Socrates told us, "the unexamined life is not worth living." I think he's calling for curiosity, more than knowledge. In every human society at all times and at all levels, the curious are at the leading edge.
Roger EbertRead
In the best of all possible worlds, directors would obsess about the quality of their storytelling, and not the details of their technical methods.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Storytelling quality should be prioritized over technical details in filmmaking.
Roger Ebert highlights the importance of storytelling in cinema, suggesting that directors should focus more on the essence of the narrative rather than getting bogged down by technical aspects. This perspective emphasizes that the heart of film lies in how stories are told and the emotional experiences they deliver to the audience.
Themes
StorytellingQualityDirectorsTechnicalFilmmaking
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a film studies class while discussing the role of narrative in cinema.
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I was born inside the movie of my life. The visuals were before me, the audio surrounded me, the plot unfolded inevitably but not necessarily. I don't remember how I got into the movie, but it continues to entertain me.
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Why do alcoholics begin down the same hazardous road day after day? They are in search of that elusive window of well-being that opens when you drink your way out of a hangover and aren't yet drunk all over again. The alcoholic's day consists of trying to keep that window open.
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There are no guarantees. But there is also nothing to fear. We come from oblivion when we are born. We return to oblivion when we die. The astonishing thing is this period of in-between.
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Parents and schools should place great emphasis on the idea that it is all right to be different. Racism and all the other 'isms' grow from primitive tribalism, the instinctive hostility against those of another tribe, race, religion, nationality, class or whatever. You are a lucky child if your parents taught you to accept diversity.
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