Quotes by Director | Beyond Motive 37/67

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Quotes by Director

"The obsession required to see a feature through from concept to release is not a rational thing to do with your brief time on this planet. Nor is it something to which an intelligent person should aspire."

"The obsession required to see a feature through from concept to release is not a rational thing to do with your brief time on this planet. Nor is it something to which an intelligent person should aspire."

Yahoo Serious, Australian Director

Time, Obsession

44

"I'm open to comments. I'm open to objective points of view, because I've been very narrow and very subjective."

"I'm open to comments. I'm open to objective points of view, because I've been very narrow and very subjective."

Richard Donner, American Director

44

"I've always had trouble with authority."

"I've always had trouble with authority."

John Milius, American Director

Authority, Trouble

44

"I wanted to make a movie about the arbitrary nature of love."

"I wanted to make a movie about the arbitrary nature of love."

Adrian Lyne, English Director

44

"The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order."

"The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order."

Jean Cocteau, French Director

Literature, Order

44

"I do believe there are leaders who are like lightning and they come along and they lead. The Lincolns of the world, the Alexander the Greats, they do exist. They have existed."

"I do believe there are leaders who are like lightning and they come along and they lead. The Lincolns of the world, the Alexander the Greats, they do exist. They have existed."

Oliver Stone, American Director

Leadership, Leaders, World

44

"Film lovers are sick people."

"Film lovers are sick people."

Francois Truffaut, French Director

Love, People, Film, Lovers

44

"I'm still astonished that somebody would offer me a job and pay me to do what I wanted to do."

"I'm still astonished that somebody would offer me a job and pay me to do what I wanted to do."

Chuck Jones, American Director

44

"The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up."

"The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up."

Elia Kazan, American Director

Leadership, Entertainment

44

"The art of motion pictures is pictorial and language comes a distant second."

"The art of motion pictures is pictorial and language comes a distant second."

Jean-Jacques Annaud, French Director

44

"Quit now, you'll never make it. If you disregard this advice, you'll be halfway there."

"Quit now, you'll never make it. If you disregard this advice, you'll be halfway there."

David Zucker, American Director

44

"Naturally we need black men to give this movie serious credibility."

"Naturally we need black men to give this movie serious credibility."

Walter Hill, American Director

Man, Men, Credibility

43

"As long as we, again, kind of keep earning the sequels with material and I'm confident Mike can, I'm in. You know I always want to do those. But I also want to keep going in some of the direction as Meet the Parents has."

"As long as we, again, kind of keep earning the sequels with material and I'm confident Mike can, I'm in. You know I always want to do those. But I also want to keep going in some of the direction as Meet the Parents has."

Jay Roach, American Director

Direction, Parents, Want

43

"I will say nothing to an actor that cannot be translated into action."

"I will say nothing to an actor that cannot be translated into action."

Elia Kazan, American Director

Action, Actor, Nothing, Will

43

"I think that many people in history who had power were bumped off because they had power."

"I think that many people in history who had power were bumped off because they had power."

Oliver Stone, American Director

History, Power, People

43

"To me the only real star of the movie is the writer. And I work with writers very closely, from outline to first draft and on to the seventh draft, whatever it takes. Then my job is to support the director to make the best movie we can. Some producers try to go past them, but my job is to support them."

"To me the only real star of the movie is the writer. And I work with writers very closely, from outline to first draft and on to the seventh draft, whatever it takes. Then my job is to support the director to make the best movie we can. Some producers try to go past them, but my job is to support them."

Dino De Laurentiis, Italian Director

Work, Draft, First, Job

43

"And then she finally said yes. And we have been married, I want you to know, for 51 years."

"And then she finally said yes. And we have been married, I want you to know, for 51 years."

Val Guest, British Director

43

"No critic writing about a film could say more than the film itself, although they do their best to make us think the oppposite."

"No critic writing about a film could say more than the film itself, although they do their best to make us think the oppposite."

Federico Fellini, Italian Director

43

"I'm very happy with the way I write. I think I do it good. But I've never really considered myself a writer."

"I'm very happy with the way I write. I think I do it good. But I've never really considered myself a writer."

Quentin Tarantino, American Director

Identity, Writer

43

"You love all your characters, even the ridiculous ones. You have to on some level; they're your weird creations in some kind of way. I don't even know how you approach the process of conceiving the characters if in a sense you hated them. It's just absurd."

