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Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack Quotes

Film director

Sydney Pollack, born on July 1, 1934, was an accomplished film director from the United States. His work spanned a variety of genres, including drama, biography, and war films. Pollack was renowned for his exceptional directing skills and deep understanding of actors, earning multiple Academy Award nominations throughout his career.

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All Film People Way Art Knows Thinking Mean Political Views Form

Famous Sydney Pollack Quotes

“I mean, I don't know anything else that I would try to do, but it's a very frustrating thing to do, because you are trying to take what's a fantasy in your head and make it live through the minds of 200 people.”

People Knows Trying Mind Mean Fantasy Things To Do Frustrating Frustrating Things

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I personally have never made a movie in Hollywood, because I don't want to get up in my own bed and then go to the movie set, and then come home at night to my real life.”

Want Made Real Home Night My Own Bed Hollywood Real Life Get Up Coming Home Movie Sets

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Reading a novel of a private experience, very, very different, the nature of it is very different.”

Different Reading Novel

Author:Sydney Pollack

“We talked about Tootsie, the idea in Tootsie is that a man becomes a better man for having been a woman.”

Men Ideas Better Man

Author:Sydney Pollack

“With a movie you're creating from the beginning this particular work, let's not call it work of art, because very few movies are works of art, let's just call them bits of popular culture, whatever they are, sometimes very rarely by accident a movie becomes a work of art.”

Art Sometimes Culture Bits Particular Creating Art Is Accidents Works Of Art Popular Culture

Author:Sydney Pollack

“You are not an active creator of the film.”

Film Creator Active

Author:Sydney Pollack

“You don't normally do another presentation of All About Eve. You do one All About Eve, and that's it.”

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Obviously its a good feeling to know that something you've done has lasted.”

Knows Done Feelings Good Feeling

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Making films is much more difficult than people imagine, and so the experience of actually directing them is not one I've ever relished.”

People Film Difficult Imagine

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I love having made a film and watching it when it affects audiences in a positive way. It was always fun for me to hide in the back of a theater and watch Tootsie with an audience and hear them laugh. And it's gratifying 20 years later to imagine that they still can find it amusing.”

Way Years Made Stills Film Fun Watches Audience Laughing Imagine Theater Imagine That Amusing

Author:Sydney Pollack

“One wants to be able to experience being other people, remaking a reality, remaking a life, remaking a certain world.”

People World Want Reality Able Certain

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I'm not a very good predictor in any area of art, particularly my own. I don't know how to evaluate that.”

Knows Art My Own Know How Areas Very Good Evaluate

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I have to have a working knowledge of light, and optics, film emulsions and their properties, and lenses, otherwise I can't create the shoots that are the vocabulary of the films. But it is not necessary for me to be a cameraman, I can hire a cameraman.”

I Can Light Film Property Vocabulary Lenses Cameraman Optics

Author:Sydney Pollack

“When you work without a script, you are in a sense working in a much more improvisational way than when you are prepared totally.”

Way Prepared Scripts

Author:Sydney Pollack

“You mustn't regret decisions that you make. Because the decisions are made out of your gut in a way and you have to stick with them.”

Way Made Decision Regret Sticks Guts

Author:Sydney Pollack

“It's always interesting to play people different from yourself, it would be boring for me to play myself.”

People Different Play Would Be Interesting Boring

Author:Sydney Pollack

“[Stanley] Kubrick was a fascinating, larger than life guy who had been a friend for many years prior to our working together on that film. I found the best part of working with him to be the long conversations we had between set-ups.”

Years Long Together Film Guy Found Conversation Fascinating Working Together Stanley Larger Than Life Long Conversations

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I make films, and I hope that people come to see them. If they don't, I pay a big price. But I can't make decisions where I would change my own standards or my own taste in order to court the public in some way.”

People Ifs Way I Can Bigs Film Order My Own Decision Pay Taste Standards Court

Author:Sydney Pollack

“All films are political, whether they mean to be or not. Star Wars is political. As soon as you have conflict, which is the key to most films, you have politics. It's just that some are more artful with the handling of politics than others.”

