Milos Forman Quotes

Powerful Milos Forman for Daily Growth

About Milos Forman

Miloš Forman (February 18, 1932 – April 13, 2018) was a renowned Czech-American film director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his poignant and thought-provoking films that often explored the human condition. Born in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia, Forman initially aspired to become a musician but shifted his focus to theater after an encounter with Jan Werich, a prominent Czech actor and playwright. Forman's directorial debut, "The Firemen's Ball" (1967), was a satirical take on the Czech communist bureaucracy, earning him international acclaim and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. This success led to his emigration to the United States in 1968, following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. In America, Forman directed a series of films that became landmark pieces of New Hollywood cinema. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Forman, establishing him as a major force in American filmmaking. The film's exploration of mental health institutions and individuality resonated with audiences worldwide. Another significant work was "Amadeus" (1984), a historical biographical film that chronicled the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Forman's vivid portrayal of the composer's life, along with its exploration of jealousy and artistic rivalry, won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Forman once again. Throughout his career, Miloš Forman's films reflected his personal experiences and political views, making him a significant figure in both Czech and American cinema. His poignant portrayals of human struggle and resilience continue to resonate with audiences today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The secret of a good acting performance is simplicity."

Milos Forman's quote emphasizes the importance of authenticity and understatement in acting performances. To achieve a good acting performance, simplicity in execution can effectively convey complex emotions and characters, making them more relatable and impactful to the audience. This means avoiding overly dramatic or exaggerated portrayals, and instead focusing on naturalistic and subtle expressions that resonate with viewers' own experiences and feelings.


"Art is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."

This quote by Milos Forman suggests that creativity, like riding a bike, requires continuous effort and motion to maintain balance and progress. Just as a stationary bike will fall over, stagnant art lacks vitality and impact. To produce meaningful art, artists must constantly challenge themselves, explore new ideas, and push their boundaries, just as a cyclist must pedal to keep moving forward.


"A movie director is a man who has everything under control – except the unspeakable, unpredictable, and often uncontrollable actor."

This quote suggests that a film director maintains control over many aspects of movie-making, such as the script, cinematography, and overall vision, but encounters unpredictability when dealing with actors due to their emotional and creative complexities. The "unspeakable" refers to the inexpressible or intangible elements of an actor's performance that can't be controlled, planned, or predicted with certainty. In essence, Forman acknowledges that while directors strive for control, they must also accommodate the artistic spontaneity and unpredictability inherent in actors to create authentic and compelling characters on screen.


"You can't make films about subjects that don't move you."

This quote emphasizes the importance of genuine passion and emotional connection in filmmaking. Director Miloš Forman is suggesting that to create compelling and authentic films, one must choose topics that genuinely resonate with them, stirring their emotions deeply. The resulting work will reflect this emotional investment, engaging audiences on a profound level.


"I have one rule for myself: I never direct a film I wouldn't want to see myself."

Milos Forman's quote underscores his personal commitment and passion in his work as a director. He ensures that every project he takes on is something he would genuinely appreciate watching, implying that he pours genuine interest and creativity into films he directs, ensuring their quality and authenticity. This self-imposed rule reflects an artist who values artistic integrity above all else.


People must not think that all bad in man which is unleashed, the moment you impose censorship disappears from man.

- Milos Forman

Think, Bad, Which, Impose

Humor was not important only for me, humor was important for this nation for centuries, to survive, you know.

- Milos Forman

Humor, Important, Survive, Centuries

It's not a lighthearted decision to change your language, your country, your citizenship, and come to a world where you don't know anybody, to leave a place where you've had opportunities to build friendships from childhood. That's quite a big decision to make.

- Milos Forman

Big, Country, Lighthearted, Friendships

Mediocrity never goes away - but neither, I hope, do those who are willing to challenge it.

- Milos Forman

Never, Goes, Away, Mediocrity

In Czechoslovakia, we consider Kafka a very funny man. A humorist.

- Milos Forman

Very, Czechoslovakia, Kafka, Humorist

I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press - that's the cornerstone.

- Milos Forman

Tell, In My Opinion, Free Press

You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.

- Milos Forman

Television, Communist, Films, Whistle

Individuals fighting or rebelling against the status quo, the establishment, is good for drama.

