Sydney Pollack Quotes

United States, Film Director
July 1, 1934 – May, 26, 2008.

Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies 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? (1969) and Tootsie (1982) in which he also appeared.

Also known as Producer, Actor

Film is a collective experience, as you know.

Sydney Pollack
With a movie you're creating from the beginning this particular work, let's not call it work of art, because very few movies are works of art, let's just call them bits of popular culture, whatever they are, sometimes very rarely by accident a movie becomes a work of art.

Sydney Pollack
- Culture
- Movies
- Creating

You know, essentially when you do a play you're reinterpreting a work of art that already exists. That's not what happens with a movie.

Sydney Pollack
- Work
- Movie
- Play
I mean, the truth of the matter is, I like the failures as much as I like the successes, it's only the world that doesn't like the failures.

Sydney Pollack
- Truth
- Matter
- Failures
I've spent most of my life trying to make actors comfortable, which I think is 90 percent of getting a good performance.

Sydney Pollack
The very reasons sometimes that you make a film are the reasons for its failure.

Sydney Pollack
- Film
- Failure
- Reasons
When you make a film you usually make a film about an idea.

Sydney Pollack
- Film
- Idea
- Make
Well, there's no question that a good script is an absolutely essential, maybe the essential thing for a movie.

Sydney Pollack
- Movie
- Script
- Essential

I think it's a terrible shame that politics has become show business.

Sydney Pollack
I didn't believe that I'd ever be lucky enough to be able to make a living as an actor.

Sydney Pollack
- Actor
- Living
- Make