Quotes by John Frankenheimer

About John Frankenheimer:

John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits were Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Seven Days in May (1964), The Train (1964), Seconds (1966), Grand Prix (1966), French Connection II (1975), Black Sunday (1977), and Ronin (1998).
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I feel that my job is to create an atmosphere where creative people can do their best work.

John Frankenheimer

And I kind of feel that I have a responsibility to the people that invest their time and money with me to show up on the set every day and do the best of which I am capable.

John Frankenheimer

First, speaking for myself, I don't want to ever be in a position where I'm telling other directors how to make movies, because I don't think it's any of my business.

John Frankenheimer

It's very eclectic, the way one chooses subjects in the movie business, especially in the commercial movie business. You need to develop material yourself or material is presented to you as an assignment to direct.

John Frankenheimer

So I've had really great assistant directors for my last seven movies.

John Frankenheimer

I think all great actors - and I don't classify myself as one of them, incidentally - but I think all great actors listen well and I've learned that from a lot of the very good actors with whom I've worked - to really listen to what people say.

John Frankenheimer

To do that I try and keep myself in pretty good shape physically and I try to lead my life in such a way that I'll be able to be as strong at the end of the movie as I am in the beginning.

John Frankenheimer

And in Hollywood, you know, everyone is an expert. Most of them are expert editors. They can't direct, they can't write, they can't act, but, by God, they all think they can edit.

John Frankenheimer

I sought Ben Affleck because I needed an everyman for this role. Ben appeals to men and women. He gives you a sense of intelligence, the notion of a guy who can think on his feet.

John Frankenheimer

There are two things I will never do in my life. I will never climb Mount Everest, and I will never work with Val Kilmer again. There isn't enough money in the world.

John Frankenheimer

I have gotten to a point in my life where I don't want to have dinner with someone I don't like.

John Frankenheimer

One of the other things I think that I've been able to do in my life, is to listen well.

John Frankenheimer

I really, really love directing films.

John Frankenheimer

The first thing I can really tell you is I really love the work.

John Frankenheimer

A disk unbeknownst to the director can go to the producer in another city or in another office and that producer can edit behind the director's back much easier than in the old days. Since these dailies are now put on videotape, more kinds of people ...

John Frankenheimer

But I really am very active in the choice of the line producer with the producer of record and the distributing company, because I've had some terrible, terrible experiences with some line producers, particularly in cable.

John Frankenheimer

Casting is 65 percent of directing.

John Frankenheimer

I look at actors very closely. It's not an accident when the actors excel.

John Frankenheimer

I mean, this whole digital revolution is really eroding the director's importance on a movie because, number one, just from a practical standpoint, with floppy disks and the ability to put all of the film onto a disk, more people have access to the m...

John Frankenheimer

I think I've made some pretty decent films in the '80s and '90s.

John Frankenheimer

Author Bio

  • NameJohn Frankenheimer
  • Descriptionfilm director
  • BornFebruary 19, 1930
  • DiedJuly 6, 2002
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionFilm Director; Film Producer
  • AwardsPrimetime Emmy Award