Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollackwas a United States born film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 21 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 films or shows, and produced over 44 films. His 1985 film Out of Africa won him Academy Awards for directing and producing; he was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?and Tootsie, in the latter of which he also appeared...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth1 July 1934
CountryUnited States of America
I see my job as trying to entertain you, to be balanced in some way, and morally responsible. I don't want to glorify a killer. I don't want to glorify a rapist. I don't want to do those things, but on the other hand I don't want to lecture to you, either.
My films ought to be judged on whether they're entertaining or good as films, but not on the political view necessarily. I'm trying to be morally responsible and no more. I don't have an agenda I'm trying to push.
People aren't interested in paying $10 or $12 to go to the movies and to be lectured to politically. I'm not either. So I don't try to make those kinds of films.
I'm making a plea for my colleagues and myself, who spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to tell you the story in the best possible way visually. And then someone else has to come in and cut the edges off of all that and pan and scan it. So you're not seeing what story we tried to tell you.
From my point of view I work just as hard, I care just as much, if the films fail it doesn't make me suddenly disown them, it just doesn't.
On the one hand, the businessman in me understands it. But the lover of movies in me wants desperately to hang on to the movie house as a collective experience with the audience.
I'm hands-on in areas where I can make a difference. There's no sense in me standing on set; the director doesn't need me there.
The director is the teller of the film, the director tells the movie, like you would tell a story, except in this case you're telling a movie.
[Stanley] Kubrick was a fascinating, larger than life guy who had been a friend for many years prior to our working together on that film. I found the best part of working with him to be the long conversations we had between set-ups.
It's always interesting to play people different from yourself, it would be boring for me to play myself.
Obviously its a good feeling to know that something you've done has lasted.
I make films, and I hope that people come to see them. If they don't, I pay a big price. But I can't make decisions where I would change my own standards or my own taste in order to court the public in some way.
You mustn't regret decisions that you make. Because the decisions are made out of your gut in a way and you have to stick with them.
When you work without a script, you are in a sense working in a much more improvisational way than when you are prepared totally.