A great production of a black comedy is better than a mediocre production of a comedy of errors.
Interpretation
Quality in art should be prioritized over mere attempts at humor.
Tom Stoppard's quote emphasizes the value of excellence in artistic production, particularly in the realm of comedy. It suggests that a well-crafted piece of black comedy, which may tackle darker themes with sophistication, is far superior to a poorly executed traditional comedy that relies on misunderstandings, known as a 'comedy of errors.' This underscores the idea that depth and quality should take precedence over superficial entertainment.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about what makes art truly impactful.
Love is - OK, it's 20 things, but it isn't 19. And I think that love reaches for something which is very, very deep in us and is very easily obscured, and is also very easily denied, which is the instinct towards the other person, other than toward the self.
A movie camera is like having someone you have a crush on watching you from afar - you pretend it's not there.
I once did a radio program with a famous materialist, that is to say a scientist who believed that absolutely everything was physical and that all emotions were reductive to little electrical impulses in your neurons. And I found that I didn't believe that. But what the emotions really are, I don't have an alternative theory.
One of the reasons why there are so many versions of Chekhov is that translations date in a way that the original doesn't; translations seem to be of their time.
A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.
Chekhov directors and Chekhov actors love working on his plays because there seems to be no end to what you can find out about the micro-narrative when you're investigating a text.
As photographs give people an imaginary possession of a past that is unreal, they also help people to take possession of space in which they are insecure.
Well, I feel that we should always put a little art into what we do. It's better that way.
There must be so many people who have various artistic talents that, for whatever reason, just have no way of expressing them. Either they have no support from their family or they live in a part of the world, maybe they've never heard a piano or seen a piano.
When a dish works, it works for everyone, whether you're Asian, European, African, American or anybody else.
The painter should not paint what he sees, but what will be seen.
When everything is added up, the frequent blows weighted against the sporadic triumphs, this is I have to say not just a vocation, it's a great gift. But you also know this, for your work, for your passion, every day is a rededication. Painters, dancers, actors, writers, filmmakers. It's the same for all of you, all of us. Every step is a first step. Every brush stroke is a test. Every scene is a lesson. Every shot is a school. So, let the learning continue.
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