"An
essential element in the quality of any work of art is simply the quality of
the public from whom the artist gets his living. Mack Sennett’s was an ideal
public, a working-class public largely composed of newly arrived immigrants.
Many of them knew very little English: the silent cinema exactly suited them.
Today's public is composed of the children of those primitive audiences. They
come from the university; they live in the world of advertising, newspapers and
weekly reviews; they behave according to the principles instilled in them by
the most effective publicity media, the most 'artistic' and the most
entertaining. For their benefit the film-factories churn out heroism or love
or, worst of all, psychology." P. 14
"A
metro station can be as mysterious as a haunted castle. I think I now have a
better understanding of the relationship between the film maker and the viewer.
The latter is grateful to the former for having shown him that the stairway in
his house may lead to the castle of Sleeping Beauty." P.54
"One
false god which remains omnipotent is that which is known as 'good taste',
which in fact is nothing but taste for mediocrity. Society opposes every
attempt at novelty in the name of good taste. My friends and I sturdily aligned
ourselves on the side of bad taste. Other expressions exasperated us - for
instance. 'It's exaggerated,' which simply expressed people' embarrassment at
being confronted with something which was beyond them." P. 59
"The word 'friendship' does not suit
India, one has to say 'love'." P. 71
'It is true
to say that the fashionable entertainments in Berlin between the wars were
boxing and homosexualism..." P. 95
"My
father never talked to me about art. He could not bear the word. If his
children chose to go in for painting, acting or music, they were free to do so,
but they must never be pushed. The urge to paint a picture must be so powerful
that it could not be resisted. My father said of Mozart, whom he worshipped,
'He wrote music because he could not prevent himself,' to which he added, 'It
was like wanting to pee.' He considered that the mode of expression was
unimportant. If Mozart had not made music he would have written poems or
planted gardens." P. 99
"I
regard dubbing, that is to say, the addition of sound after the picture has
been shot, as an outrage." P. 106
"Even
at the beginning of his career legends sprang up around Michel Simon. He was
reputed to be particularly interested in unorthodox sexual practices. He did
not deny it, and indeed I think these rumors amused him. He was a believer in healthy
foods long before they became fashionable...If any mention was made of his
so-called perversity he would reply, 'There's only one thing on earth that has
little life in it, and that's a woman's clitoris.' He loved animals, especially monkeys; he was
even said to have a love-affair with a she-monkey, but I personally doubt the
truth of the tales that were told about him." P. 110-111
"It
was the heyday of the 'October Group', and Surrealism was glittering with its
early brilliance. We dreamed of founding a 'Societe du Geste Gratuit' of which
the aim would be to reward totally pointless actions. For example, anyone who
set fire to the house of a neighbor who had done him no harm would be rewarded.
Anyone who stopped the traffic to let an old woman cross the street would be
condemned, whereas anyone who stopped the traffic for no reason at all would be
rewarded. It was a theory that favored universal peace. Crimes as a rule are committed
for a purpose, wars are declared in the hope of conquest. By making these acts
profitless we should have peace on earth except for a few madmen." P. 113
"There
exist in this world rare human beings who are possessed of gifts both for
commerce and for the art of entertainment. Charlie Chaplin is the outstanding
example, and on a more modest financial level one may cite the Swedish
director, Ingmar Bergman. The latter has contrived to make films of his own
choosing and to survive, thanks to an organization that seems to me in all
respects remarkable. He works in collaboration with the Royal Theatre in
Stockholm, and in winter, when the weather is not suitable for outdoor
photography, he works for the stage. With the return of summer weather he makes
films. His actors are paid both by the theatre and by the films in which he
casts them. This is a wonderfully economical system of production." P. 120
"Bad taste
is often a source of inspiration to the greatest artists. Neither Cezanne nor
Van Gogh had good taste." P. 166
"The
Sologne is a region of marshes entirely devoted to hunting, a sport which I
detest. I consider it an abominable exercise in cruelty." P. 170
"My
father, who mistrusted imagination, said: 'If you paint the leaf on a tree
without using a model you risk becoming stereotyped, because your imagination
will only supply you with a few leaves whereas Nature offers you millions, all
on the same tree. No two leaves are exactly the same. The artist who paints
only what is in his mind must very soon repeat himself." P.171
"Progress has robbed us of the sometimes
clumsy hallmark of the craftsman who made a particular door. In the old days
when I went through that doorway I would have a word to say to that craftsman,
but I can get no joy out of a chat with a mechanical saw." P.204
"This
fondness for disguise causes Americans to incline to the acting profession.
They are born actors. Nothing is easier than to direct a crowd of American
extras." P.209
"A
custom which I believe to be peculiar to American studios was the suspending of
operations while the star was having her period. The news being discreetly
announced by an assistant director, everything stopped. I don't know if this
tribute to the laws of nature is still practiced." P. 211
"Among
the customs she brought with her from France was the glass of wine for the
postman." P. 214
"We
must forget the bistro in Magagnosc. The chances are, in any case, that we
won't find it; it has probably vanished under a mountain of cement. We must
never let ourselves be separated from the beloved, because after a long absence
she will have become another person." P.282