"You love all your characters, even the ridiculous ones. You have to on some level; they're your weird creations in some kind of way. I don't even know how you approach the process of conceiving the characters if in a sense you hated them. It's just absurd."

Joel Coen, American Director

43

"The great thing about the business is how Darwinian it is. We have to swim or die - if you are found wanting over a period of time, you've either got to change what you're doing or find something else to do."

"The great thing about the business is how Darwinian it is. We have to swim or die - if you are found wanting over a period of time, you've either got to change what you're doing or find something else to do."

Steven Soderbergh, American Director

Business, Change, Time

43

"It's very eclectic, the way one chooses subjects in the movie business, especially in the commercial movie business. You need to develop material yourself or material is presented to you as an assignment to direct."

"It's very eclectic, the way one chooses subjects in the movie business, especially in the commercial movie business. You need to develop material yourself or material is presented to you as an assignment to direct."

John Frankenheimer, American Director

43

"And as I've gotten older, I've had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things."

"And as I've gotten older, I've had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things."

Martin Scorsese, American Director

People, Compassion, Kindness, Tolerance

43

"I knew exactly what to do on Alien, it was funny."

"I knew exactly what to do on Alien, it was funny."

Ridley Scott, British Director

43

"I wanted to make sure that the environment of the shooting itself was not that controlled, and the way to go about that course was to work with as small a crew as possible."

"I wanted to make sure that the environment of the shooting itself was not that controlled, and the way to go about that course was to work with as small a crew as possible."

Atom Egoyan, Canadian Director

Work, Environment

43

"It is only when I am doing my work that I feel truly alive."

"It is only when I am doing my work that I feel truly alive."

Federico Fellini, Italian Director

43

"Other kinds of movie stars, it's a different thing, they bring their persona to the part and that's what people like to see, and they are not really transforming in terms of their character."

"Other kinds of movie stars, it's a different thing, they bring their persona to the part and that's what people like to see, and they are not really transforming in terms of their character."

Joel Coen, American Director

People, Character, Stars

43

"How was I going to make a man fly? How was I going to convince the public that an actor could fly?"

"How was I going to make a man fly? How was I going to convince the public that an actor could fly?"

Richard Donner, American Director

Actor, Man, Public

43

"Is there something to be said for the writings of the Marquis? Is there something to be said for pornography? And is there something to be said against both? I hope our film is balanced and rich enough to encourage debate and discussion."

"Is there something to be said for the writings of the Marquis? Is there something to be said for pornography? And is there something to be said against both? I hope our film is balanced and rich enough to encourage debate and discussion."

Philip Kaufman, American Director

Hope, Debate, Film, Pornography

43

"I don't remember anything anybody said in any Jack Ford picture. Nothing happens except action."

"I don't remember anything anybody said in any Jack Ford picture. Nothing happens except action."

Elia Kazan, American Director

Action, Nothing

43

"In horror movies today it's lots of fast cut shot and lots of loud noises on the soundtrack. I tried to do the opposite. Playing with silence for instance."

"In horror movies today it's lots of fast cut shot and lots of loud noises on the soundtrack. I tried to do the opposite. Playing with silence for instance."

Alejandro Amenabar, Spanish Director

Movies, Horror, Silence, Today

43

"Following the creation concept that creation processes differed from preservation processes, it is suggested that God endowed each created kind, at the time of its creation, with potential for vast variety."

"Following the creation concept that creation processes differed from preservation processes, it is suggested that God endowed each created kind, at the time of its creation, with potential for vast variety."

Walter Lang, American Director

Time, God, Creation, Potential

43

"Samurai culture did exist really, for hundreds of years and the notion of people trying to create some sort of a moral code, the idea that there existed certain behaviors that could be celebrated and that could be operative in a life."

"Samurai culture did exist really, for hundreds of years and the notion of people trying to create some sort of a moral code, the idea that there existed certain behaviors that could be celebrated and that could be operative in a life."

Edward Zwick, American Director

Life, People, Idea, Culture

43

"These things are hard to pin down. We work on a script a bit, then work on a different one."

"These things are hard to pin down. We work on a script a bit, then work on a different one."

Joel Coen, American Director

43

"Michael Moore, whether you like him or hate him, has done something very important."

"Michael Moore, whether you like him or hate him, has done something very important."

John Sayles, American Director

43

"To do art, one thing should always remember - subjects of people in misery have deep meanings."

"To do art, one thing should always remember - subjects of people in misery have deep meanings."

