Michael Cimino Quotes

I wish I was making movies back in the days when John Ford made movies and you were a director under contract to a studio. John Ford had years when he made three movies in a year.

- Michael Cimino

I Wish, Making, Studio, Ford

I've got a room full of scripts. They go to the ceiling. I can't even hardly walk into it anymore. Most are original, and there are some adaptations like 'Man's Fate.'

- Michael Cimino

Fate, Original, Some, Ceiling

Every good war film, if you want to use that phrase - I don't think it's a good phrase, but if you want to use that phrase - every good film, a first-rate film about war, is an anti-war movie.

- Michael Cimino

Think, Movie, Use, First-Rate

I think 'American Sniper' is anti-war. It demonstrates the agony of the decision-making that goes on.

- Michael Cimino

Think, I Think, Agony, Anti-War

What distinguishes Vilmos Zsigmond from other cinematographers is, of course, talent but, more, physical stamina. You just can't be great without it.

- Michael Cimino

Great, More, Other, Stamina

There's a need to dig up the past and analyze it.

- Michael Cimino

Past, Dig, Need, Analyze

Working-class, blue-collar guys who volunteered for Vietnam were ascribed certain political beliefs. It's time that this was redressed. It had nothing to do with politics. Once these men got to Vietnam, it was a matter of survival.

- Michael Cimino

Working-Class, Volunteered, Blue-Collar

I was a child prodigy. Like Michelangelo, who could draw a perfect circle at age five. I was extremely gifted. I could paint a perfect portrait of someone at age five.

- Michael Cimino

Perfect, Like, Could, Prodigy

Every great movie is about the people, even if it's a great popular success like 'Gone With the Wind.' It's really not about the Civil War. It's about Scarlett and Rhett. That's who you go to see. You're not going to root for the North or pull for the South, or, you know, it's the people you remember.

- Michael Cimino

Movie, South, North, Great Movie

When a guy is perceived as macho, female editors aren't going to like it - because they all want to be men.

- Michael Cimino

Want, Like, Going, Macho

Even the details of a rifle, which are nothing but mechanical, if they are made carefully, with attention, become beautiful, satisfying.

- Michael Cimino

Made, Carefully, Which, Satisfying

There's no service ribbon for people who fought in Korea. We lost over 30,000 men between 1951 and 1953 - as many as we lost in 15 years in Vietnam.

- Michael Cimino

Over, Vietnam, Fought, Ribbon

It's very important to follow your instincts because, beyond what you know exists or what you're told exists in a given area, your intuition plays a big part in finding something special.

- Michael Cimino

Very, Area, Given, Something Special

The Indians believe all things have spirit - even the hail that comes from the sky is spirit. If you believe that, which I implicitly do, everything is alive.

- Michael Cimino

Sky, Alive, Which, Hail

'Leaving Las Vegas' is a relationship; 'Dead Man Walking' is a relationship, and they're very contained movies. They're compressed and not in wide open spaces all over the place.

- Michael Cimino

Over, Very, Las Vegas, Spaces

I would never suggest that the geography or visual environment of the film is more important than what's going on with the people, but it's a major factor in getting the right tone. Certainly, it influences the actors tremendously.

- Michael Cimino

Tone, Going, Certainly, Factor

You couldn't make 'Heaven's Gate' today. Even were you to quadruple the resources to make the movie, you couldn't make it because the people don't exist.

- Michael Cimino

People, Movie, Resources, Gate

All of those years, I felt like 'Heaven's Gate' was a beautiful, fantastically colored balloon tied to a string fastened to my wrist, so the balloon could never fly.

- Michael Cimino

Balloon, String, Tied, Gate

Journalism is not writing.

- Michael Cimino

Writing, Journalism

I don't dispute the accounts of My Lai 4, but I think that anyone who is a student of the war, or anyone who was there, would agree that anything you could imagine happening probably happened.

- Michael Cimino

Think, I Think, Dispute, Accounts

It's silly - you go to a plastic chapel in Vegas, you get married in 10 minutes, and it takes you 10 years to get divorced.

- Michael Cimino

Silly, Vegas, Minutes, Get Married

I've published a couple of short novels in France that I didn't want to publish in English because I loved the characters too much to subject them to American critics who were not exactly favorable toward my work.

- Michael Cimino

American, Couple, Subject, Novels

Movies are about people; there're not about ideas. It's like great novels. Great novels are not about ideas. There's never been a great novel about ideas.

- Michael Cimino

Like, Been, About, Novels

It's always a daily struggle to write.

- Michael Cimino

Daily, Always, Write, Struggle

Most people I knew had been crippled by their educations. Some were even dying spiritually.

- Michael Cimino

Some, Been, Knew, Educations

On a movie, you often work fourteen-, sixteen-hour days, six days a week, for six months. It is so easy to let up because of fatigue.

- Michael Cimino

Week, Six, Months, Six Days

Would you ask Picasso to explain 'Guernica?' Would you ask Nabokov to explain 'Lolita?' Would you ask Tolstoy about 'War and Peace?' No, you wouldn't dare.

- Michael Cimino

War, Explain, About, Tolstoy

A film reflects who you are as a building reflects the soul of its architect. I think what you feel and what you think and what you are is what the film is. It's not for me to talk about.

- Michael Cimino

Soul, Think, I Think, Reflects

I'm a frustrated would-be architect who stumbled into the would-be business of making movies.

