Quotes by Eddie Muller

The collective sign of relief heaved on V-J Day ought to have inspired Hollywood to release a flood of happily ever after films. But some victors didnt feel too good about their spoils. Theyd seen too much by then. Too much warfare, too much poverty, too much greed, all in the service of rapacious progress. A bundle of unfinished business lingered from the Depression — nagging questions about ingrained venality, mean human nature, and the way unchecked urban growth threw society dangerously out of whack. Writers and directors responded by delivering gritty, bitter dramas that slapped our romantic illusions in the face and put the boot to the throat of the smug bourgeoisie. Still, plenty of us took it — and liked it.