If I don't have a script I adore, I do one I like. If I don't have one I like, I do one that has an actor I like or that presents some technical challenge.
Sidney LumetRead
Suffice to say that the theme (the WHAT of the movie) is going to determine the style (the HOW of the movie).
Interpretation
What this quote means
The theme of a movie shapes its style, impacting how it is presented to the audience.
Sidney Lumet's quote emphasizes the intrinsic relationship between a film's theme and its stylistic choices. The 'WHAT' refers to the underlying message or subject matter of the film, while the 'HOW' relates to the techniques and methods employed in storytelling and cinematography, suggesting that the narrative intent fundamentally influences the aesthetic and execution of the film.
Themes
ThemeStyleFilmArtCinematography
In practice
Example use cases
In a film class discussion about how theme influences cinematic techniques.
More from Sidney Lumet
All quotes βEverything becomes creative if the person doing the job is
Sidney LumetRead
There's no such thing as a small part. There are just small actors.
Sidney LumetRead
Similar quotes
Sculpture is the art of the hole and the lump.
Auguste RodinRead
I feel that buildings often have a workaday aspect that you see during the daylight hours, and a more resplendent side that emerges after dark.
James TurrellRead
The world around us is in a sea change, and I think the glory of art is that it cannot only survive change, it can lead it
Robert RedfordRead
Tasting a dish should be memorable If nothing remains in the memory of a single guest, then I have made a mistake.
Alain DucasseRead
I was pirouette and flourish, I was filigree and flame. How could I count my blessings when I didn't know their names?
Rita DoveRead
THE SUFFERING OF GENIUS AND ITS VALUE. The artistic genius desires to give pleasure, but if his mind is on a very high plane he does not easily find anyone to share his pleasure; he offers entertainment but nobody accepts it. That gives him, in certain circumstances, a comically touching pathos; for he has no right to force pleasure on men. He pipes, but none will dance: can that be tragic?
Friedrich NietzscheRead