"All of my films constitute a reaction against mainstream cinema. Every serious form of art sees the receiver as a partner in the undertaking. In fact, that's one of the preconditions of humanistic thought. In cinema, this fact, which should be self-evident, has been overlooked and replaced by an emphasis on the commercial aspects of the medium."

Michael Haneke Entertainment See all quotes by Michael Haneke →

React to this quote

More by Michael Haneke

“Film is an artificial construct. It pretends to reconstruct reality. But it doesn't do that—it's a manipulative form. It's a lie that can reveal the truth. But if a film isn't a work of art, it's just complicit with the process of manipulation.”

“I know very well the sorts of pressures you're under in television. I don't work in television anymore myself, but I'm constantly hearing from colleagues who present scripts to networks and are told, "The script is too complex. You have to keep it simple because the audience is dumb. You can make more money for the advertisers that way.”

“Today's conventional cinema, or mass cinema, doesn't take the receiver seriously as a partner. It sees the audience member as a bank machine, whose only function is to spit out money.”

Resonant Thoughts

"A view of the constitution of matter which recommended itself to Faraday as preferable to the one ordinarily held appears to me to be exactly the view I endeavor to picture as the constitution of spir…"

— William Crookes

Psychology1832–1919

#philosophy

"My gorge rises at the use of the word 'white.' The issue should never be the colour of somebody's skin. I thought we all very, very long ago accepted that what mattered about somebody was not the colo…"

— Peter Hitchens

Politics1951

#success

"As a nation we have not progressed much, particularly after 1987 when we had the political upheaval. Last 18 years since has been a sad story where we have seen a nation which was happy, prosperous, a…"

— Mahendra Chaudhry

Politics1942

#art

"Friday 11. I have found there already refuge - in front of Potter's big Bull. That is I started to copy the sheep with the lamb, which will not be a easy task, notwithstanding its great simplicity. Th…"

— Gerard Bilders

Art1838–1865

#art