Orson Welles quotes

“I prefer the old masters, by which I mean John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford.”

— Orson Welles

“Movie directing is a perfect refuge for the mediocre.”

— Orson Welles

“One shouldn't ever be conscious of the author as lecturer. When social or moral points are too heavily stressed, I always get uncomfortable.”

— Orson Welles

“Film is like a colony and there are very few colonists.”

— Orson Welles

“I am essentially a hack, a commercial person. If I had a hobby, I would immediately make money on it or abandon it.”

— Orson Welles

“If everyone worked with wide-angle lenses, I'd shoot all my films in 75mm, because I believe very strongly in the possibilities of the 75mm.”

— Orson Welles

“The laws and the stage, both are a form of exhibitionism.”

— Orson Welles

“I have made an art form of the interview. The French are the best interviewers, despite their addiction to the triad, like all Cartesians.”

— Orson Welles

“Ecstasy is not really part of the scene we can do on celluloid.”

— Orson Welles

“There were centuries when civilization had no theater.”

— Orson Welles

“There's no biography so interesting as the one in which the biographer is present.”

— Orson Welles

“The two things you cannot do effectively on stage are pray and copulate.”

— Orson Welles

“Criminals are never very amusing. It's because they're failures. Those who make real money aren't counted as criminals. This is a class distinction, not an ethical problem.”

— Orson Welles

“Each multiplex has screens allocated to each studio. The screens need filling. Studios have to create product to fill their screen, and the amount of good product is limited.”

— Orson Welles