldn't be tolerated in a movie director."

John Milius, American Director

Quality, Egotism

4

"I grew up in a culturally radical home, where strong emotions were forbidden."

"I grew up in a culturally radical home, where strong emotions were forbidden."

Lars von Trier, Danish Director

Home, Emotions, Forbidden, Radical

4

"I was always into music. I think everyone is when they're a teenager, as a way to drown out the world."

"I was always into music. I think everyone is when they're a teenager, as a way to drown out the world."

Penelope Spheeris, American Director

4

"Well, visual language is another boring discussion about the nature of film."

"Well, visual language is another boring discussion about the nature of film."

Alan Rudolph, American Director

Nature, Film, Language

4

"HERO is a combination of my personal feeling and the commercialism."

"HERO is a combination of my personal feeling and the commercialism."

Zhang Yimou, Chinese Director

Movies, Commercialism, Feeling

4

"Dali was the great painter then and surrealism was a way of life."

"Dali was the great painter then and surrealism was a way of life."

Vincente Minnelli, American Director

Life, Surrealism

4

"I think one of the successes of Gladiator is how we manage to turn on a dime the character from one thing to another where you believe he is one thing and he is something very different."

"I think one of the successes of Gladiator is how we manage to turn on a dime the character from one thing to another where you believe he is one thing and he is something very different."

Ridley Scott, British Director

4

"When I grow up, I still want to be a director."

"When I grow up, I still want to be a director."

Steven Spielberg, American Director

4

"Having been an educator for so many years I know that all a good teacher can do is set a context, raise questions or enter into a kind of a dialogic relationship with their students."

"Having been an educator for so many years I know that all a good teacher can do is set a context, raise questions or enter into a kind of a dialogic relationship with their students."

Godfrey Reggio, American Director

Question, Questions, Students, Years

4

"And I liked this extreme character of de Sade."

"And I liked this extreme character of de Sade."

Philip Kaufman, American Director

Character, Extreme

4

"My father was an amateur filmmaker who shot 8mm color documentaries."

"My father was an amateur filmmaker who shot 8mm color documentaries."

Lasse Hallstrom, Swedish Director

4

"Being identified as a poet in France or Denmark or India one is greeted with gracious respect."

"Being identified as a poet in France or Denmark or India one is greeted with gracious respect."

James Broughton, American Director

Being, Denmark, France, Respect

4

"Oh, yes, we were on location with Another Man's Poison, which I wrote for Bette Davis."

"Oh, yes, we were on location with Another Man's Poison, which I wrote for Bette Davis."

Val Guest, British Director

4

"It's always been my formula to get the next picture set up before anyone's seen the last one."

"It's always been my formula to get the next picture set up before anyone's seen the last one."

Alan Rudolph, American Director

Journalism, Formula

4

"There is a fine line between censorship and good taste and moral responsibility."

"There is a fine line between censorship and good taste and moral responsibility."

Steven Spielberg, American Director

Movies, Censorship, Responsibility, Taste

4

"Well, listen, you know, the Czech saying is, you know, when you are drowning you are grabbing even a little twig. That's what all Czechs were doing, grabbing for... with the hope for this little twig."

"Well, listen, you know, the Czech saying is, you know, when you are drowning you are grabbing even a little twig. That's what all Czechs were doing, grabbing for... with the hope for this little twig."

Milos Forman, Czechoslovakian Director

4

"You know you lose a lot of social skills if you're a writer. You spend too long alone. And its forced me to address that."

"You know you lose a lot of social skills if you're a writer. You spend too long alone. And its forced me to address that."

Anthony Minghella, British Director

Isolation, Writer

4

"If I made a musical in the beginning of my career, it would have been crane shots and tracking shots and people coming out of cakes and whatever, but these techniques are something that I've left behind me."

"If I made a musical in the beginning of my career, it would have been crane shots and tracking shots and people coming out of cakes and whatever, but these techniques are something that I've left behind me."

