John Schlesinger quotes

John Schlesinger was a British film and television director, acclaimed for his impactful and often provocative works. Notable for directing classics such as "Midnight Cowboy" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday", his films addressed complex social themes. He influenced generations of filmmakers and left a lasting mark on international cinema. Here are 10 of his quotes:

Symbolism perhaps is a bit in your face, and I've tried my best to control that as best I can as I've grown older and thought that one could approach something with a little more subtlety.

John Schlesinger

I'll never forget the first screening at the Berlin Film Festival. As soon as the film ended there was an outbreak of booing, which made us look at each other with some surprise.

John Schlesinger

That attitude toward women as objects may have worked for the late Sixties, but it doesn't do so now.

John Schlesinger

There are certain actors who are very good at improvising, like Dustin Hoffman and Glenda Jackson.

John Schlesinger

Oh, the relationship with actors and managers and agents and things is a terrible problem sometimes.

John Schlesinger

I've never felt that using something with tongue in cheek has been a bad thing.

John Schlesinger

I met a hustler at a dinner party. He had been invited because I was looking for an adviser to help me with the street scenes. So we put him on the film.

John Schlesinger

We taped all this and then got it transcribed and picked the best lines or ideas or ways to take a scene. I've done that many times, and it can improve the script but also wreck a perfectly good scene.

John Schlesinger

No, United Artists was a very extraordinary organization, because once they had agreed on the director, they believed in letting him have his way. They trusted me, and that doesn't often happen.

John Schlesinger