Mean War Film Political Stars Keys Conflict

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Relationship films are political. If a woman is sitting in a waiting room in an office and a man walks in and sits down, it's a political situation. If he decides to smoke, does he ask her or does he just light up? If he lights up, what does she do? It's politics.”

Ifs Men Doe Light Film Political Asks Waiting Walks Rooms Situation Office Sitting Smoke Light Up Waiting Rooms

Author:Sydney Pollack

“There isn't any question that Hollywood is profit driven. Anybody that thinks it isn't is a fool. It's a business. Hollywood was never philanthropy. The only purpose it had was making money; the only purpose it still has is to make money.”

Thinking Stills Purpose Fool Hollywood Profit Driven Making Money Philanthropy

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Hollywood was set up by a bunch of businessmen. They do not see their job as being philanthropists. I don't think it's a contradiction in terms to attempt to be a good businessman and to also be liberal.”

Thinking Jobs Term Hollywood Bunch Contradiction Businessman Philanthropist Good Business

Author:Sydney Pollack

“People aren't interested in paying $10 or $12 to go to the movies and to be lectured to politically. I'm not either. So I don't try to make those kinds of films.”

People Trying Kind Film

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I don't consider myself a teacher of moral and political positions. I don't want to be that. I can't help but have a point of view when I make a film, but my first job is to entertain you.”

Want Firsts I Can Helping Jobs Film Political Views Moral Teacher Position Point Of View

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Every film I've made has a kind of frustrated love story in the center of it. They were people who saw life from opposing points of view, which has been in every film I've ever done. It had all the ingredients of the kinds of films I like to do.”

People Kind Has Beens Made Done Stories Film Views Saws Point Of View Love Story Ingredients Frustrated Opposing

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I tend to be what I would call more progressive than conservative, but I think either extreme is excessive.”

Thinking Conservative Extremes Progressive

Author:Sydney Pollack

“You can be moderate in a way and still intense in your views. It's the extremism that gets frightening; religious fundamentalism and wacko-left liberalism is crazy.”

Way Stills Left Religious Views Crazy Intense Liberalism Frightening Fundamentalism Moderates Extremism Religious Fundamentalism

Author:Sydney Pollack

“The essence of acting is seeing the world from another point of view. That's what acting is.”

World Views Acting Seeing Essence Point Of View Seeing The World

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I'm not going to be an interpreter at the U.N. I'm not going to live in Africa on a farm or whatever, but I am going to see the world through those eyes when I make those films.”

World Eye Film Farms Interpreter

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Most human beings who are accustomed to attempting to see the world from various points of view tend to be more liberal than conservative.”

World Humans Human Beings Views Conservative Various Point Of View Accustomed Attempting

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I have one life. I am a certain age. I'm married to one person. I have a certain number of children. I won't have another life other than that, but I do have many lives through the films.”

Children Persons Age Film Certain Numbers Married Another Life

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Making a film is a way for me to understand what it's like to be a murderer, to confess, to be a beaten wife, to be a minority, to be a victor, to get the girl, to lose the girl. I can do all of that through the practice of an art form.”

Way Art I Can Film Form Girl Can Do Loses Practice Wife Minorities Beaten Murderer

Author:Sydney Pollack

“When you spend your life acting and being other people, as opposed to being the one person that you are, you learn that life is gray sometimes, not black and white. That what you thought was true isn't necessarily true if you switch sides.”

People Ifs Persons Sometimes Life Is Sides Black White Acting Gray Black And White

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I'm not trying to push my political agenda on anybody. I'll do that like any other citizen by giving money to a party or candidate I believe in. I don't mind going out and endorsing somebody I believe in. But when we're talking about my films, I don't think my politics should have anything to do with it.”

Thinking Giving Should Trying Mind Believe Film Political I Believe Party Talking Citizens Should Have I Believe In Candidates Agendas Going Out Political Agendas Giving Money Endorsing

Author:Sydney Pollack

“My films ought to be judged on whether they're entertaining or good as films, but not on the political view necessarily. I'm trying to be morally responsible and no more. I don't have an agenda I'm trying to push.”