Lars von Trier, Danish Director

People, Beginning, Career

4

"I think the American West really attracts me because it's romantic. The desert, the empty space, the drama."

"I think the American West really attracts me because it's romantic. The desert, the empty space, the drama."

Ang Lee, Chinese Director

Appreciation, American, Drama, Romantic, Space

4

"My philosophy is very simple. To feel young, you must work as long as you can."

"My philosophy is very simple. To feel young, you must work as long as you can."

Dino De Laurentiis, Italian Director

Work, Philosophy

4

"Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith."

"Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith."

Spike Lee, American Director

Change, Women, People, Cinema

4

"I'm a junkie. I like drugs, I like the whole lifestyle, but it just didn't pay off."

"I'm a junkie. I like drugs, I like the whole lifestyle, but it just didn't pay off."

Gus Van Sant, American Director

Diplomacy, Drugs

4

"It's always been a lie that it's difficult to make films."

"It's always been a lie that it's difficult to make films."

Lars von Trier, Danish Director

4

"And also they were absolutely brilliant in one way, you know: they knew how effective is not to punish somebody who is guilty; what Communist Party members could afford to do was mind-boggling: they could do practically anything they wanted - steal, you know, lie, whatever."

"And also they were absolutely brilliant in one way, you know: they knew how effective is not to punish somebody who is guilty; what Communist Party members could afford to do was mind-boggling: they could do practically anything they wanted - steal, you know, lie, whatever."

Milos Forman, Czechoslovakian Director

Lie, Mind, Party

4

"I question the value of stars. I think they're overrated. They get too much money, too much praise."

"I question the value of stars. I think they're overrated. They get too much money, too much praise."

Elia Kazan, American Director

Money, Praise, Question, Stars

4

"I mean, this whole digital revolution is really eroding the director's importance on a movie because, number one, just from a practical standpoint, with floppy disks and the ability to put all of the film onto a disk, more people have access to the movie."

"I mean, this whole digital revolution is really eroding the director's importance on a movie because, number one, just from a practical standpoint, with floppy disks and the ability to put all of the film onto a disk, more people have access to the movie."

John Frankenheimer, American Director

People, Ability, Film, Revolution

4

"To me, length is an artificial and arbitrary factor in a film."

"To me, length is an artificial and arbitrary factor in a film."

Frank Darabont, American Director

4

"We're talking to New Line. They've got a couple projects they're interested in me doing and I'm having meetings at MGM. There's a lot of available projects."

"We're talking to New Line. They've got a couple projects they're interested in me doing and I'm having meetings at MGM. There's a lot of available projects."

David R. Ellis, American Director

Project, Meetings, Projects, Talking

4

"For me a poem has to sing out of itself and the lilt of it carries the magic."

"For me a poem has to sing out of itself and the lilt of it carries the magic."

James Broughton, American Director

4

"Children and lunatics cut the Gordian knot which the poet spends his life patiently trying to untie."

"Children and lunatics cut the Gordian knot which the poet spends his life patiently trying to untie."

Jean Cocteau, French Director

Life, Children, Trying

4

"On the contrary, I'm a strong believer in the necessity of imperfection coming into the film."

"On the contrary, I'm a strong believer in the necessity of imperfection coming into the film."

Walter Salles, Brazilian Director

Film, Imperfection, Necessity

4

"A lot of life is dealing with your curse, dealing with the cards you were given that aren't so nice. Does it make you into a monster, or can you temper it in some way, or accept it and go in some other direction?"

"A lot of life is dealing with your curse, dealing with the cards you were given that aren't so nice. Does it make you into a monster, or can you temper it in some way, or accept it and go in some other direction?"

Wes Craven, American Director

Life, Cards, Direction, Temper

4

"All the characters in my films are fighting these problems, needing freedom, trying to find a way to cut themselves loose, but failing to rid themselves of conscience, a sense of sin, the whole bag of tricks."

"All the characters in my films are fighting these problems, needing freedom, trying to find a way to cut themselves loose, but failing to rid themselves of conscience, a sense of sin, the whole bag of tricks."

Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian Director

Conscience, Fighting, Freedom, Problems

4

"I don't want to be made pacified or made comfortable. I like stuff that gets your adrenaline going."

"I don't want to be made pacified or made comfortable. I like stuff that gets your adrenaline going."

Kathryn Bigelow, American Director

4

"I took the name Green Destiny from - well there is such a sword called Green Destiny. It is green because you keep twisting it, it's an ancient skill, you keep twisting it and knocking it and twisting it until it is very elastic and light."

"I took the name Green Destiny from - well there is such a sword called Green Destiny. It is green because you keep twisting it, it's an ancient skill, you keep twisting it and knocking it and twisting it until it is very elastic and light."

Ang Lee, Chinese Director

Destiny, Light, Name, Skill

4

"It did remind me of something out of Greek mythology - the richest king who gets everything he wants, but ultimately his family has a curse on it from the Gods."

"It did remind me of something out of Greek mythology - the richest king who gets everything he wants, but ultimately his family has a curse on it from the Gods."

Martin Scorsese, American Director

Family, Gods, Mythology

4

"While that wasn't first and foremost in my mind, you can't get into this without being struck, on one side, by how far we've come, and then the other side, by how little things have changed."

"While that wasn't first and foremost in my mind, you can't get into this without being struck, on one side, by how far we've come, and then the other side, by how little things have changed."

Bill Condon, American Director

Being, First, Mind

4

"I think I avoid stepping into sentimentality by trying to be as truthful as possible with performances."

"I think I avoid stepping into sentimentality by trying to be as truthful as possible with performances."

Lasse Hallstrom, Swedish Director

Acting, Sentimentality, Trying

4

"Because if you lived, as I did, several years under Nazi totalitarianism, and then 20 years in communist totalitarianism, you would certainly realize how precious freedom is, and how easy it is to lose your freedom."

"Because if you lived, as I did, several years under Nazi totalitarianism, and then 20 years in communist totalitarianism, you would certainly realize how precious freedom is, and how easy it is to lose your freedom."

Milos Forman, Czechoslovakian Director

4

"I mean, I don't mind promoting a movie, or talking to the press if it's going to be used in some way."

"I mean, I don't mind promoting a movie, or talking to the press if it's going to be used in some way."

Brian De Palma, American Director

Mind, Press, Talking

4

"HATE, even if it's making money. is an underground movie, that's how it was made. It's a film about police brutality in the largest sense, it's about the whole of society and not just about the hood."

"HATE, even if it's making money. is an underground movie, that's how it was made. It's a film about police brutality in the largest sense, it's about the whole of society and not just about the hood."

Mathieu Kassovitz, French Director

Society, Money, Film, Hate

4

"Now a movie goes out to two, three thousand theaters and by Friday night at 10 o'clock they know if you are in or out. That desperate competition is, I think, horrendous. It's awful."

"Now a movie goes out to two, three thousand theaters and by Friday night at 10 o'clock they know if you are in or out. That desperate competition is, I think, horrendous. It's awful."

Mark Rydell, American Director

Competition, Night, Now

4

"I'd rather direct than produce. Any day. And twice on Sunday."

"I'd rather direct than produce. Any day. And twice on Sunday."

Steven Spielberg, American Director

4

"I never regarded my pictures as very much to be proud of, except in this, the craft, the style."

"I never regarded my pictures as very much to be proud of, except in this, the craft, the style."

Douglas Sirk, German Director

4

"My education was an education by movies."

"My education was an education by movies."

Robert Benton, American Director

Education, Movies

4

"A movie like House of the Dead with around $7 million budget or Alone in the Dark with around $16 million budget are much easier to make profit than the typical $50 million major motion picture."

"A movie like House of the Dead with around $7 million budget or Alone in the Dark with around $16 million budget are much easier to make profit than the typical $50 million major motion picture."

Uwe Boll, German Director

4

bottom of page