Norman Jewison - biography

“A lot of American actors I work with are in character all day long.  You can’t talk to them.  It’s Method and the whole thing.”

“I was very disappointed that Denzel didn’t win Best Actor for The Hurricane because I thought he deserved it.”

“With most British actors, it’s amazing.  I think they start with the character on the outside and work in.”

“As you know, in America there’s no rights for the artist, so whatever films I’ve made kind of belong to the studio, so if they want to remake it they can.”

“In America there’s no rights for the artist, so whatever films I’ve made kind of belong to the studio.”

“Betrayal...  is my favorite subject.”

“I’m in the mood for another Moonstruck experience, for another romantic comedy.”

“And even Moonstruck - for some reason the audience were just in the mood for a very romantic film, because it’s one of the few romantic comedies to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.”

“But Madonna has a small amount of talent when it comes to movies.”

“Every generation deals with the breaking down of its tradition, and I think that they rediscovered the film.”

“I don’t make films to win prizes.  I make films to make films.”

“I mean they’re making remakes of my films and I’m not even dead yet!  Why would you want to make a remake?”

“I still get a lot of material but I find that as one gets older you get more fussy.  You know you’re going spend a year or a year and a half on this and you know there are only so many films in you so you get a little bit more selective.”

“I think I’ve done pretty well.  I’ve had about 46, or 47 nominations from my movies, and my films have won about 12 awards, so I don’t have any complaints.”

“I work with a lot of movie stars.”

“I’m going to do an adaptation of the Italian film, Bread and Tulips.  I really like that film.”

“It’s an entire industry focusing on young male viewers that want action and violence.  They sell us something that isn’t valid.  They’re selling films like a product.”

“Look, I’m just a storyteller.  When I make a film, I never want the film to become a vehicle of social propaganda.”

“Michael Caine is a movie star, but he’s also a great actor.  I can’t say that about every movie star.  It’s the concentration he has.”

“Well, you know the old line - to be nominated is what it’s all about.  I think that I’ve done pretty well - I’ve had about 46, or 47 nominations from my movies, and my films have won about 12 awards in total, so I don’t really have any complaints.”

“When I make a film, I never want the film to become a vehicle of social propaganda.  If I wanted to do that, I’d make documentaries.”

“Everything Sholom Aleichem talks about in his plays and his short stories is about people, family, man’s relationship with his God, the breaking down of tradition.”

“When you shoot a musical, you’re shooting to lipsynch tracks, so we had to figure out our choreography and work out what we wanted to do with each number before we did it.”

“I was really excited to have the opportunity to make Fiddler.”

“And I think all Nazis didn’t see themselves as bad people.  I’ve never met a racist yet who thought he was a racist.  Or an anti-Semite who thought they were anti-Semitic.”

“Do what you’re told, and everything will be all right.”

“I don’t like to think that maybe I’m just getting old.  I’m not too excited about watching a huge explosion.  I’m more interested in people and characters.”

“I think all Nazis didn’t see themselves as bad people.  I’ve never met a racist yet who thought he was a racist.  Or an anti-Semite who thought they were anti-Semitic.”

“I think you get better as you get older.”

“I’m just a storyteller.”

“Moonstruck...  was one of the few romantic comedies to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.”

“We also have a tendency to root for the fugitive.  We’re always on the side of the animal being chased.”

“We’re always on the side of the animal that’s being chased.  We always seem to be on the side of the rabbit or the fox and not on the side of the hounds.”

Norman Jewison directed the following films:
40 Pounds of Trouble (1962)
The Thrill of It All (1963)
Send Me No Flowers (1964)
The Art of Love (1965)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
Gaily, Gaily (1969)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Rollerball (1975)
F.I.S.T (1978)
...And Justice for All. (1979)
Best Friends (1982)
A Soldier’s Story (1984)
Agnes of God (1985)
Moonstruck (1987)
In Country (1989)
Other People’s Money (1991)
Only You (1994)
Bogus (1996)
The Hurricane (1999)
The Statement (2003)


Norman Jewison contributed to the screenplay for the following films:
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
...And Justice for All. (1979)
Best Friends (1982)
Only You (1994)