Quotes by Director | Beyond Motive 30/67

top of page

Quotes by Director

"We can all be conned but at what point do we realize that we're being conned and to what point do we allow ourselves to be conned?"

"We can all be conned but at what point do we realize that we're being conned and to what point do we allow ourselves to be conned?"

Guy Ritchie, British Director

46

"When you're sent something and read it, either you can see it while you read it, or you can't."

"When you're sent something and read it, either you can see it while you read it, or you can't."

Steven Soderbergh, American Director

46

"There's a science fiction project we really want to make, but it's very expensive. Hopefully it will happen."

"There's a science fiction project we really want to make, but it's very expensive. Hopefully it will happen."

Larry Wachowski, American Director

Science, Fiction, Project, Want

46

"It's nice to work with Hollywood because there is never any question of resources put at your disposal to make a film as long as it is the right thing to do."

"It's nice to work with Hollywood because there is never any question of resources put at your disposal to make a film as long as it is the right thing to do."

Neil Jordan, Irish Director

Work, Film, Hollywood, Question

46

"Thank God I'm an atheist."

"Thank God I'm an atheist."

Luis Bunuel, Mexican Director

46

"There is no filmmaking legislation because distributors are not interested in sharing their money with the film industry - for instance, by giving a percentage of ticket sales back to filmmakers."

"There is no filmmaking legislation because distributors are not interested in sharing their money with the film industry - for instance, by giving a percentage of ticket sales back to filmmakers."

Andrzej Wajda, Polish Director

Money, Film, Giving, Legislation

46

"Films made in the spirit of the past continued to be made."

"Films made in the spirit of the past continued to be made."

Andrzej Wajda, Polish Director

46

"I thought it must be pure science fiction. But when I checked it out I found a lot of magazine articles that actually supported the theory behind the book which was incredible. That's when I decided to acquire the rights of the book and everything went from there."

"I thought it must be pure science fiction. But when I checked it out I found a lot of magazine articles that actually supported the theory behind the book which was incredible. That's when I decided to acquire the rights of the book and everything went from there."

Roland Emmerich, German Director

Science, Thought, Fiction, Rights

46

"Movies are not about the weekend that they're released, and in the grand scheme of things, that's probably the most unimportant time of a film's life."

"Movies are not about the weekend that they're released, and in the grand scheme of things, that's probably the most unimportant time of a film's life."

Quentin Tarantino, American Director

Life, Movies, Time, Film

46

"So, not for lack of love of language, but because I feel our language is in an enormous state of humiliation, I decided to make films without words."

"So, not for lack of love of language, but because I feel our language is in an enormous state of humiliation, I decided to make films without words."

Godfrey Reggio, American Director

Love, Language, State, Words

46

"I was part of a group that had a cinema club so every week we would project two or three movies on 16 or 35mm."

"I was part of a group that had a cinema club so every week we would project two or three movies on 16 or 35mm."

Guillermo del Toro, Mexican Director

Movies, Cinema, Project

46

"Hollywood is horrible... it's beyond satire."

"Hollywood is horrible... it's beyond satire."

Yahoo Serious, Australian Director

Hollywood, Satire

46

"All the great legends are Templates for human behavior. I would define a myth as a story that has survived."

"All the great legends are Templates for human behavior. I would define a myth as a story that has survived."

John Boorman, British Director

Behavior, Legends, Myth

46

"To me, Ennis stands for the conservative side of America. He's the biggest homophobe in the whole movie - culturally and psychologically - but by the time he admits his feelings, it's too late."

"To me, Ennis stands for the conservative side of America. He's the biggest homophobe in the whole movie - culturally and psychologically - but by the time he admits his feelings, it's too late."

Ang Lee, Chinese Director

Time, Feelings, America, Conservative

46

"I do think that's so much a part of what being a director is - in working with actors - to really try and be sensitive to what each actor needs to get to where he wants to be."

"I do think that's so much a part of what being a director is - in working with actors - to really try and be sensitive to what each actor needs to get to where he wants to be."

Bill Condon, American Director

Actor, Actors, Being, Needs

46

"You do the best job you can. You take it step by step. It's hard enough to make a movie. If it works, that's great. If it means something beyond the moment to somebody, they can take it and it lasts through the years, we'll see."

"You do the best job you can. You take it step by step. It's hard enough to make a movie. If it works, that's great. If it means something beyond the moment to somebody, they can take it and it lasts through the years, we'll see."

Oliver Stone, American Director

46

"Previously, on Lock, Stock, I went to bed at two in the morning and woke up at five in the morning, and on this one I was known to nod off on the set occasionally."

