Author Profile
Bruce Beresford
1940 • Australian • Director
28
Total Quotes
Collected Meditations
Showing 28 quotesWith Cold Sassy Tree having its first production, I saw no necessity to do anything other than produce it with the correct setting.— Bruce Beresford
With a film, I do my best to understand the author's intentions and try to bring the characters to life.— Bruce Beresford
When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match.— Bruce Beresford
When I was 24 I went to Nigeria and it was such a culture shock, growing up in Australia and suddenly being the only white man in this unit full of black men.— Bruce Beresford
The music of the most popular operas is so highly esteemed, it can stand endless revivals.— Bruce Beresford
Quite a few operas are still being commissioned around the world, although nothing apart from audience popularity can ensure more than a few performances.— Bruce Beresford
On stage, the audience watches from a fixed viewpoint and the director cannot retake something he doesn't like. It has to work straight through.— Bruce Beresford
In silent movies, they tended to put the camera down, and everybody walked in front of it and acted, and then they all walked off. Cutting was quite infrequent.— Bruce Beresford
In opera, everyone's watching from a fixed viewpoint, and that really challenges you. Lighting, the sets, stage groupings, the music-but doesn't relate too much to film.— Bruce Beresford
Directing an opera is similar to directing a play. The singing must not get in the way of the drama.— Bruce Beresford
It's not enough to hit the notes. There is no point in the singers just standing there and sounding wonderful if they're not connecting with the characters they are portraying.— Bruce Beresford
At HBO, they seem to be well-informed. They make what I think are really quite mature films.— Bruce Beresford
Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.— Bruce Beresford
Tender Mercies is a very low-budget film, but it was a huge budget compared to anything I had done in Australia. My fee for Tender Mercies was something like five times all of my Australian films combined.— Bruce Beresford
I don't rehearse films as much as opera or theatre. When I began directing films I thought a long rehearsal was a good idea. Experience showed me that the best performance was often left in a rehearsal room.— Bruce Beresford