- Milos Forman

Drama, Against, Quo, Status Quo

Well, listen, you know, the Czech saying is, you know, when you are drowning you are grabbing even a little twig. That's what all Czechs were doing, grabbing for... with the hope for this little twig.

- Milos Forman

Hope, Doing, Drowning, Twig

Definitely, it would be foolish to try and make my Czech films here in America, as foolish as it is when some Czech filmmakers try to make movies of America in Czechoslovakia.

- Milos Forman

Here, Czechoslovakia, Films, Foolish

The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because I have to think something else and say something else, I have to always control myself.

- Milos Forman

Think, Product, Always, Twists

First of all, whoever didn't want to be a member of this association or the other association, was branded, you know, like a dangerous individualist, you know, infected by the Western decadence, you know. So everybody joined.

- Milos Forman

Other, Infected, Decadence, Branded

And everything is controlled and everybody is a member of some committee, because then their watchdogs placed in the committees can control everything, what this person says or how this person think(s), you know.

- Milos Forman

Committee, Some, Everybody, Committees

I worked with Jack Nitzsche for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' and we'd booked a symphony orchestra. He dismissed them and came with a little man who poured water into glasses of different sizes to make a glass harmonica. And most of the music for the film was that - with some Indian flutes and some drums.

- Milos Forman

Some, Booked, Poured, Nest

If it weren't for 'Cuckoo's Nest,' it would be very difficult for me. It gave me a cushion to live at my artistic pace and not fear I wouldn't have money to live on.

- Milos Forman

Pace, Difficult, Very, Nest

When you make a film, you realize that the audience will be powerless to stop it or flip back to refresh their memories or skip the boring parts. They are at the mercy of your storytelling.

- Milos Forman

Storytelling, Audience, Will, Powerless

So I left with Jean Claude and went to Paris, so when the Russians came to Prague, I was in Paris.

- Milos Forman

Paris, Left, Russians, Prague

When I entered the film school at the Prague Academy in the '50s, it was the hardest time in the Communist countries. The ideological control of the society was almost absolute.

- Milos Forman

Communist, Film School, Prague

Communists love to make films about composers because composers compose music and don't talk subversive things.

- Milos Forman

Love, Films, Composers, Communists

I was born in a small town. My parents, my father was a teacher. My mother was a housewife.

- Milos Forman

Mother, Teacher, Small, Housewife

Well, I wouldn't say that this experience had any influence on my decision to do this film about Andy, because Andy was apolitical. Andy was never political.

- Milos Forman

Decision, Political, About, Apolitical

Milan Kundera was my literature professor. He's a Francophile, so he made us read French novels like 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' which I made a version of many years later as 'Valmont.'

- Milos Forman

Like, Which, Read, Novels

I think if I tried very hard, I could do a novel or a play, a poem. I could possibly paint a picture, but I know I can't write music. And still, it is the most accessible of all arts, as you know when you hear a tune.

- Milos Forman

Play, Very, Accessible, Possibly

I don't mind getting involved in a risky project as long as I don't have to stay married to it if the script turns out lousy.

- Milos Forman

Mind, Project, Long, Risky

And also they were absolutely brilliant in one way, you know: they knew how effective is not to punish somebody who is guilty; what Communist Party members could afford to do was mind-boggling: they could do practically anything they wanted - steal, you know, lie, whatever.

- Milos Forman

Lie, Communist, Steal, Mind-Boggling

We have funny ideas about how people in mental institutions act. We think of drooling and people going booga-booga and climbing the wall. These are exceptional cases.

- Milos Forman

Think, Going, Cases, Climbing

You either have commercial pressure or ideological pressure. I prefer commercial pressure; otherwise, you can be at the mercy of one or two idiots.

- Milos Forman

Commercial, Otherwise, Mercy

First of all, to defend my work, I had to believe that I am doing a totally silly, stupid, innocent comedy.

- Milos Forman

Work, Stupid, Doing, First Of All

I remember in 1968 when we were in Cannes, in the festival, and we were supposed to be there 10 days, and the second day the festival collapsed because the French, you know, film-makers raised the red flag in the festival and ended the festival.

- Milos Forman

I Remember, Flag, Festival, French

Now, after the communist take-over in 1948, the amount of feature films produced dwindled to three a year, while the school was, you know, every year another three, four, five students.

- Milos Forman

Communist, Films, Amount, Produced

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