black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.

Billy Wilder

If something smells bad, why put your nose in it?
BILLY WILDER

Bad Noses Smell
Eighty percent of a picture is writing, the other twenty percent is the execution, such as having the camera on the right spot and being able to afford to have good actors in all parts.
BILLY WILDER

Able Actors Camera Writing
Film’s thought of as a director’s medium because the director creates the end product that appears on the screen. It’s that stupid auteur theory again, that the director is the author of the film. But what does the director shoot-the telephone book?
BILLY WILDER

Book Director Fighting Stupid Theory
I just always think, ‘Do I like it?’ And if I like it, maybe other people will come and like it too.
BILLY WILDER

Always People Think Thinking
One’s too many and a hundred’s not enough.
BILLY WILDER

Enough Hundred One
The only pictures worth making are the ones that are playing with fire.
BILLY WILDER

Fire Playing Writing
Now, what is it which makes a scene interesting? If you see a man coming through a doorway, it means nothing. If you see him coming through a window – that is at once interesting.
BILLY WILDER

Interesting Mean Men
After so many drive-in waitresses becoming movie stars, there has been this real drought, when along come class; somebody who actually went to school, can spell, maybe even plays the piano.
BILLY WILDER

Class Girl Real Somebody Stars
[about the Hotel Marmont on Sunset Blvd., a piece of Hollywood history] I would rather sleep in a bathroom than in another hotel.
BILLY WILDER

Bathroom Hotel Sleep Sunset
I met a lot of hard-boiled eggs in my life, but you – you’re twenty minutes.
BILLY WILDER

Eggs Funny Twenties
A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant and a bastard.
BILLY WILDER

Directing Directors Film Sycophants
Shoot a few scenes out of focus. I want to win the foreign film award.
BILLY WILDER

Inspirational Motivational Movie
Money makes even bastards legitimate.
BILLY WILDER

Bastard Legitimate Make Money
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.
BILLY WILDER

Funny History Luck
I had one life. And what did I do? Wasted it in some palooka preliminaries in Spain, just before Hitler and Chamberlain warm up for the main event.
BILLY WILDER

Chamberlain Events Preliminaries Spain
You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning.
BILLY WILDER

Dream Good Inspiration Morning

The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Billy Wilder Quotes