Zhang Yimou, Chinese Director

Art, People, Deep, Misery

43

"It is interesting to be here and to see that for certain actors they have to live in a way that you think of nobody living anymore except for in small towns. They have such elaborate double lives."

"It is interesting to be here and to see that for certain actors they have to live in a way that you think of nobody living anymore except for in small towns. They have such elaborate double lives."

Bill Condon, American Director

Actor, Actors, Living

43

"It's been my experience that every time I think I know where it's at, it's usually somewhere else."

"It's been my experience that every time I think I know where it's at, it's usually somewhere else."

Blake Edwards, American Director

Experience, Time

43

"Louis Armstrong is quite simply the most important person in American music. He is to 20th century music (I did not say jazz) what Einstein is to physics."

"Louis Armstrong is quite simply the most important person in American music. He is to 20th century music (I did not say jazz) what Einstein is to physics."

Ken Burns, American Director

43

"History has been the history of warfare."

"History has been the history of warfare."

Godfrey Reggio, American Director

43

"Understand that sexuality is as wide as the sea. Understand that your morality is not law. Understand that we are you. Understand that if we decide to have sex whether safe, safer, or unsafe, it is our decision and you have no rights in our lovemaking."

"Understand that sexuality is as wide as the sea. Understand that your morality is not law. Understand that we are you. Understand that if we decide to have sex whether safe, safer, or unsafe, it is our decision and you have no rights in our lovemaking."

Derek Jarman, British Director

Sex, Morality, Decision, Rights

43

"If you ask any person on this crew what they think of Hugh Jackman they'll admit they've never seen anything like it. I'll give him an emotional note and he'll hit it every time."

"If you ask any person on this crew what they think of Hugh Jackman they'll admit they've never seen anything like it. I'll give him an emotional note and he'll hit it every time."

Darren Aronofsky, American Director

43

"I've always loved films, always. I studied literature and I went to Columbia in New York and I went to Paris for part of one year and ended up staying there."

"I've always loved films, always. I studied literature and I went to Columbia in New York and I went to Paris for part of one year and ended up staying there."

Jim Jarmusch, American Director

Literature, Paris

43

"The language of the moment or, as it were, the language of the order in which we live, is the image. I felt that if I wanted to commune with the public, I should best do so through the language of image. It's a conscious embrace of a contradiction."

"The language of the moment or, as it were, the language of the order in which we live, is the image. I felt that if I wanted to commune with the public, I should best do so through the language of image. It's a conscious embrace of a contradiction."

Godfrey Reggio, American Director

Art, Contradiction, Language, Order, Public

43

"We had to do the same thing here. To top that sequel was quite a task. Mike had a couple of good conceptual humour and character ideas, which got me back into it."

"We had to do the same thing here. To top that sequel was quite a task. Mike had a couple of good conceptual humour and character ideas, which got me back into it."

Jay Roach, American Director

Creativity, Ideas, Character

43

"If you make a film normally it's all right, the distributors are helpful and cooperative. But if you make a film that's a little stange, a little bizarre, then all the time it's a struggle with them."

"If you make a film normally it's all right, the distributors are helpful and cooperative. But if you make a film that's a little stange, a little bizarre, then all the time it's a struggle with them."

Dario Argento, Italian Director

Time, Bizarre, Film, Right

43

"Yeah, I'd be happy to go back to Mexico or Japan to make another film."

"Yeah, I'd be happy to go back to Mexico or Japan to make another film."

Alex Cox, British Director

43

"Nine out of 10 times these guys will hit it-they'll be on something incredibly funny, but one out of 10, two out of 10, they'll fall flat on their faces. That's what makes them great actors: they take those chances, they don't play it safe."

"Nine out of 10 times these guys will hit it-they'll be on something incredibly funny, but one out of 10, two out of 10, they'll fall flat on their faces. That's what makes them great actors: they take those chances, they don't play it safe."

Peter Farrelly, American Director

Fun, Funny, Faces, Play, Will

43

"I can only say that whatever my life and work have been, I'm not envious of anyone-and this is my biggest satisfaction."

"I can only say that whatever my life and work have been, I'm not envious of anyone-and this is my biggest satisfaction."

Roman Polanski, French Director

Life, Work, Satisfaction

43

"Men make clothes for the women they'd like to be with or in most cases the women they'd like to be."

"Men make clothes for the women they'd like to be with or in most cases the women they'd like to be."

Robert Altman, American Director

Man, Men, Women, Clothes

43

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