Killing a man in defense of an idea is not defending an idea; it is killing a man.
Jean-Luc GodardRead
Movies in Hollywood now, for the past 20 or 30 years, are made mainly by lawyers or agents.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the influence of legal and commercial interests on filmmaking in Hollywood.
Jean-Luc Godard highlights a significant shift in Hollywood filmmaking, suggesting that legal and agency professionals have gained more control over the artistic process in cinema. This statement reflects his concern that the essence of filmmaking, which is rooted in creativity and artistic expression, is being overshadowed by commercial considerations and legal intricacies, resulting in a product that may prioritize profit over genuine storytelling.
In practice
Use this quote in a discussion about the evolution of the film industry during a film studies class.
Killing a man in defense of an idea is not defending an idea; it is killing a man.
I don't think you should feel about a film. You should feel about a woman, not a movie. You can't kiss a movie.
Sometime reality is too complex. Stories give it form.
More or less, I am always saying, 'Give me more. Let's do what has not been done.'
Objects exist and if one pays more attention to them than to people, it is precisely because they exist more than the people. Dead objects are still alive. Living people are often already dead.
Cinema is not a series of abstract ideas, but rather the phrasing of moments.
When I really have to push and grope and scratch and claw to make a story work, that's a telltale sign that maybe something conceptually isn't right.
If you've noticed that I don't use long takes, it's not because I don't like them, but because no one gives me the necessary means to treat myself to them. It's more economical to make one image, then this image and then that image, and try to control them later, in the editing studio.
Vinyl is the real deal. I've always felt like, until you buy the vinyl record, you don't really own the album. And it's not just me or a little pet thing or some kind of retro romantic thing from the past. It is still alive.
I tend to think of the act of photographing, generally speaking, as an adventure. My favorite thing is to go where Iβve never been.
In the world of reality the more beautiful a work of art, the longer, we may be sure, was the time required to make it, and the greater the number of different minds which assisted in its development.
I ask of cinema what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs.
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