Alfred Hitchcock? François Truffaut? Grace Kelly? Sam Mendes? Dear Quote Investigator: Director Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense and horror. For decades his filmmaking techniques have been closely studied by other directors, screenwriters, and critics. One observer uncovered a disquieting connection between Hitchcock’s portrayal of homicide and intimacy: The murder scenes are filmed like …
Category Archives: Francois Truffaut
Drama Is Life with the Dull Bits Cut Out
Alfred Hitchcock? Leonard Lyons? François Truffaut? Steven Rattner? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Thrill master Alfred Hitchcock made a brilliant observation about storytelling requiring the excision of “dull bits” or “boring bits” from a narrative. Would you please help me to find a citation that presents the precise phrasing for this remark? Quote Investigator: In 1956 …
MacGuffin Is the Term We Use To Cover All that Sort of Thing: To Steal Plans or Documents, or Discover a Secret, It Doesn’t Matter What It Is
Alfred Hitchcock? Elbert Hubbard? Theodore Parker? François Truffaut? Dear Quote Investigator: The influential English film director Alfred Hitchcock employed the term MacGuffin when he discussed the plots of his movies. He also told a peculiar story to explain the meaning of the term. Would you please explore this topic? Quote Investigator: In 1967 the prominent …
Believe Those Who Are Seeking the Truth; Doubt Those Who Find It
Václav Havel? André Gide? François Truffaut? Marcel Proust? John Dingell Sr.? Luis Buñuel? Amanda Palmer? Voltaire? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a provocative saying about leadership, discipleship, and the search for truth that is commonly attributed to the Czech statesman Václav Havel who passed away in 2011. Here are two versions: Follow the man …
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