Bruce Beresford Quotes
Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.
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.
In Australia, they set up a special fund to kick films off. It was quite an enlightened sort of move. You could go to this government bureau with scripts and and get finance for films.
When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match.
Quite a few operas are still being commissioned around the world, although nothing apart from audience popularity can ensure more than a few performances.
Perhaps the most difficult thing is shooting scenes set 6,000 feet up in the mountains of Mexico.
The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than ever.
At HBO, they seem to be well-informed. They make what I think are really quite mature films.
With Cold Sassy Tree having its first production, I saw no necessity to do anything other than produce it with the correct setting.
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.
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.
In my view, the operas of Carlisle Floyd will find a place in the permanent repertoire.
I'd really been interested in opera when I was about 16, and I really like staging them.
Directing an opera is similar to directing a play. The singing must not get in the way of the drama.
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.
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.
The music of the most popular operas is so highly esteemed, it can stand endless revivals.
Film is shot in fragments, and the same moments can be shot again and again until the director is satisfied.
With a film, I do my best to understand the author's intentions and try to bring the characters to life.
There were movies that always made me want to be a director. You see brilliant scenes and the way the emotions were handled. I thought, I'd really like to do that.
