Quotes by Director | Beyond Motive 39/67

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Quotes by Director

"We come from a tough, working class background, so we're very tight."

"We come from a tough, working class background, so we're very tight."

Tony Scott, British Director

12

"It's a funny thing because you look at the careers of other filmmakers, and you see them sort of slow down, and you realize, maybe this becomes harder to do as you get older. That's sort of a cautionary thing. I hope it doesn't happen to me."

"It's a funny thing because you look at the careers of other filmmakers, and you see them sort of slow down, and you realize, maybe this becomes harder to do as you get older. That's sort of a cautionary thing. I hope it doesn't happen to me."

Joel Coen, American Director

Fun, Funny, Hope, Careers

12

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred."

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred."

Woody Allen, American Director

12

"That is a Medieval way of drawing history, in which they do not respect the law and want the rest of the world to respect the law. That's not possible."

"That is a Medieval way of drawing history, in which they do not respect the law and want the rest of the world to respect the law. That's not possible."

Emir Kusturica, Serbian Director

History, Law, Respect, Rest

12

"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

12

"Our fathers were actually business partners in the same real-estate firm, and we got together and thought, How can we get a movie together and get distribution and create a new movie genre? We started by making satires of commercials."

"Our fathers were actually business partners in the same real-estate firm, and we got together and thought, How can we get a movie together and get distribution and create a new movie genre? We started by making satires of commercials."

David Zucker, American Director

Business, Thought, Fathers

12

"But I suppose film is distinctive because of its nature, of its being able to cut through time with editing."

"But I suppose film is distinctive because of its nature, of its being able to cut through time with editing."

Oliver Stone, American Director

Time, Nature, Being, Film

12

"I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully."

"I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully."

Spike Lee, American Director

12

"I've done my best to work from a place of humility - always looking over your shoulder saying, "Does this suck?" and I think that's a good way to work. The other way to work is where you start to think, "I'm on fire, I'm amazing!" and I don't think that's the way to work."

"I've done my best to work from a place of humility - always looking over your shoulder saying, "Does this suck?" and I think that's a good way to work. The other way to work is where you start to think, "I'm on fire, I'm amazing!" and I don't think that's the way to work."

David O. Russell, American Director

Work, Fire, Humility, Saying

12

"If I could go back I might change Geronimo a bit. If I do, it will be made a longer version."

"If I could go back I might change Geronimo a bit. If I do, it will be made a longer version."

Walter Hill, American Director

12

"I did have an offer to direct one of the Alien movies but I wasn't too excited about all the effects work."

"I did have an offer to direct one of the Alien movies but I wasn't too excited about all the effects work."

Walter Hill, American Director

12

"My way of remaining French was the financing scheme I used for Quest for Fire, with Fox funds, since it started as a 100% American production. The film was not in French and yet was French in style, reflecting my personality."

"My way of remaining French was the financing scheme I used for Quest for Fire, with Fox funds, since it started as a 100% American production. The film was not in French and yet was French in style, reflecting my personality."

Jean-Jacques Annaud, French Director

French, American, Film, Fire, Personality

12

"In my early years, my father was away as a soldier in the war. When he came back, work was very difficult to come by. Even though he was a highly skilled man, a maker of furniture, the payment for that work was very poor."

"In my early years, my father was away as a soldier in the war. When he came back, work was very difficult to come by. Even though he was a highly skilled man, a maker of furniture, the payment for that work was very poor."

Trevor Nunn, English Director

Work, War, Father, Man

12

"I have never had a problem with people not being able to understand the words and the meanings in Titus."

"I have never had a problem with people not being able to understand the words and the meanings in Titus."

Julie Taymor, American Director

People, Being, Words

11

"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

11

"Yeah, I had an idea to make a very scary movie, based on a kind of serial murderer that preys on tourists."

"Yeah, I had an idea to make a very scary movie, based on a kind of serial murderer that preys on tourists."

Brian De Palma, American Director

Creativity, Idea, Tourists

11

"I'm in the mood for another Moonstruck experience, for another romantic comedy."

"I'm in the mood for another Moonstruck experience, for another romantic comedy."

