Krzysztof Zanussi - Quotes

Going against the wall: I realized that I would have to fight for my films — to defend my artistic freedom.
Zanussi, Krysztof.

We have gone into the mass media epoch; an age which has often prevented the growth of culture in its history. We have not yet made films for a simple audience — perfume for the masses.
Zanussi, Krysztof.

Many worthless films are created which imitate American models.
Zanussi, Krysztof.

A film about hope, life and death — therefore about everything which is important.
Zanussi, Krysztof.

I believe that one cannot appreciate life without appreciating death.
Zanussi, Krysztof.

Is it ethically okay to use people whose moral record is dubious if they are acting accordingly to their biography?
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

You know some closet homosexual actors must not ever play homosexuals because they will always try to show that "I am acting but that is not me". While straight actors, sometimes, play marvelous homosexuals because they have no inhibition. They say "Alright I will imitate somebody's behavior, it's not my behavior, there is no suspicion, I have no complex about it." Sometimes with evil people, sometimes somebody who is innocent like a lamb will play very good in a convincing way terrible scoundrel. What shows what is potential but not actually in him or her.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

We are all potentially murderers. Fortunately most of us don't follow some of our instincts.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

For actor, the biggest challenge is to act not following what he is actually is doing but following what he potentially could have been but is not.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

Basic in writing is to find clear view of life which applies to this particular story. But what is the problem, especially in Europe our days, is the shifting point of view. That in one scene you have one view of life but in another scene you have different view of life and then they collide. We must have a consistent view: what is good and what is evil what we like what we dislike and why? And of course sometimes we like and dislike the same thing but you have to play consciously about it, otherwise you confuse people. And this is the problem. Sometimes this problem is very painful.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

Some scripts are born in an unhappy way because the story is not coinciding with your intentions, it carries you somewhere else. And very often in the middle of writing, I feel that the story brings me somewhere and sometimes I am angry and want to have a different ending. But this ending happens in a natural way ... this is a natural and this is a fantastic experience.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

This is the brightest moments of my life when sometimes I overcome some difficulty and the script starts to write.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

But the moment when you start to feel the characters have a life and that you are only instrumental, that is you don't own them anymore ... its fantastic.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

I will be far more concerned about fantasy if your imagination is strong enough that you can't face this reality and not necessarily that you have experience of the reality, some people are blind of the reality.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

Some of you have seen the film of my good colleague Roman Polansky the pianist. I knew the character.The secret of his survival was that he was absolutely fixing men. He did not perceive what was happening around. That's why he survived. It is not more present in the field. It is more present in his writing because in the field you see what is surrounding him. But had he been more open to the world, he would have died. He would have committed suicide seeing what happened to his family, to other Jews, to other people in his city. Fortunately, he had this very narrow vision that some musicians and mathematicians sometimes have. So his own perception of his own life was very inadequate and that is why he survived. And of course actor who is acting had the very same challenge. He had to react in a very limited way and not in a way that probably most of you have reacted ... so it is not really necessary to have this experience but to have imagination, to have fantasy. And if your fantasy is strong and it leads you, you may be inspired actor and play even extra-terrestrial in convincing way. None of us have experience at being extra-terrestrial unless I don't recognize you.
Zanussi, Krysztof. "Krysztof Zanussi at Hunter College." (Video.) in: European Graduate School. February 20, 2009.

It is such a palindrome that the physicist becomes a filmmaker.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

It is when I point out or underline that when we look back on our life most things seem to be logical and consequential, and has a reason behind it. But when we look forward, when I was sitting on the crossroads I didn't know what to do, I was desperate and I was very miserable. I knew that I wasted four years on physics and I discovered that my invocation is not the matter but humans, and I should do something with humans. And four years were a parody lost. Now I know they were not lost. They were very precious years because learning physics, I've learned a lot about not only science but also about human beings.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

...so, under Communist Regime, Physics was a kind of a ... of a sanctuary for free-minded people. And not by chance. So many of them later on turn out so important as freedom fighters. Not by coincidence ... they got to risk their careers, their freedom, because they couldn't accept what was going on, so it was very precious experience for me to among physicists. And I still conserve many friendships, but matter was not my cup of tea, and I had to do something else. I studied Philosophy for another 3 years and I ended up as a filmmaker.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

I really got a great satisfaction from my profession.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

