Lubitsch Quotes & Sayings

The Berlin of the '20s formed the foundation of my future education ... the Berlin of the UFA studios, of Fritz Lang, Lubitsch and Erich Pommer. The Berlin of the architects Gropius, Mendelsohn and Mies van der Rohe. The Berlin of the painters Max Libermann, Grosz, Otto Dix, Klee and Kandinsky. — Ken Adam

Here's what I think ... There is no unfucked up. People think there is, but there's not. We're all fucked up in different ways. It's simply a question of making your fuck-ups work for you.-Aidan — Gemma Burgess

On Ernst Lubitsch: He could do more with a closed door than other directors could do with an open fly. — Billy Wilder

she exuded the air of a woman used to spending her days glowing brightly at the centre of her own, personal solar system. — Kathleen Tessaro

Many immigrant groups have faced hostility. The Irish did in their time. Jews did. Italians did - and now, Muslim immigrants. — Tom Gjelten

Joseph Conrad once wrote that 'it is the peculiarity of Russian natures that however sharply engaged in the drama of action, they are still turning their ear to the murmur of abstract ideas'.106 — S.A. Smith

I sometimes make pictures which are not up to my standard, but then it can only be said of a mediocrity that all his work is up to his standard. — Ernst Lubitsch

You could name the great stars of the silent screen who were finished; the great directors gone; the great title writers who were washed up. But remember this, as long as you live: the producers didn't lose a man. They all made the switch. That's where the great talent is. — Ernst Lubitsch

A tip from Lubitsch: 'Let the audience add up two plus two and they'll love you forever. — Charlotte Chandler

My roommate at Yale University introduced me to the auteur theory of filmmaking. I soon became a big fan of the works of John Ford, Kenji Mizoguchi, Ernst Lubitsch, and Stan Brakhage. I then decided to make my own films! — Lloyd Kaufman

Nobody should try to play comedy unless they have a circus going on inside. — Ernst Lubitsch

In Hollywood we acquire the finest novels in order to smell the leather bindings. — Ernst Lubitsch

Just as we would not traditionally assume that someone is literate if they can read but not write, we should not assume that someone possesses media literacy if they can consume but not express themselves — Henry Jenkins

Suppose that, say, China established military bases in Colombia to carry out chemical warfare in Kentucky and North Carolina to destroy this lethal crop [tobacco] that is killing huge numbers of Chinese. — Noam Chomsky

It is the task of the scenarist to invent little pieces of business that are so characteristic and give so deep an insight into his creatures, that their personalities clearly and organically unfold before the eyes of the audience so that the latter feel that the actions of these people are contingent upon their characters, that there exists some kind of a logical fate, and that nothing is left to mere accident or coincidence. — Ernst Lubitsch

There are directors you never, ever want to get close to. Lubitsch was one. Outside of the work, I don't think I ever said five words to him. Mamet was pretty much the same thing. His mind is working all the time. — Don Ameche

I'm happy with the way I look but I'm not Hollywood beautiful. — Joanne Froggatt

Try to feel that you are beyond time and space when you practice meditation. Go beyond this world, beyond time, beyond life, not a feeling of being spaced out, but in touch with the moment and with eternity. — Frederick Lenz

There was no discussion between them; it was as if the bugs had worked out this whole scenario long ago. Temp put on a burst of speed for the end of the bridge, and Tick turned to face down the army of rats alone. — Suzanne Collins

The sergeants are shunted forward and they blink and stare up at Gonzo as he leans on the edge of his giant mixing bowl. MacArthur never addressed his troops from a mixing bowl
not even one made from a spare geodesic radio emplacement shell
and certainly de Gaulle never did. But Gonzo Lubitsch does, and he does it as if a whole long line of commanders were standing at his shoulder, urging him on.
"Gentlemen," says Gonzo softly, "holidays are over. I need an oven, and I need one in about twenty minutes, or these fine flapjacks will go to waste, and that is not happening."
And something about this statement and the voice in which he says it makes it clear that this is simply true. One way or another, this thing will get done. Under a layer of grime and horror, these two are soldiers, and more, they are productive, can-do sorts of people. Rustily but with a gratitude which is not so far short of worship, they say "Yes, sir" and are about their business. — Nick Harkaway

There are a thousand ways to point a camera, but really only one. — Ernst Lubitsch

By not coming forward, you make yourself a victim forever. — Kelly McGillis

I've been to Paris France and I've been to Paris Paramount. Paris Paramount is better. — Ernst Lubitsch

We should have a funeral," he said.
Pan held his hands clasped in a tent on his lap, and he bowed his head.
He seemed to be trying to recall something, and it was a long time before he finally said, "Our Father. Our Father. Our Father. Amen."
Then he leaned back, and his face was blank again. He smiled, all white teeth. "There. — Jodi Lynn Anderson

Most animal species stuck together in packs or schools, flocks or herds. But human beings separated themselves and sat behind locked doors. — Mia Zabrisky

I'm not sure that I 'am' a philosopher - but I do engage with questions that are generally recognized as philosophical questions, such as the character of human existence and what makes for a good human life. — George Pattison

Directors who have inspired me include Billy Wilder, Federico Fellini, lngmar Bergman, John Ford, Orson Welles, Werner Herzog, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola and Ernst Lubitsch. In art school, I studied painters like Edward Hopper, who used urban motifs, Franz Kafka is my favorite novelist. My approach to film stems from my art background, as I go beyond the story to the sub-conscious mood created by sound and images. — David Lynch

To gain customer insights, we must understand that we are prisoners of what we know and what we believe. — Mohanbir Sawhney

The job of the director is to suggest two plus two. Let the viewer say four. — Ernst Lubitsch

I let the audience use their imaginations. Can I help it if they misconstrue my suggestions? — Ernst Lubitsch

When I was young, I ran to see Astaire and Rogers, Huston, Lubitsch - they were formative for me. I also read 'Flash Gordon' when I was 6, but if I were still reading it when I was 16, I'd have been an imbecile. — Lina Wertmuller