Perseverance has kept me going over the years. Things rarely happen overnight. Filmmakers should be prepared for many years of hard work. The sheer toil can be healthy and exhilarating.
Werner HerzogRead
You should look straight at a film; that's the only way to see one. Film is not the art of scholars but of illiterates.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Films should be experienced directly rather than analyzed academically, as true understanding comes from emotional engagement.
Werner Herzog emphasizes the importance of experiencing film as a visceral medium rather than a mere academic subject. He argues that film creates a powerful connection with audiences that transcends scholarly analysis, suggesting that those who engage with film on a personal level are the true 'literates' in this art form, capable of grasping its depth and emotional impact.
Themes
FilmArtExperienceEmotionEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared in a film discussion group to highlight the importance of personal experience in watching movies.
More from Werner Herzog
All quotes βHold firm to your vision but don't be a tyrant on set.
Werner HerzogRead
For a moment the feeling crept over me that my work, my vision, is going to destroy me, and for a fleeting moment I let myself take a long, hard look at myself, something I would not otherwise do--out of instinct, on principle, out of self-preservation--look at myself with objective curiosity to see whether my vision has not destroyed me already. I found it comforting to note that I was still breathing.
Werner HerzogRead
Very often, footage that you have shot develops its own dynamic, it's own life, that is totally unexpected, and moves away from you're original intentions. And you have to acknowledge, yes, there is a child growing and developing and moving in a direction that isn't expected-accept it as it is and let it develop its own life.
Werner HerzogRead
Without dreams we would be cows in a field, and I don't want to live like that. I live my life or I end my life with this project.
Werner HerzogRead
Coincidences always happen if you keep your mind open, while storyboards remain the instruments of cowards who do not trust in their own imagination and who are slaves of a matrix If you get used to planning your shots based solely on aesthetics, you are never that far from kitsch.
Werner HerzogRead
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Nothing great or enduring, especially in music, has ever sprung full-fledged and unprecedented from the brain of any master; the best he gives to the world he gathers from the hearts of the people, and runs it through the alembic of his genius.
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Her fine high forehead sloped gently up to where her hair, bordering it like an armorial shield, burst into lovelocks and waves and curlicues of ash blonde and gold. Her eyes were bright, big, clear, wet and shining, the colour of her cheeks was real, breaking close to the surface from the strong young pump of her heart. Her body hovered delicately on the last edge of childhood -- she was almost eighteen, nearly complete, but the dew was still on her.
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When I was born, the doctor looked at my mother and said, "Congratulations, you have an actor!"
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Sometimes I sound like gravel, and sometimes I sound like coffee and cream.
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Beauty . . . cannot be interpreted. It is not an empirically verifiable fact; it is not a quantity.
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Films that are entertainments give simple answers but I think that's ultimately more cynical, as it denies the viewer room to think. If there are more answers at the end, then surely it is a richer experience.
Michael HanekeRead