But I'd be lying if I didn't say that every time you go to make a film, you're desperate to either do it better than you did it last time or to not repeat yourself.
No matter how many times you do it, you don't get used to the sadness - for me at least - of coming to the end of a film.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the emotional impact of watching a film's conclusion, suggesting that one can never fully acclimate to the feeling of sadness it evokes.
Paul Thomas Anderson's quote reflects a deep, personal connection to cinema and its ability to inspire feelings of sadness, particularly at the end of a film. He suggests that regardless of how many times one experiences this emotion, it remains profound and unchanged, highlighting the enduring power of storytelling and its emotional resonance. The quote resonates with anyone who has felt a sense of loss upon completing a cherished narrative, emphasizing that certain artistic experiences leave a lasting imprint.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a film discussion, reflecting on the emotional weight of a story.
More from Paul Thomas Anderson
All quotes →I really subscribe to that old adage that you should never let the audience get ahead of you for a second. So if the film's abrasive and wrongfoots people then, y'know, that's great. But I hope it involves an audience.
My filmmaking education consisted of finding out what filmmakers I liked were watching, then seeing those films. I learned the technical stuff from books and magazines, and with the new technology you can watch entire movies accompanied by audio commentary from the director. You can learn more from John Sturges' audio track on the 'Bad Day at Black Rock' laserdisc than you can in 20 years of film school. Film school is a complete con, because the information is there if you want it.
I always had a dream about trying to make a movie that had no dialogue in it, that was just music and pictures. I still haven't done it yet, but I tried to get close in the beginning.
It's a gamble you take, the risk of alienating an audience. But there's a theory - sometimes it's better to confuse them for five minutes than let them get ahead of you for 10 seconds.
We’re all children of Kubrick, aren’t we? Is there anything you can do that he hasn’t done?
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