Quotes by Jonathan Demme

“I dont think its sacrilegious to remake any movie, including a good or even great movie.”

“All my life I have been in love with film and music, and this feels like the best opportunity I have ever had to work with a fusion of the two artistic mediums,”

“Alive From Off Center.”

“Sometimes it worries me if people think that this is a movie about slavery, or its a movie thats going to challenge you on the level of how you feel about slavery that theyre going to resist seeing it.”

“Seeing Neil Young expressing these lyrics and seeing the emotions that register on his face in his style of presentation is a sublime extra for understanding his music.”

“It puts me in touch with some deeply felt, old-fashioned, powerful ideas about what America stands for, what the family stands for, what friends stand for. Theres a complete absence of cynicism. I think it makes you feel good to be human.”

“I remember him telling me that he was going to New York for a couple of days. I couldve sworn that he told me he was going to a foot doctor.”

“Neil would be singing these songs for the first time ever to an audience that never heard them before. Hed be so communicative under those circumstances.”

“Each year, Cognac makes its mark with enthusiasm, style and confidence and its wonderful to be taking part in this years edition.”

“Thats the only time hed do it.”

“People can go on this emotional journey that awaits them if they surrender to the songs.”

“We pretended it was a world premiere concert.”

“One thing that Neil and I talked about from the very beginning was making this movie feel like a dream -- literally a dream concert that takes you back in time and takes place in a dream location.”

“And then when the song was over I didnt say cut. I thought it would be rude, Its Buster Keaton -- this guy knows exactly what size he is in the frame. Thats the filmmaker in Neil.”

Ive never fallen into what I consider to be a trap of trying to figure out something analytically that could be a very popular film. I would hope my enthusiasm could match up with something with that potential.