Bob Mondello Quotes

United States, Film Critic
January 1, 1953

Bob Mondello (Washington, D.C.) is an American film critic. He has also been theater critic for Washington City Paper since 1987. Each year, Mondello sees well in excess of 200 films and 100 plays, commenting on them on radio, in print, and in speaking engagements at film clubs and public radio presentations around the country. He has also written for such publications as The Washington Post, USA Today, and Preservation Magazine.

I mean, the paradox is that whereas the screen, it seems to me - the cinema can absorb endless amounts of music, it cannot really with comfort absorb large amounts of words. Not nearly as many words, that is to say, as a stage can.

Bob Mondello
- Music
- Words
- Cinema
The music is not used repetitiously to create film atmosphere. It is, in fact, the leading character.

Bob Mondello

That it might turn into music that would heighten emotion, but not be important in itself.

Bob Mondello
- Music
- Important
- Emotion
The psychological detective story in "Equus" made Peter Shaffer's name as a playwright. But it was his next play, "Amadeus," that cemented his reputation, largely because of the movie version. Another battle of wills, it was the story of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart seen through the eyes of lesser composer Antonio Salieri.

Bob Mondello