If a story doesn't give you a hard-on in the first couple of scenes, throw it in the goddamned garbage.
Interpretation
A compelling story should evoke strong feelings from the start.
This quote by Samuel Fuller emphasizes the importance of immediate emotional engagement in storytelling. If a narrative fails to captivate or provoke a visceral reaction within the initial scenes, it is regarded as unworthy of continued attention, suggesting that impactful storytelling is essential for creating a successful narrative.
In practice
A filmmaker might use this quote when discussing the need for exciting openings in screenplays.
I don't care if it's a mystery story, a Western, or the story of Julius Caesar. To me it's the emotion, the lies, the double-cross, whether it's Brutus doing it to Caesar or Bob Stack doing it to Robert Ryan that defines what kind of drama it is.
A film is like a battleground. It's love, hate, action, violence, death—In one word, emotions.
The pain passes, but the beauty remains.
I think there's a lot of similarity between what people try to do with religion with what they want from art. In fact, I very specifically think that they are same thing. Not that religion and art are the same, but that they both tap into the same need we have for surrender.
I cannot speak for more than an hour exclusively about poetry. At that point, life itself takes over again.
The way to see what looks good and understand the reasons it looks good, and to be at one with this goodness as the work proceeds, is to cultivate an inner quietness, a peace of mind so that goodness can shine through.
Lets just say that I think any person who aspires, presumes, or feels the calling to be an artist has a built-in sense of duty.
Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either.
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