Norman Jewison, Canadian Director

Experience, Comedy, Romantic

11

"Violence is a part of America. I don't want to single out rap music. Let's be honest. America's the most violent country in the history of the world, that's just the way it is. We're all affected by it."

"Violence is a part of America. I don't want to single out rap music. Let's be honest. America's the most violent country in the history of the world, that's just the way it is. We're all affected by it."

Spike Lee, American Director

History, Music, America, Country

11

"I was very disappointed that Denzel didn't win Best Actor for The Hurricane because I thought he deserved it."

"I was very disappointed that Denzel didn't win Best Actor for The Hurricane because I thought he deserved it."

Norman Jewison, Canadian Director

11

"More people are exposed to movies than to most other forms of art."

"More people are exposed to movies than to most other forms of art."

Richard King, American Director

Art, Movies, People

11

"Disney had such a hold on the mind of America-they were Adolf Hitler. The whole country thought Disney was some sort of god and that animation was some sort of pure thing for children."

"Disney had such a hold on the mind of America-they were Adolf Hitler. The whole country thought Disney was some sort of god and that animation was some sort of pure thing for children."

Ralph Bakshi, American Director

God, Thought, America, Animation

11

"In England, I'm a horror movie director. In Germany, I'm a filmmaker. In the US, I'm a bum."

"In England, I'm a horror movie director. In Germany, I'm a filmmaker. In the US, I'm a bum."

John Carpenter, American Director

Identity, England, Germany, Horror

11

"We have often been attracted to the story of the other, the outcast. And he and I just loved working together, so it just kept happening, and our relationship is completely bound up with our work. We enjoy each other's art."

"We have often been attracted to the story of the other, the outcast. And he and I just loved working together, so it just kept happening, and our relationship is completely bound up with our work. We enjoy each other's art."

Julie Taymor, American Director

11

"The characters are the result of two things-first, we elaborate them into fairly well-defined people through their dialogue, then they happen all over again, when the actor interprets them."

"The characters are the result of two things-first, we elaborate them into fairly well-defined people through their dialogue, then they happen all over again, when the actor interprets them."

Joel Coen, American Director

People, Actor, Result

11

"I'm not a very serious person. You know how they say that clowns are very funny in public and are really sad at home? I'm really kind of stupid at home and more serious in public."

"I'm not a very serious person. You know how they say that clowns are very funny in public and are really sad at home? I'm really kind of stupid at home and more serious in public."

Roland Joffe, English Director

Fun, Funny, Home, Clowns, Public

11

"But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have approval over every bit of it so that they know I won't show something that's embarrassing."

"But I always reassure them that as far as my contractual rights can go, I will protect them and make sure that they have approval over every bit of it so that they know I won't show something that's embarrassing."

Jay Roach, American Director

Film, Approval, Rights, Will

11

"I wrote Murder at the Windmill. And it was accepted and we made it and it was the first film I made with Danny Angel, well the only film I actually made... I made a lot of it at the Windmill itself."

"I wrote Murder at the Windmill. And it was accepted and we made it and it was the first film I made with Danny Angel, well the only film I actually made... I made a lot of it at the Windmill itself."

Val Guest, British Director

Film, First, Murder

11

"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

11

"That's the most beautiful thing that I like about boxing: you can take a punch. The biggest thing about taking a punch is your ego reacts and there's no better spiritual lesson than trying to not pay attention to your ego's reaction."

"That's the most beautiful thing that I like about boxing: you can take a punch. The biggest thing about taking a punch is your ego reacts and there's no better spiritual lesson than trying to not pay attention to your ego's reaction."

David O. Russell, American Director

Attention, Ego, Spiritual, Trying

11

"Without In The Company of Men, I could still be teaching, so who knows if this would've existed."

"Without In The Company of Men, I could still be teaching, so who knows if this would've existed."

Neil LaBute, American Director

Man, Men, Company, Teaching

11

"There are certain actors who are very good at improvising, like Dustin Hoffman and Glenda Jackson."

"There are certain actors who are very good at improvising, like Dustin Hoffman and Glenda Jackson."

John Schlesinger, British Director

11

"There are things that Scotsmen get and other people don't get in the dialogue. Scottish characters can be pinpointed by a phrase, targeted very quickly."