"Previously, on Lock, Stock, I went to bed at two in the morning and woke up at five in the morning, and on this one I was known to nod off on the set occasionally."

Guy Ritchie, British Director

46

"I remember being out here at the Sunset Marquis, and whoever knocked on the door, I would take that picture that I was writing and I would put that in the typewriter, so when I had the meeting, they would say: 'Oh, you're working on it right now?'"

"I remember being out here at the Sunset Marquis, and whoever knocked on the door, I would take that picture that I was writing and I would put that in the typewriter, so when I had the meeting, they would say: 'Oh, you're working on it right now?'"

John Sayles, American Director

Being, Meeting, Now, Right

46

"Most directors have little lists in their heads of people they really want to work with."

"Most directors have little lists in their heads of people they really want to work with."

Alan Parker, British Director

Work, People, Want

46

"In Afghanistan, this is the problem, because everybody holds a piece of that mirror, and they all look at it and claim that they hold the entire truth."

"In Afghanistan, this is the problem, because everybody holds a piece of that mirror, and they all look at it and claim that they hold the entire truth."

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iranian Director

Truth, Afghanistan

46

"A movie that costs only $1.6 million doesn't have to be a cultural event to turn a profit."

"A movie that costs only $1.6 million doesn't have to be a cultural event to turn a profit."

Steven Soderbergh, American Director

46

"No, we always had something to do because I did all the wave runners and jet skis and boats approaching the atolls and stuff like that, so you could do that without showing the actual atoll or the set that you're going towards, but detailing all those guys racing towards it."

"No, we always had something to do because I did all the wave runners and jet skis and boats approaching the atolls and stuff like that, so you could do that without showing the actual atoll or the set that you're going towards, but detailing all those guys racing towards it."

David R. Ellis, American Director

Film, Boats, Racing

46

"Every time I go to a movie, it's magic, no matter what the movie's about."

"Every time I go to a movie, it's magic, no matter what the movie's about."

Steven Spielberg, American Director

46

"But I always wanted my characters to be more than cyphers for the failings of their world. And I never had to look too hard to find a part of myself in them."

"But I always wanted my characters to be more than cyphers for the failings of their world. And I never had to look too hard to find a part of myself in them."

Douglas Sirk, German Director

46

"Some people like to do everything always the same thing. That's another way: To do the same thing."

"Some people like to do everything always the same thing. That's another way: To do the same thing."

Ridley Scott, British Director

46

"An audience is never wrong. An individual member of it may be an imbecile, but a thousand imbeciles together in the dark - that is critical genius."

"An audience is never wrong. An individual member of it may be an imbecile, but a thousand imbeciles together in the dark - that is critical genius."

Billy Wilder, American Director

Genius, May, Wrong

46

"Fantastic! Right in the middle of that long stretch between Christmas and Spring Break, your coats are getting dirty, everything's dark, dingy - what a great time for a movie!"

"Fantastic! Right in the middle of that long stretch between Christmas and Spring Break, your coats are getting dirty, everything's dark, dingy - what a great time for a movie!"

John Hughes, American Director

Time, Christmas, Right, Spring

46

"We have to look forward and keep filming new films and not get stuck in the past."

"We have to look forward and keep filming new films and not get stuck in the past."

Nick Park, British Director

46

"What I learned about stammering was that, when as a young child you lose the confidence of anyone who wants to listen to you, you lose confidence in your voice and the right to speech. And a lot of the therapy was saying, 'You have a right to be heard.'"

"What I learned about stammering was that, when as a young child you lose the confidence of anyone who wants to listen to you, you lose confidence in your voice and the right to speech. And a lot of the therapy was saying, 'You have a right to be heard.'"

Tom Hooper, British Director

Confidence, Right, Saying, Speech

46

"My biggest role as director on the film is keeping a sense of the overview - how to cast the movie and shoot it in such a way that it will cut together. And how to design the style and tone."

"My biggest role as director on the film is keeping a sense of the overview - how to cast the movie and shoot it in such a way that it will cut together. And how to design the style and tone."

Jay Roach, American Director

Design, Film, Sense, Style

46

"Unless you go out and say what you stand for, other people will do it for you."

"Unless you go out and say what you stand for, other people will do it for you."

David R. Ellis, American Director

46

"You'd be surprised how many movie stars still care about the work."

"You'd be surprised how many movie stars still care about the work."

Taylor Hackford, American Director

Work, Care, Stars

46

"Eventually, in '84, we made a film for a little over a million dollars - with American actors that was shot in English - that was shown in Finland A little action film called Born American."

"Eventually, in '84, we made a film for a little over a million dollars - with American actors that was shot in English - that was shown in Finland A little action film called Born American."

