A great production of a black comedy is better than a mediocre production of a comedy of errors.
Interpretation
Quality in art should be prioritized over mere attempts at humor.
Tom Stoppard's quote emphasizes the value of excellence in artistic production, particularly in the realm of comedy. It suggests that a well-crafted piece of black comedy, which may tackle darker themes with sophistication, is far superior to a poorly executed traditional comedy that relies on misunderstandings, known as a 'comedy of errors.' This underscores the idea that depth and quality should take precedence over superficial entertainment.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about what makes art truly impactful.
Love is - OK, it's 20 things, but it isn't 19. And I think that love reaches for something which is very, very deep in us and is very easily obscured, and is also very easily denied, which is the instinct towards the other person, other than toward the self.
A movie camera is like having someone you have a crush on watching you from afar - you pretend it's not there.
I once did a radio program with a famous materialist, that is to say a scientist who believed that absolutely everything was physical and that all emotions were reductive to little electrical impulses in your neurons. And I found that I didn't believe that. But what the emotions really are, I don't have an alternative theory.
One of the reasons why there are so many versions of Chekhov is that translations date in a way that the original doesn't; translations seem to be of their time.
A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.
Chekhov directors and Chekhov actors love working on his plays because there seems to be no end to what you can find out about the micro-narrative when you're investigating a text.
My father was a painter and he taught art. He once said to me, 'I never knew an Indian child who could not draw.'
Maybe the theatre isn't any place for a reasonable human being after all. It keeps your emotions in such a constant state of upheaval. It's really terribly wearing. I wonder if I could stand it, one emotional upset after the other just going on and on for the rest of my life.
What's so powerful about the Psalms are, as well as they're being gospel and songs of praise, they are also the blues.
Aestheticism is a search after the signs of the beautiful. It is the science of the beautiful through which men seek the correlation of the arts. It is, to speak more exactly, the search after the secret of life.
Why has Scandinavia been producing such good thrillers? Maybe because their filmmakers can't afford millions for CGI and must rely on cheaper elements like, you know, stories and characters.
Perfumes are the feelings of flowers.
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