This is something I have kept rolling around in my head for a number of years… probably 20 now, given the copyright date on the film from which it stems. It’s a quote from an interview which Francis Ford Coppola gave while on set during the filming of his epic motion picture Apocalypse Now. It’s a powerful thought and the fundamental sentiment stayed with me and continues to guide the work I do. It tracks over to everything in life, not just art or in this case the film medium. I trust you will get it.
Nothing is so terrible as a pretentious movie. I mean a movie that aspires for something really terrific and doesn’t pull it off is shit, it’s scum…and everyone will walk on it as such. And that’s why poor filmmakers in a way – that’s their greatest horror – is to be pretentious. So here you are on one hand that’s trying to aspire to really do something, and on the other hand you’re not allowed to be pretentious. And finally you say, ‘fuck it.’ I don’t care if I’m pretentious or not pretentious or if I’ve done it or I haven’t done it. All I know is that I am going to see this movie. And that for me it has to have some answers. And by answers I don’t mean just a punch line, answers on about 47 different levels.
I could not find it transcribed anywhere on the Internet. It’s possible it is out there in script format or some other means. I really don’t care; I wanted to see it here. You can view the video if you want. There is more to it than in the quote above. I recommend you watch the entire documentary and put this quote in its proper context.
Filed under: Film Tagged: | pretentiousness
