Quotessence
Home / Authors / Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway

Peter Greenaway Quotes

Film director

Filter quotes by topic

AllCinemaFilmThinkingIfsArtKnowsWayPeopleWorldBelieveFilmmakerMenThreeTwoI CanPaintingWantFirstsAudienceCreation

Famous Peter Greenaway Quotes

“My audience is comprised of three categories. The first category contains the people who decide after the first five minutes that they've made a mistake and leave. The second category is the people who give the film a chance and leave annoyed after 40 minutes. The third category includes the people that watch the whole film and return to see it again. If I'm able to persuade 33% of the audience to stay, then I can say that I've succeeded.”

PeopleIfsGivingFirstsMadeI CanWholeAbleFilmThreeChanceMistakeWatchesAudienceFiveMinutesReturnThirdsCategoriesFive MinutesAnnoyedMade A Mistake
Author:Peter Greenaway
Create image

“I always think that if you deal with extremely emotional, even melodramatic, subject matter, as I constantly do, the best way to handle those situations is at a sufficient remove. It's like a doctor and a nurse and a casualty situation. You can't help the patient and you can't help yourself by emoting. And I don't think cinema is intended for therapy, so I object also to that huge, massive manipulation which is perpetrated on the public.”

IfsThinkingWayMatterHelpingDealsSituationSubjectsObjectsEmotionalHugeDoctorsPatientHandleBest WayTherapyCinemaSufficientRemoveMassiveManipulationNurseDo The BestSubject MatterCasualtiesHelp Yourself
Author:Peter Greenaway
Create image

“An American critic wrote that she would rather be forced to read the New York telephone directory three times than watch the film A Zed and Two Noughts, a third of which was a homage to Vermeer. Conceivably, if you are a list-enthusiast like me, the New York telephone directory might be fascinating, demographically, geographically, historically, typographically, cartographically; but I am sure no compliment was intended.”

IfsTwoMightFilmThreeWatchesNew YorkThirdsCriticsListsLike MeFascinatingComplimentTelephonesThree TimesHomageVermeer
Author:Peter Greenaway
Create image

“As you probably know, I'm often accused of intellectual exhibitionism and all forms of elitism. Although I can understand this point of view, it's a rather wasted argument because, if we regard areas of information as being elite and therefore somehow not usable, it means our centre-ground of activity becomes very, very impoverished.”

IfsKnowsMeanI CanFormViewsInformationActivityIntellectualAreasArgumentRegardPoint Of ViewElitesCentreAccusedElitismExhibitionism
Book:Peter Greenaway: Interviews
Create image