"There are things that Scotsmen get and other people don't get in the dialogue. Scottish characters can be pinpointed by a phrase, targeted very quickly."

Bill Forsyth, Scottish Director

11

"Some of our most exquisite murders have been domestic, performed with tenderness in simple, homey places like the kitchen table."

"Some of our most exquisite murders have been domestic, performed with tenderness in simple, homey places like the kitchen table."

Alfred Hitchcock, English Director

Journalism, Kitchen, Tenderness

11

"In most films music is brought in at the end, after the picture is more or less locked, to amplify the emotions the filmmaker wants you to feel."

"In most films music is brought in at the end, after the picture is more or less locked, to amplify the emotions the filmmaker wants you to feel."

Ken Burns, American Director

Music, Emotions, End

11

"Music has a poetry of its own, and that poetry is called melody."

"Music has a poetry of its own, and that poetry is called melody."

Joshua Logan, American Director

11

"I remember an article, I can't recall who by, it was after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which said that now the Wall was down, there could be no more class war. Only someone with money could ever say such a thing."

"I remember an article, I can't recall who by, it was after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which said that now the Wall was down, there could be no more class war. Only someone with money could ever say such a thing."

Claude Chabrol, French Director

Money, War, Class, Now

11

"The most realistic blood I've seen is when Marlon Brando gets beat up in On The Waterfront."

"The most realistic blood I've seen is when Marlon Brando gets beat up in On The Waterfront."

George A. Romero, American Director

11

"Arnold and Jamie Lee must have worked over the years with directors that did 50 takes, because I'd get like three takes or so and say, Ok, that's it, we're done."

"Arnold and Jamie Lee must have worked over the years with directors that did 50 takes, because I'd get like three takes or so and say, Ok, that's it, we're done."

Penelope Spheeris, American Director

11

"Under the big political umbrella, a man is just like a leaf in the ocean, with no control of his destiny and does not have any choice."

"Under the big political umbrella, a man is just like a leaf in the ocean, with no control of his destiny and does not have any choice."

Zhang Yimou, Chinese Director

Control, Choice, Destiny, Man

11

"I don't think Pulp Fiction is hard to watch at all."

"I don't think Pulp Fiction is hard to watch at all."

Quentin Tarantino, American Director

11

"The only thing we don't do together is get in front of an actor and show any indecision at all about what we think. We don't always agree, so we meet privately, then one or the other will approach the actor."

"The only thing we don't do together is get in front of an actor and show any indecision at all about what we think. We don't always agree, so we meet privately, then one or the other will approach the actor."

Bobby Farrelly, American Director

Actor, Indecision, Will

11

"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

11

"Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say."

"Sweetheart, I'm the biggest ripped-off cartoonist in the history of the world, and that's all I'm going to say."

Ralph Bakshi, American Director

11

"I only want to work with actors that really get it and make it work. I didn't want it to be a star-driven thing anymore."

"I only want to work with actors that really get it and make it work. I didn't want it to be a star-driven thing anymore."

Darren Aronofsky, American Director

Work, Actors, Want

11

"It's a mistake to confuse pity with love."

"It's a mistake to confuse pity with love."

Stanley Kubrick, American Director

Love, Mistake, Pity

11

"Fear has many faces."

"Fear has many faces."

Nicolas Roeg, English Director

11

"Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down."

"Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down."

David McNally, American Director

Commitment, Enemy, Press, Promise

11

"When it comes to two of the big social earthquakes in the last fifty years - which are the gay movement and the women's movement - I think there is a direct line from Kinsey to those."

"When it comes to two of the big social earthquakes in the last fifty years - which are the gay movement and the women's movement - I think there is a direct line from Kinsey to those."

Bill Condon, American Director

Woman, Women, Gay, Years

11

"Do people really want liberty, equality, fraternity? Is it not some manner of speaking?"

"Do people really want liberty, equality, fraternity? Is it not some manner of speaking?"

Krzysztof Kieslowski, Polish Director

Equality, People, Liberty, Want

11

"When people approach me about my films it is usually to tell me how much they hate them."

"When people approach me about my films it is usually to tell me how much they hate them."

Michael Winterbottom, British Director

11

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