Daily Archive: March 8, 2023

“A number of images put together a certain way become something quite above and beyond what any of them are individually.”

And

“Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos.”

And

“Art depends on luck and talent.”

And

“I became quite successful very young, and it was mainly because I was so enthusiastic and I just worked so hard at it.”

And

“It’s ironic that at age 32, at probably the greatest moment of my career, with The Godfather having such an enormous success, I wasn’t even aware of it, because I was somewhere else under the deadline again.”

And

“The stuff that I got in trouble for, the casting for The Godfather or the flag scene in Patton, was the stuff that was remembered, and was considered the good work.”

And

“You have to really be courageous about your instincts and your ideas. Otherwise you’ll just knuckle under, and things that might have been memorable will be lost.”

And

“You ought to love what you’re doing because, especially in a movie, over time you really will start to hate it.”

And

“I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made film were magicians.”

And

“I believe that filmmaking – as, probably, is everything – is a game you should play with all your cards, and all your dice, and whatever else you’ve got. So, each time I make a movie, I give it everything I have. I think everyone should, and I think everyone should do everything they do that way.”

And

“I associate my motion picture career more with being unhappy and scared, or being under the gun, than with anything pleasant.”

And

“The essence of cinema is editing. It’s the combination of what can be extraordinary images of people during emotional moments, or images in a general sense, put together in a kind of alchemy.”

And

On his film, “Apocalypse Now”, at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival: “My movie is not about Vietnam… my movie is Vietnam.”

And

“Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos.”

And

“Lots of people have criticized my movies, but nobody has ever identified the real problem: I’m a sloppy filmmaker.”

And

“The Godfather changed my life, for better or worse. It definitely made me have an older man’s film career when I was 29. So now I say, ‘If I had my older career when I was young, as an older man, maybe I can have a young film-maker’s career.'”

And

“Brando wants to do what you want, but he wants people to be honest and not try to manipulate him.”

And

“Marlon was never hard to work with. His behaviour was a little eccentric on the set. He was like a bad boy and did what he wanted. But as an actor he was never hard to work with.”

And

“I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country.

Men, all this stuff you’ve heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooters, the fastest runners, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That’s why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.

Now, an army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday

Evening Post don’t know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating.

Now, we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. You know, by God I, I actually pity those poor bastards we’re going up against, by God, I do.

We’re not just going to shoot the bastards; we’re going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We’re going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel.

Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you’ll chicken out under fire. Don’t worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty.

The Nazis are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend’s face, you’ll know what to do.

Now there’s another thing I want you to remember: I don’t want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We’re not holding anything. Let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly and we’re not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy. We’re going to hold onto him by the nose and we’re going to kick him in the ass. We’re going to kick the hell out of him all the time and we’re going to go through him like crap through a goose.

Now, there’s one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home. And you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you: “What did you do in the great World War II?” You won’t have to say, “Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.”

Alright, now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel. Oh… I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.

That’s all.” Opening Speech by George C. Scott playing General Patton in move Patton

And

“It was here. The battlefield was here. The Carthaginians defending the city were attacked by three Roman Legions. The Carthaginians were proud and brave but they couldn’t hold. They were massacred. The Arab women stripped them of the tunics and swords, and lances. And the soldiers lay naked in the sun. 2000 years ago. I was here. (Looking at Bradley) You don’t believe me, do you Brad?

You know what the poet said:
‘Through the travail of ages,
Midst the pomp and toils of war,
Have I fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon a star.
As if through a glass, and darkly
The age-old strife I see—
Where I fought in many guises, many names—
but always me.’
Do you know who the poet was? Me.” Battle of Carthage Scene, movie Patton

And

“All Mighty and most merciful Father, We humbly beseech Thee, of thy great goodness to restrain this immoderate weather with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.” Weather Prayer, move Patton

Wikipedia: Francis Ford Coppola

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