In spite of all the shortcomings, in spite of all the frustrations, it is such a joy to have a profession when you make ... may have an impact on people and may express something what you cannot express by words. Well ... it's a long way to praise cinema. In spite of all these limitations, of all these bad sides, cinema was a blessing for me and I am so grateful that I am able to work in cinema.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

There is always a fight. And this fight is a mostly inner fight, because we are all tempted by money, fast money, easy popularity, cheap career. And we must not blame the world for it. We must blame ourselves for wrong choices. However, sometimes choices are traumatic sometimes choices are really based on survival. But most cases, I know people who chose, they chose because of their opportunism, careerism, and then they pay the price. And that's a natural thing, they can't complain about it; that's how the world is built.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

As death is unbeatable and death is a fact of life, it is cowardly not to think about it. We have to think about it, confront it, and to evaluate all that we have and all that we do in light of future death. And it makes us richer and it is question of truth so it is linked to dignity.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

Cowardly life is undignified and it comes from a risky culture that tries to domesticate death as if it was a bet that you can just caress death and just die smiling ... it is a terrible lie, because every death of a human being is a cosmic catastrophe.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

If you are religious or not you must have a vision of a drama which is linked to the fact that one day as you close your eyes and there is nothing, or there is something but all that was in the past is closed chapter. And, I bring this up in many of my films ... and I think it helps people. It helps people to understand that this is an end, an end that we will all meet one day.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

As novels do not age that fast, films should not either. They should have long life.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

If cinema didn't reach its peak, it is not decadent yet.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

It is not our right to have geniuses among us. It is a blessing that sometimes comes and comes and sometimes not.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

It is our inner enemy that we have to fight all the time. This inner barbarism, this egoism, it is in me, it is not you it is me.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

Nobody promised us that life is not going to be difficult. It's supposed to be difficult. So there's never enough freedom. In fact there is no freedom. We have to fight for our freedom. Freedom cannot be given, cannot be given by the greed.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

If there is somebody to blame, and something that is worth while to be reminded is the viewer, is the spectator. Who is choosing these problems? Who choose television to watch all this trash? If you do, you are guilty. Because you encourage this kind of production. If there is no audience, there is no temptation, there is no challenge. And everybody is free to switch off the t.v. set. And now everybody is free to search for a good nutrition ... and look how much time will pass watching and examining what is good food for us; what has cholesterol, what has not, what is fresh, what is artificial, what is chemical, we talk for hours ... and what about spiritual food? What we watch is also leaving some kind of contamination, it is a spiritual pollution, and we choose it.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

The way we watch television is also our choice. We often watch it unprotected, because when you are tired you must not watch television, it is wrong. When you are tired you should take a walk or take a bath. But when you watch something you have to be critical, you have to be able make the choice to be open to the dialogue and not let somebody guide you, because then you will be misled by somebody, you will be seduced by the evil. So it is a freedom of choice. Watching television and what you tune into and how you dispose your time, your strengths is quite important.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

Rubbish is always available.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

We all either grow or shrink. There is no way to stay in one position. So ... it is our choice.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

Look how much time people waste looking for natural food. Why don't they look with same intensity for healthy product they can watch, or listen or read. We should make the same effort.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

When you are able to overcome your limitation ... this is spirituality. Success is not apparent. Success is when we win over our own limitations.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

We want to have the illusion that we are in the park. This is not true. Life does not confirm this illusion.
Zannusi, Krzysztof, Maria Wagner and Gregory Pearse (Interviewers). "Zanussi at Rice: A Film-Interview." in: Cinema Seekers. February 5, 2007 (English).

When I read Nietzsche I am really ... well, I'm ...I'm totally destroyed.
Zannusi, Krysztof. "Writing, Art and Illusion."(Video) in: European Graduate School. 2003.

On the contrary, I really believe I do have the temperament and see myself as performing certain public functions. It seems to me that I've given clear evidence that I can be useful not only in the role of film director.
Zannusi, Krzysztof and Zdzislaw Pietrasik (Interviewer). "Applause for a Donkey: An Interview with Krzysztof Zanussi." in: Performing Arts Journal. Vol. 12, No. 2/3, 1990, p. 21-28. (English).

Television today should give society a feeling of confidence. In order to accomplish that, people have to be replaced.
Zannusi, Krzysztof and Zdzislaw Pietrasik (Interviewer). "Applause for a Donkey: An Interview with Krzysztof Zanussi." in: Performing Arts Journal. Vol. 12, No. 2/3, 1990, p. 21-28. (English).