Edward Dmytryk Quotes

United States, Film Director
September 4, 1908 – July, 1, 1999.

Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was a Canadian-born American film director. He was known for his 1940s noir films and received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for Crossfire (1947). In 1947 he was named as one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of blacklisted film industry professionals who refused to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in their investigations during the McCarthy-era 'Red scare'. They all served time in prison for contempt of Congress. In 1951, however, Dmytryk did testify to HUAC and rehabilitated his career.

I knew that if it ever got down to a choice between the Party and our traditional democratic structure I would fight the Party and our traditional democratic structure I would fight the Party to the bitter end.

Edward Dmytryk
- Party
- Bitter
I was surprised to see the meeting was of Communists and the whole meeting was along Communist lines.

Edward Dmytryk

Technical skill counts for nothing if it is used only to manufacture films which have little to do with humanity.

Edward Dmytryk
- Humanity
In art, the obvious is a sin.

Edward Dmytryk
- Art
The only reason for using another cut is to improve the scene.

Edward Dmytryk
I only knew a few people, literally a handful of people, al of whom had been in the Party long before I was, all of whom were known by the FBI and were known to the Committee.

Edward Dmytryk
- People
- Long
- Party
With me it was that defending the Communist Party was something worse than naming the names.

Edward Dmytryk
- Party
I believed that I was being forced to sacrifice my family and my career in defense of the Communist Party, from which I had long been separated and which I had grown to dislike and distrust.

Edward Dmytryk
- Long
- Family
- Career

The film's dramatic requirements should always take precedence over the mere aesthetics of editing.

Edward Dmytryk
Not a single person I named hadn't already been named at least a half-dozen times and wasn't already on he blacklist.

Edward Dmytryk
- Single