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I think certain movies work and that is part of the magic of it all. We can't truly define why something succeeds.

Barry Levinson

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Barry Levinson
Age: 82
Born: 1942
Born: April 6
Actor
Film Director
Film Producer
Screenwriter
Baltimore
Maryland
Truly
Thinking
Magic
Movies
Part
Certain
Succeeds
Work
Define
Something
Succeed
Think

More quotes by Barry Levinson

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I think we are seeing a radical shift in the business in general. The studios are making much more of the real big extravaganzas and there are other kinds of films that are coming out. I think you are going to begin to see more diversification that we've seen in the past.
Barry Levinson
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I got a chance to work with Mel Brooks on two of his films: Silent Movie and High Anxiety.
Barry Levinson
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Ronald Reagan was this actor who was going to be president, and he was very charming. What he had was, he talked about America in ways that got people all caught up in it. He was creating this America - it could even be the mythical America - that we subscribe to.
Barry Levinson
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I never really wanted to be an actor. And that was the beginning of it, I began to write things down and eventually became a writer on a television show.
Barry Levinson
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I think when Sarah Palin opened her mouth and started talking, the more she talked, the less appealing she became.
Barry Levinson
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They're intimidating the networks and levying these fines, so the networks are not sure of what they can or can't do.
Barry Levinson
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You don't always have to have the ending, but you want to have a satisfactory conclusion.
Barry Levinson
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You have a movie and it proves itself and then certain things happen.
Barry Levinson
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I worked at a local television station and I got a chance to direct and do all those things - worked kiddie shows, Ranger House show with the hand puppets and things like that.
Barry Levinson
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A lot of people have done things over the years and made fun of people in one way or another. When I was a kid, Vaughn Meader used to do John F. Kennedy. I don't know if that makes John F. Kennedy less credible. He would do the voice, he'd have some silly situations or whatever. I don't know if it made him less presidential because of it.
Barry Levinson
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I'm fascinated by documentaries, to begin with. Because of the nature of television, as opposed to theatrical, documentaries can be in this long form and take you on a journey.
Barry Levinson
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All I try to do is create an atmosphere that seems comfortable enough, that it removes tension and everyone feels free. If they feel free then behaviour happens, small moments happen and that's what ultimately works the best for me.
Barry Levinson
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There was a time when I said, I'm going to go do a television thing, after doing all these theatrical films, and heard, Television? Why are you going to go back to television? It's an interesting place.
Barry Levinson
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I don't know that you can do an absurdist film and just have everybody embrace it in terms of filling out cards. I just don't think it happens. So you have to prepare an audience.
Barry Levinson
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No one really has the power, and everybody's trying to get through the day, and everybody's nervous and desperate.
Barry Levinson
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I got involved with an acting school and studied for a couple years. They used to have improv exercises that you would work on and you would do improvs.
Barry Levinson
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I've had a lot of movies that didn't get great numbers on test screening, but a lot of times the film was able to survive, or the studio still stayed and supported it.
Barry Levinson
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It's such a funny thing. Hollywood is terrible unless you happen to be a celebrity who's a Republican. So Ronald Reagan can be a Hollywood celebrity, and he's a Republican, and then he can become the president, and that's okay. Fred Thomson, well, that's okay. But the rest we need to demonize. There's no consistency.
Barry Levinson
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I thought a great line in the What Just Happened movie said, We're just the mayonnaise.
Barry Levinson
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I think test screening works at its best when the audience knows what it's getting.
Barry Levinson