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I'd like to be for cinema what Shakespeare was for theatre, Marx for politics and Freud for psychology: someone after whom nothing is as it used to be.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote expresses a desire for transformative impact in art, akin to the influence of Shakespeare, Marx, and Freud in their respective fields.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder aspires to leave a profound mark on cinema that would alter its trajectory and perception, similar to how Shakespeare revolutionized theatre, Marx changed politics, and Freud impacted psychology. The ambition reflects a yearning for artistic innovation and a legacy that shifts paradigms, suggesting that true greatness entails cultivating a new era in one's field.

Themes

CinemaInfluenceArtTransformationLegacy

In practice

Example use cases

During a film festival, one might quote this to inspire filmmakers to strive for significant artistic contributions.

More from Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Yes, actually ever since I saw his films and tried to write about them, Sirk's been in everything I've done. Not Sirk himself, but what I've learned from his work.
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So certainly, if we can tell evil stories to make people sick, we can also tell good myths that make them well.
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I detest the idea that love between two persons can lead to salvation. All my life I have fought against this oppressive type of relationship. Instead, I believe in searching for a kind of love that somehow involves all of humanity.
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It isn't easy to accept that suffering can also be beautiful... it's difficult. It's something you can only understand if you dig deeply into yourself.
Rainer Werner FassbinderRead
The more real things get, the more like myths they become. There have always been myths, but the myths of earlier times were, Im convinced, bad ones, because they made people sick. So certainly, if we can tell evil stories to make people sick, we can also tell good myths that make them well.
Rainer Werner FassbinderRead

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