43 Whit Stillman Quotes for You to Enjoy

Whit Stillman

American Director

Born: Jan 25, 1952

Me People Think Writing You Your

Related authors: David Lynch George Lucas Martin Scorsese Spike Lee Steven Spielberg Tim Burton Woody Allen

There's the right person, or right people, for each other. There is that order that's searching to be found but, I think, it's not as if everything is going to be automatic. So, people could really be meant for each other and its goes awry; or they could have to learn or develop and grow up together. Grow to be right together. Whit Stillman

Together People Right Person Think Other Right People Everything Could Develop Learn Up Person Goes Going Order Automatic Really Meant Each Grow Grow Up Searching Found Right Awry

Coming out of university, one of my obsessions was that in the novels I was reading, they seemed to be portraying a world that had a social fabric. People knew each other in 'War and Peace.' They went to all the same balls. These were societies with tightly wound, woven, social textures. Whit Stillman

War Peace People World Reading Other Out Wound Fabric Woven Seemed Had Knew Obsessions Tightly Coming Were Balls Textures Same Social Social Fabric Each Novels Societies Portraying University

I kind of put people from the past up on a pedestal; I don't think, in a lot of ways, that we're at their level. Whit Stillman

People Past Think Pedestal Ways Kind Put Lot Up Level

I'm very troubled when editors oblige their film critics to read the novel before they see the film. Reading the book right before you see the film will almost certainly ruin the film for you. Whit Stillman

You Book Will Reading Before Ruin Critics See Oblige Troubled Almost Read Editors Very Certainly Novel Film Right

A lot of people in the film industry are fatalists who think a worthwhile film will always achieve its destiny, and the films that aren't worthwhile won't. It's all sort of pre-determined, etc. And I don't think that's true at all. Whit Stillman

People Achieve Will Think Films Destiny Worthwhile True Industry Sort Always Lot Etc Who Film Film Industry

So much of selling a film in the industry is about creating a fulcrum where all the pressure comes to bear, and something seems suddenly valuable and approved by an audience. It's amazing how people could pick up tons of films on the cheap, but they don't because they wait until everything is laid out for them. Whit Stillman

People Amazing Wait Valuable Pressure Films Everything Approved Out About Seems Something Bear Could Pick Cheap Until Industry Because Audience How Up Selling Where Laid Them Fulcrum Much Creating Suddenly Film Tons

Oddly, in a sense, I still have more confidence as a director than my ability as a writer. Somehow, directing is just really easy. It's just about being really honest about how you feel about what you're seeing. Whit Stillman

Making a show is such a long process. You go through a TV production house that will commission scripts, and if they like what you've written, they take it to a network and sell it to them. It has always felt very far away from something that's actually real. Whit Stillman

You Will Long TV Something Network Through Long Process Take Written Like House Felt Always Making Real Go Sell Very Commission Process Scripts Them Far Far Away Production Show Away Actually

Happy is the small business that can hire additional employees besides the proprietor; rare is the indie-film enterprise that can be happy in this way. The norm is an unpaid principal with no employees between productions. Whit Stillman

Business Be Happy Happy Rare Employees Additional Way Enterprise Unpaid Besides Small Small Business Between Principal Hire Norm Productions

In Mexico, wealth and poverty live next to each other and are cordial with each other - in my experience. Whit Stillman

Experience Wealth Poverty Live Other Mexico Next Each Cordial

I had, in college, a professor called Walter Jackson Bate, and he taught a course called The Age of Johnson. It's about Samuel Johnson and his period, 18th-century British writing. So we all got to endure Samuel Johnson, and Boswell's 'Life of Johnson' is now my favorite book. I read it all the time I can; it's great for going to sleep. Whit Stillman

Life Time Great Age Book Writing College Favorite About Johnson Had He Period Read Course Got His Jackson Going Taught Endure Samuel Now Professor British Sleep

I was in Paris for nine years, starting in '98. One of the great things when I was first there were these wonderful CD collections, selling for almost nothing. For ten euros, you'd get three CDs of all the Gershwin songs. Whit Stillman

The great thing for me is how Hitchcock uses guilt so well. He implicates the spectator in the character's field, and you really feel it, and there's incredible relief when it comes out right - if it does come out right. Whit Stillman

I've gotten to really, really like being back in the States. It's so easy being in your own country, and I really like Americans - typical American towns and provincial college towns are my ideal place to be. Whit Stillman

College Country Own Back Typical States Easy Ideal Like Towns Gotten Provincial American Being Place Really Your

What I find remarkable is that so much of the 18th century literature that I read is more accessible than reading your alternative weekly from ten years ago. People really aspired to write clearly. Whit Stillman

People Reading Find Ten More Ten Years Ten Years Ago Weekly Remarkable Write Clearly Read Alternative Accessible Years Years Ago Than Literature Century Much Really Your Aspired

I love making cheap films. I really do. What I've found is that I work better when it's both a fairly low budget and a short schedule. It focuses the mind, and it's a better atmosphere. Whit Stillman

Work Love Better Mind Films Atmosphere Both Schedule Cheap Budget Fairly Making Short Low Low-Budget Really Found

I think one of the saving illusions of the film business is everything seems like it's about to happen. It's always about to happen. It's only looking back that you see the wasteland. Whit Stillman

You Business Looking Looking Back Think Saving Back Everything See About Seems Only Like Always Happen Film Illusions Film Business

I think sometimes it's the things you don't like that give you inspiration. Whit Stillman

You Sometimes Think Give Inspiration Like Things

The worst thing is the blank page at the start. Then the horrible things written on the blank page. Then deciding whether or not to throw out those horrible things: lame scenes, lame characters, bad ideas. Whit Stillman

Those Worst Worst Thing Out Characters Bad Horrible Horrible Things Bad Ideas Scenes Blank Throw Blank Page Written Ideas Deciding Whether Lame Then Page Thing Things Start

I'm the ayatollah of the Jane Austen fan base! I want to lead the fan base, not be attacked and devoured by the fan base. Whit Stillman

Attacked Lead Devoured Austen Want Fan Fan Base Jane Jane Austen Base

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