- Michael Cimino

Movies, Making, Frustrated, Stumbled

It's one of the wonderful things that the Academy does - a talented person comes along like Mira Sorvino, and it elevates them up to stardom.

- Michael Cimino

Wonderful, Like, Them, Wonderful Things

There's nothing but brutality and bravery or cowardice that comes out of war. That's pretty much it.

- Michael Cimino

Nothing, Pretty, Brutality, Bravery

A film maker's energy and creativity don't have to end when he turns over his film.

- Michael Cimino

Over, His, Maker, Energy

I never second-guess myself.

- Michael Cimino

Myself, Never, Second-Guess

All one has to do is look at old footage of the firebombing of Dresden during World War II and think of the people beneath those bombs. It's horrific.

- Michael Cimino

Think, Old, Beneath, World War II

I felt the need to unlearn my formal education.

- Michael Cimino

Education, Need, Formal, Unlearn

I am not a preacher; I'm a reacher.

- Michael Cimino

I Am, Am, Preacher

It was just - I mean, 6,000 people giving you a standing ovation is quite an experience.

- Michael Cimino

Mean, Standing, Quite, Ovation

They've said everything about me that they could: racist, Marxist, rightist, homophobic, sex change - I don't know what else they could come up with.

- Michael Cimino

Change, Sex, Could, Marxist

What we forget is that the Academy is a star-maker, or it reinforces the stardom of people.

- Michael Cimino

People, Forget, Academy, Stardom

Who cares about seeing 10,000 helicopter assaults? That's spectacle.

- Michael Cimino

Seeing, Cares, Spectacle, Who Cares

Does anyone remember who shot Kubrick's movies? Do you remember who shot David Lean's movies? No one remembers who shot 'Dr. Strangelove' or 'Barry Lyndon.'

- Michael Cimino

Barry, Lyndon, Kubrick, Remembers

We all want to experience that in our lives - a moment when we're two feet off the ground - and making movies gives you that opportunity. It comes and it goes so fast that it's unreal, but it does happen.

- Michael Cimino

Feet, Making Movies, Our, Our Lives

There's nothing good that comes out of war. It's simply hell on earth, and people survive, and people don't.

- Michael Cimino

War, Nothing, Survive, Simply

I've had enough rejection for 33 years. I don't need more.

- Michael Cimino

More, Need, Had Enough, Rejection

I have no interest in making a 'Vietnam' film, no interest in making a direct political statement.

- Michael Cimino

Political Statement, Vietnam

War is war. Vietnam is no different from the Crusades.

- Michael Cimino

War, Different, Crusades, Vietnam

Hollywood has always been crazy. It's controlled anarchy. But how can you loathe something that has given you so much?

- Michael Cimino

Always, Been, Given, Anarchy

Making movies is controlled anarchy, chaos.

- Michael Cimino

Movies, Making, Controlled, Anarchy

Encountering a real place enhances the performances of actors in subtle ways and changes the spiritual texture of the film.

- Michael Cimino

Changes, Texture, Real Place, Enhances

I feel very, very upset that, when it came time for me to get an Academy Award, that I didn't especially thank Clint Eastwood.

- Michael Cimino

Upset, Very, Eastwood, Clint

When I was fifteen, I spent three weeks driving all over Brooklyn with a guy who was following his girlfriend.

- Michael Cimino

Over, Fifteen, Weeks, Following

I have a very simple definition of a good movie: a good movie makes you forget you're watching a movie.

- Michael Cimino

Forget, Movie, Very, Good Movie

I love to scout locations.

- Michael Cimino

Love, I Love, Locations, Scout

If you can't stop somebody from working and making movies that you hate, what's the next best thing? Destroy them personally.

- Michael Cimino

Destroy, Next, Making, Making Movies

I cut 'Deer Hunter' myself.

- Michael Cimino

Myself, Deer, Cut, Hunter

'Deer Hunter' is a movie; it is not an attempt to write history.

- Michael Cimino

History, Deer, Movie, Hunter

Because people don't see me around a lot, I'm the source of all sorts of rumour.

- Michael Cimino

Me, See, Lot, Rumour

Nobody lives without making mistakes.

- Michael Cimino

Making Mistakes, Making, Nobody

There have been so many false things written about me by people who don't know me.

- Michael Cimino

Been, False, Things, Written

Anybody who says they're bitter is sick in their soul. They've given up.

- Michael Cimino

Soul, Anybody, Given, Bitter

It's one of the things that movies do offer you, despite all of their hardships - they offer you moments of transcendence.

- Michael Cimino

Movies, Hardships, Despite

Friendship and sentiment and the giving of one's words are very important.

- Michael Cimino

Important, Very, Sentiment, Giving

I have no personal life.

- Michael Cimino

Life, Personal, Personal Life

Writing, by nature, is a fairly solitary occupation.

- Michael Cimino

Nature, Writing, Occupation, Fairly

Being infamous is not fun. It becomes a weird occupation in and of itself.

- Michael Cimino

Weird, Itself, Occupation, Infamous

When the rich kids got together, the most we ever did was cross against a red light.

- Michael Cimino

Rich, Against, Got, Cross

Movie-making ain't for sissies.

- Michael Cimino

Sissies

I don't believe in defeat.

- Michael Cimino

Believe, Defeat

There is always that need to feel that you're doing your possible best.

- Michael Cimino

Doing, Need, Always, Possible

Family politics are worse than world politics. That's all I can say. You don't get to choose your family; you get to choose your friends. Your family is imposed upon you.

- Michael Cimino

Politics, Choose, Say, Imposed

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