Renny Harlin, Finnish Director

Action, Actors, American, English

46

"These are very subtle things, of course, and I don't expect everyone to pick them up consciously, but I think that there is something there that you must be able to feel, there is an energy at work that I must trust my audience will be able to pick up at some level."

"These are very subtle things, of course, and I don't expect everyone to pick them up consciously, but I think that there is something there that you must be able to feel, there is an energy at work that I must trust my audience will be able to pick up at some level."

Atom Egoyan, Canadian Director

Trust, Work, Energy, Will

46

"I have two young girls, 8 and 10. They really keep me young."

"I have two young girls, 8 and 10. They really keep me young."

Dino De Laurentiis, Italian Director

Parenting, Girls

46

"When a French book becomes an international hit it is because of the author and not because of the language. The same goes for movies."

"When a French book becomes an international hit it is because of the author and not because of the language. The same goes for movies."

Jean-Jacques Annaud, French Director

Movies, Language

46

"Actors don't have real value."

"Actors don't have real value."

Uwe Boll, German Director

Actor, Actors, Value

46

"These scenes deal with what happened before Hannibal Lecter was captured for the first time."

"These scenes deal with what happened before Hannibal Lecter was captured for the first time."

Dino De Laurentiis, Italian Director

46

"One of my contemporaries, a colorless chap who worked much harder at his law studies, is now Prime Minister."

"One of my contemporaries, a colorless chap who worked much harder at his law studies, is now Prime Minister."

Alex Cox, British Director

46

"Ever since I was a kid, I just loved those comedians on TV who would just have fun with the language."

"Ever since I was a kid, I just loved those comedians on TV who would just have fun with the language."

Alan Rudolph, American Director

Humor, Comedians, Fun, Language

46

"Re-writing is different from writing. Original writing is very difficult."

"Re-writing is different from writing. Original writing is very difficult."

David Cronenberg, Canadian Director

46

"Alone is a much better film than House of the Dead and better than most horror movies out today."

"Alone is a much better film than House of the Dead and better than most horror movies out today."

Uwe Boll, German Director

Movies, Film, Horror, Today

46

"I always give the example, if you turn on the radio today, black radio, Lenny Kravitz is not black. Bob Marley wasn't black: in the beginning, only white college stations played Bob Marley."

"I always give the example, if you turn on the radio today, black radio, Lenny Kravitz is not black. Bob Marley wasn't black: in the beginning, only white college stations played Bob Marley."

Spike Lee, American Director

Beginning, College, Example, Today

46

"Getting your screenplay right is the most important thing you'll ever do on your film."

"Getting your screenplay right is the most important thing you'll ever do on your film."

Yahoo Serious, Australian Director

46

"I want to try and work in different genres with different types of actors, on small movies and big movies."

"I want to try and work in different genres with different types of actors, on small movies and big movies."

Sam Mendes, British Director

Movies, Work, Actors, Want

46

"Listening to what people were saying wasn't even important. But it was important to look as if you were listening to what people were saying. Actually, listening to what people are saying, to me, interferes with looking as if you were listening to what people are saying."

"Listening to what people were saying wasn't even important. But it was important to look as if you were listening to what people were saying. Actually, listening to what people are saying, to me, interferes with looking as if you were listening to what people are saying."

Errol Morris, American Director

People, Listening, Saying

46

"The difficulty with the present state of affairs is that there is no legislation on the sources of funding for the Polish film industry. There is no legislation concerning filmmaking. And, there is no legislation on television that would be beneficial to filmmaking."

"The difficulty with the present state of affairs is that there is no legislation on the sources of funding for the Polish film industry. There is no legislation concerning filmmaking. And, there is no legislation on television that would be beneficial to filmmaking."

Andrzej Wajda, Polish Director

Politics, Difficulty, Film, Legislation, Present

46

"Normal love isn't interesting. I assure you that it's incredibly boring."

"Normal love isn't interesting. I assure you that it's incredibly boring."

Roman Polanski, French Director

46

"There's always been a lot of pressure and tension on the line. If 'Pi' didn't work out, I have no idea what my career would be. I don't think I would have gotten another shot at it. If 'Requiem for a Dream' didn't work out, they would have called me a 'one-hit wonder with a sophomore slump'."

"There's always been a lot of pressure and tension on the line. If 'Pi' didn't work out, I have no idea what my career would be. I don't think I would have gotten another shot at it. If 'Requiem for a Dream' didn't work out, they would have called me a 'one-hit wonder with a sophomore slump'."

Darren Aronofsky, American Director

Work, Idea, Dream, Career

46

"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

46

bottom of page