QuoteProject
Can a film really change anything? I mean, what was the last time? Maybe the Italian neo-realists, where they became the voice and the heart and the soul of Italy, a nation that had been destroyed. I don't know.
Martin Scorsese
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote questions the impact of film on society, referencing Italian neo-realism as a significant movement.

In this quote, Martin Scorsese reflects on the power of cinema to affect change, particularly through the historical context of Italian neo-realism, which he sees as a period when film became a vital expression of national identity and resilience in the aftermath of World War II. He prompts the audience to consider whether modern films hold similar power to influence societal perspectives or evoke emotional responses.

Themes

FilmChangeNeo-RealismSocietyImpact

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the influence of cinema on social issues, you could refer to Scorsese's quote to highlight the historical significance of film.

More from Martin Scorsese

People have to start talking to know more about other cultures and to understand each other.
Martin ScorseseRead
Eradicating a religion of kindness is, I think, a terrible thing for the Chinese to attempt.
Martin ScorseseRead
I think all the great studio filmmakers are dead or no longer working. I don't put myself, my friends, and other contemporary filmmakers in their category. I just see us doing some work.
Martin ScorseseRead
I always say that I've been in a bad mood for maybe 35 years now. I try to lighten it up, but that's what comes out when you get me on camera.
Martin ScorseseRead
The cinema began with a passionate, physical relationship between celluloid and the artists and craftsmen and technicians who handled it, manipulated it, and came to know it the way a lover comes to know every inch of the body of the beloved. No matter where the cinema goes, we cannot afford to lose sight of its beginnings.
Martin ScorseseRead
Very often I've known people who wouldn't say a word to each other, but they'd go to see movies together and experience life that way.
Martin ScorseseRead

Similar quotes

Copy, art, and typography should be seen as a living entity; each element integrally related, in harmony with the whole, and essential to the execution of an idea.
Paul RandRead
In the world of animation, you can be anything you wanna be. If you're a fat woman, you can play a skinny princess. If you're short wimpy guy, you can play a tall gladiator. If you're a white man, you can play an Arabian prince. And if you're a black man, you can play a donkey or a zebra.
Chris RockRead
I was in a queer mood, thinking myself very old: but now I am a woman again - as I always am when I write.
Virginia WoolfRead
If you already have a piece of music ingrained in your body, why would you not play it?
Keith JarrettRead
OPERA, n. A play representing life in another world, whose inhabitants have no speech but song, no motions but gestures and no postures but attitudes.
Ambrose BierceRead
Painting is the frozen evidence of a performance.
Chuck CloseRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.