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Ang Lee

Ang Lee Quotes

Film director

Ang Lee, born on October 23, 1954, is a renowned international film director from Taiwan. Known for his unique artistic style and profound exploration of human nature, his films often depict complex and diverse aspects of humanity. His notable works include 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', 'Brokeback Mountain', and 'Life of Pi'.

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Famous Ang Lee Quotes

“When something possesses me, I go ahead and do it.”

Author:Ang Lee

“Not taboo - it's just that straight actors still risk their careers commercially and economically. They have to please the crowd - they're movie stars; their image is their industry. It goes beyond acting.”

Stills Actors Stars Acting Careers Risk Industry Please Crowds Movie Star Taboo

Author:Ang Lee

“So many times you see beautiful lovemaking scenes with a lot of exposure or an awkward lovemaking scene, but I think it's very rare that you see it private.”

Thinking Beautiful Scene Awkward Exposure

Author:Ang Lee

“The most mysterious feminine factor, the existence that we men, we don't know. It's woman. It's feminine. That's what the sword is about. That's the symbolic meaning of the sword.”

Knows Men Existence Factors Mysterious Feminine Symbolic Symbolic Meaning

Author:Ang Lee

“There's a level of sophistication of filmmaking that's mind-boggling. Anything you need for your movie, there's an establishment that can make it happen really fast.”

Needs Mind Happens Actors Levels Movie Establishment Filmmaking Make It Happen Sophistication Mind Boggling

Author:Ang Lee

“When I sent those scripts, that was the lowest point of my life. We'd just had our second son, and when I went to collect them from hospital, I went to the bank to try and get some money to buy some diapers, the screen showed I've got $26 left.”

Trying Left Son Scripts Screens Hospitals Lowest Hospitality Diapers Lowest Point

Author:Ang Lee

“I am not particularly religious. But I think we do face the question of where God is, why we are created and where does life go, why we exist. That sort of thing. And it is very hard to talk about it these days, because it cannot be proven. It is hard to discuss it rationally.”

Thinking Doe Hard Faces Religious These Days Proven

Author:Ang Lee

“I grew up pretty peacefully, in that Eastern way. You easily solve problems, believe in harmony. Reduce conflicts, take orders until one day you give orders.”

Way Giving Believe Problem Order Grew One Day Conflict Grew Up Harmony Solve Eastern

Author:Ang Lee

“I hope people don't compare 2D and 3D because 3D's new, it's unfair to compare to 2D which is really sophisticated, even when we're jaded about it. 3D just began, give it a chance, let the equipment and projection system catch up and be better, let the price go down, let more filmmakers get a hold of it more easily.”

People Giving Chance Compare Filmmaker Sophisticated Unfair Equipment Projection Jaded Give It A Chance

Author:Ang Lee

“I think doing period piece is easier, because after a certain distance, everybody is equal, I think. The relative contemporary is harder. I think that's the way it is.”

Thinking Way Certain Pieces Periods Easier Equal Harder Distance Contemporary Relative

Author:Ang Lee

“I think the book struck me in a few ways that I thought very interesting to pick it as my first martial arts film. It has a very strong female character and it was very abundant in classic Chinese textures.”

“I took the name Green Destiny from - well there is such a sword called Green Destiny. It is green because you keep twisting it, it's an ancient skill, you keep twisting it and knocking it and twisting it until it is very elastic and light.”

Wells Light Names Destiny Skills Green Ancient Knocking

Author:Ang Lee

“I wanted to shoot straight, mainstream, somehow off-beat. Not only realistic West, which is quite unfamiliar to the world's population - even to a lot of Americans.”

World Wanted Beats West Population Realistic Mainstream Unfamiliar

Author:Ang Lee

“On a Chinese film you just give orders, no one questions you. Here, you have to convince people, you have to tell them why you want to do it a certain way, and they argue with you. Democracy.”

People Way Want Giving Film Certain Order Democracy Arguing Chinese Convince

Author:Ang Lee

“Summer blockbusters are very expensive to make. They have things that have to be expensive, such as 600 effects shots or CG characters that have to go a certain way, or a film design that is different but expensive.”