Trying Film Political Views Ought Responsible Agendas Judged Entertaining Political View

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I see my job as trying to entertain you, to be balanced in some way, and morally responsible. I don't want to glorify a killer. I don't want to glorify a rapist. I don't want to do those things, but on the other hand I don't want to lecture to you, either.”

Way Want Trying Hands Jobs Responsible Killers Balanced Lectures Glorify

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Three Days of the Condor is still an interesting film to watch not because it's political. It happens to be political. But that's not why the sales of the DVDs are as high as they are. It's because it's an entertaining thriller. In my opinion, Tootsie is a very political movie but truck drivers can go and laugh at it.”

Stills Happens Film Political Three Interesting Opinion Watches Laughing Drivers Entertaining Truck Thrillers Dvds Truck Driver

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Once I start to do a film, it has inferences. If a guy walks down a street and kicks a dog, you're saying something about that guy. A guy walks down the street and somebody's about to be run over and he shoves him out of his way and gets hit by the car himself, you're saying that guy's a hero. You can't avoid making certain statements.”

Ifs Way Running Film Guy Certain Walks Streets Dog Car Hero Statements Kicks That Guy Inference

Author:Sydney Pollack

“There's a religious basis to their [Bush and Chaney] kind of conservatism. It's rooted in a kind of fundamentalism. I'm afraid of that. I don't like that idea. I think all extremism is suspect.”

Thinking Kind Ideas Religious Bases Suspects Rooted Fundamentalism Conservatism Extremism

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Most human beings who are accustomed to attempting to see the world from various points of view tend to be more liberal than conservative. I have one life. I am a certain age. I'm married to one person. I have a certain number of children. I won't have another life other than that, but I do have many lives through the films. It's a way for me to understand what it's like to be a murderer, to confess, to be a beaten wife, to be a minority, to be a victor, to get the girl, to lose the girl. I can do all of that through the practice of an art form.”

“I'm trying to be morally responsible and no more. I don't have an agenda I'm trying to push. People talk about Three Days of the Condor as being anti-government but the last statement in that movie is the CIA guy saying to Robert Redford, "Ask 'em when they're running out. Ask 'em when there's no heat in their homes and they're cold. Ask 'em when their engines stop. Ask 'em when people who have never known hunger start going hungry. You want to know something? They won't want us to ask 'em. They'll just want us to get it for 'em!"”

People Knows Want Trying Home Government Running Lasts Guy Three Asks Known Cold Responsible Hunger Hungry Statements Heat Ems Agendas Engines Want U Cia Anti Government

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.”

Thinking Art Film Grows Growing Up Afternoon Saturday Saturday Afternoon

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I think it's a terrible shame that politics has become show business.”

Thinking Shows Politics Terrible Shame Show Business Nerd

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Well, the wonderful thing about making movies, oddly enough, is that they're sort of highly motivated graduate studies in one or another field.”

Wells Enough Study Wonderful Fields Motivated Graduates Wonderful Things

Author:Sydney Pollack

“OK, I know this is going to disgust you, Michael, but a lot of people are in this business to make money.”

People Knows Money Making Money Disgusting

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Every single art form is involved in film, in a way.”

Way Art Film Form Involved Movie Gambling Single Relationship

Author:Sydney Pollack

“When you make a film you usually make a film about an idea.”

Ideas Film Actors Movie

Author:Sydney Pollack

“Editing feels almost like sculpting or a form of continuing the writing process.”

Feels Writing Form Process Filmmaker Continuing Editing Writing Process Sculpting

Author:Sydney Pollack

“What I really want to do is produce. There isn’t much patience with a slow developing story line anymore.”

Want Stories Lines Produce Developing

Author:Sydney Pollack

“I mean, certainly writing, painting, photography, dance, architecture, there is an aspect of almost every art form that is useful and that merges into film in some way.”

Way Writing Mean Art Film Form Painting Photography Aspect Architecture

Author:Sydney Pollack

About the Author

Born: July 1, 1934
Died: May 26, 2008
Known for: Film director
Quotes: 69

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