Killing a man in defense of an idea is not defending an idea; it is killing a man.
Jean-Luc GodardRead
American pictures usually have no subject, only a story. A pretty woman is not a subject. Julia Roberts doing this and that is not a subject.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art is not solely about subjects but rather the stories they tell.
Jean-Luc Godard's quote emphasizes that in American cinema, the focus is often on narrative rather than the characters or subjects themselves. He argues that elements like a beautiful woman or a famous actor performing actions do not constitute a meaningful subject; instead, the essence lies in the storytelling aspects that elevate the film's artistic value.
Themes
ArtCinemaStorytellingNarrativeCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
During a film critique, you might quote this to highlight the importance of storytelling in cinema.
More from Jean-Luc Godard
All quotes βI don't think you should feel about a film. You should feel about a woman, not a movie. You can't kiss a movie.
Jean-Luc GodardRead
Sometime reality is too complex. Stories give it form.
Jean-Luc GodardRead
More or less, I am always saying, 'Give me more. Let's do what has not been done.'
Jean-Luc GodardRead
Objects exist and if one pays more attention to them than to people, it is precisely because they exist more than the people. Dead objects are still alive. Living people are often already dead.
Jean-Luc GodardRead
Cinema is not a series of abstract ideas, but rather the phrasing of moments.
Jean-Luc GodardRead
Similar quotes
I spent my life folded between the pages of books._x000D_ In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters. I lived love and loss through stories threaded in history; I experienced adolescence by association. My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together. I am a being comprised of letters, a character created by sentences, a figment of imagination formed through fiction.
Tahereh MafiRead
Any film that supports the idea that things can be changed is a great film in my eyes.
Wim WendersRead
The more abstract is form, the more clear and direct its appeal.
Wassily KandinskyRead
Every one of my books had killed me a little more.
Norman MailerRead
All methods are sacred if they are internally necessary. All methods are sins if they are not justified by internal necessity.
Wassily KandinskyRead
At first the music almost repelled me, it was so intense, and this man made no attempt to sugarcoat what he was trying to say, or play. It was hard-core, more than anything I had ever heard. After a few listenings I realized that, on some level, I had found the master, and that following this man's example would be my life's work.
Eric ClaptonRead