Way Different Character Film Certain Effects Design Summer Shots Expensive Blockbuster

Author:Ang Lee

“These days I'm mostly familiar with two parts of L.A.: one is movie culture, and the other is Asian culture. The Westside is work, and the Eastside is Chinese - which means my friends.”

Mean Two Culture Actors My Friends Familiar Chinese These Days Movie Asian Asian Culture Westside

Author:Ang Lee

“To me, Ennis stands for the conservative side of America. He's the biggest homophobe in the whole movie - culturally and psychologically - but by the time he admits his feelings, it's too late.”

Whole Feelings America Sides Late Conservative Too Late Homophobes

Author:Ang Lee

“Usually with this genre the first thing that happens is a good fight sequence to show that you're in good hands. So we broke that rule. I think a lot of that comes from the western audience.”

Thinking Firsts Shows Hands Happens Fighting Audience Western Broke Genre Sequence Good Fight

Author:Ang Lee

“When I have a full schedule like that, I don't see myself sitting there for a couple of months, doing the research, going through a painful process, it's just not my thing anymore.”

Process Months Couple Research Sitting Painful Schedules

Author:Ang Lee

“As artists, we like night more than day sometimes.”

Sometimes Artist Night

Author:Ang Lee

“Over the years Woodstock got glorified and romanticised and became the event that symbolised Utopia. It's the last page of our collective memory of the age of innocence. Then things turned ugly and would never be the same again.”

Years Age Lasts Memories Events Pages Aging Ugly Innocence Birthday Collectives Utopia 50th Birthday Woodstock Collective Memory

Author:Ang Lee

“Americans are hidden dragons to me.”

Author:Ang Lee

“When there is a strong woman character in a story - that always grabs me”

Character Stories Strong Strong Women

Author:Ang Lee

“Meanwhile, the Ice Storm was still in development, And that was something I really wanted to do, and frankly I don't think I was ready to do a big production like this.”

Thinking Stills Bigs Wanted Ready Development Productions Storm Ice Think Big Ice Storm

Author:Ang Lee

“Every movie I make. That’s my hideout, the place I don’t quite understand, but feel most at home.”

Author:Ang Lee

“Even the favorite reviews, the audience response is the movie is too slow, deliberately slow. But for the Chinese audience, the biggest complaint is it happens too quick. I think the historical background that build into our genes is different. American people has never been occupied. The deep sadness and sentimentality, the cultural background that relates to melodrama that we relate to and grow up with, the propaganda, I didn't imagine the difference is so big. It's a very interesting cultural phenomenon.”

“I like to think I'm un-categorisable.”

Author:Ang Lee

“You can get rich or famous by doing the same thing.”

Rich Fame Get Rich

Author:Ang Lee

“I think great romance needs great obstacles and textures.”

Thinking Needs Romance Obstacles Texture Great Romance

Author:Ang Lee

“I don't care about writing really.”

Writing Care Don't Care I Don't Care

Author:Ang Lee

“I see a movie as a way of learning about the world, about myself, and learning about my relationship with people and art.”

People World Way Art

Author:Ang Lee

“We need storytelling. Otherwise life just goes on and on, like the number Pi.”

Needs Numbers Goes On Storytelling

Author:Ang Lee

“Beautifully-acted and precisely observed, ILO ILO is an amazing debut, full of heart and intelligence.”

Author:Ang Lee

“Making movies is a way of understanding myself and the world.”

World Way Actors Understanding Movie Understanding Myself

Author:Ang Lee

“I just did a dramatic love story. Whether it's a cultural phenomenon is not for me to say.”

Stories Love Story Dramatic Phenomenon

Author:Ang Lee

“With 3D you're right there immersed in the world.”

Author:Ang Lee

“San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the world...I would probably rank it at the top or near the top. It's small but photogenic and has layers...You never have problems finding great angles that people have never done.”

People World Done Problem Cities Findings Favourite Layers Angle San Francisco Cities In The World Photogenic Favourite City

Author:Ang Lee

About the Author

Born: October 23, 1954
Known for: Film director
Quotes: 137

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