People have to start talking to know more about other cultures and to understand each other.
Can a film really change anything? I mean, what was the last time? Maybe the Italian neo-realists, where they became the voice and the heart and the soul of Italy, a nation that had been destroyed. I don't know.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the impact of film on society, referencing Italian neo-realism as a significant movement.
In this quote, Martin Scorsese reflects on the power of cinema to affect change, particularly through the historical context of Italian neo-realism, which he sees as a period when film became a vital expression of national identity and resilience in the aftermath of World War II. He prompts the audience to consider whether modern films hold similar power to influence societal perspectives or evoke emotional responses.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the influence of cinema on social issues, you could refer to Scorsese's quote to highlight the historical significance of film.
More from Martin Scorsese
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I think all the great studio filmmakers are dead or no longer working. I don't put myself, my friends, and other contemporary filmmakers in their category. I just see us doing some work.
I always say that I've been in a bad mood for maybe 35 years now. I try to lighten it up, but that's what comes out when you get me on camera.
The cinema began with a passionate, physical relationship between celluloid and the artists and craftsmen and technicians who handled it, manipulated it, and came to know it the way a lover comes to know every inch of the body of the beloved. No matter where the cinema goes, we cannot afford to lose sight of its beginnings.
Very often I've known people who wouldn't say a word to each other, but they'd go to see movies together and experience life that way.
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Doctors can heal the body, but it is music that uplifts the spirit.
I can't just make a song people can dance in a club to... it still has to be real.
I don't want to imitate life in movies; I want to represent it. And in that representation, you use the colors you feel, and sometimes they are fake colors. But always it's to show one emotion.
I would rather be on the set than doing anything.
We are the music-makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams. World-losers and world-forsakers, Upon whom the pale moon gleams; Yet we are the movers and shakers, Of the world forever, it seems.
No one ever gets talker's block. No one wakes up in the morning, discovers he has nothing to say, and sits quietly, for days or weeks, until the muse hits, until the moment is right, until all the craziness in his life has died down.