--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Two words guided the making of 'Babel'…" description: "\"Two words guided the making of 'Babel' for me: 'dignity' and 'compassion.' These things are normally forgotten in the making of a lot of films. Normall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_because_two-words-guided-the-making-of-babel-for_2191708.jpg" --- # Two words guided the making of 'Babel' for me: 'dignity'… ![“Two words guided the making of 'Babel' for me: 'dignity' and 'compassion.' These things are normally forgotten in the making of a lot of films. Normally there is not dignity because the poor and dispossessed in a place like Morocco are portrayed as mere victims, or the Japanese are portrayed as…” quote by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_because_two-words-guided-the-making-of-babel-for_2191708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_because_two-words-guided-the-making-of-babel-for_2191708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_because_two-words-guided-the-making-of-babel-for_2191708.jpg) > “Two words guided the making of 'Babel' for me: 'dignity' and 'compassion.' These things are normally forgotten in the making of a lot of films. Normally there is not dignity because the poor and dispossessed in a place like Morocco are portrayed as mere victims, or the Japanese are portrayed as cartoon figures with no humanity.” [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote stresses that dignity and compassion are essential but often missing in film portrayals of marginalized people. **In simple terms:** Films often ignore humanity of the poor and foreign. Key Takeaway Include dignity and compassion in storytelling. Themes humanity representation film ethics empathy social responsibility Mood reflective serious thoughtful Type ethical philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - drama production - casting decisions - scriptwriting - directorial vision Key Concepts cinematic storytelling ethical filmmaking cultural sensitivity Questions to Reflect On - How can filmmakers ensure respectful portrayals? - What responsibilities do creators have to marginalized groups? A Different Perspective Balancing artistic vision with ethical representation can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Babel Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babel-dignity-4777081/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Cartoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cartoon/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Dignity Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity-compassion-1875226/) [Dignity Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity-poor-2080015/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Guided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guided/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Japanese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japanese/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot/) [Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making/) [Making Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-babel-4777082/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere/) [Morocco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morocco/) [Normally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normally/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Portrayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrayed/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-words/) [Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victims/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [In a very real way, the poor are our teachers. They show us that people’s value is not measured by their possessions or how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/in-a-very-real-way-the-poor-are-our-teachers-they-show-us-that-people/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Islam is the only religion that gives dignity to the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramsey-clark/islam-is-the-only-religion-that-gives-dignity-to-the-poor/) [Ramsey Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramsey-clark/) > [We need a permanent solution to TPS recipients and develop a path to citizenship. And, more fundamentally, we need to ensure that our immigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/we-need-a-permanent-solution-to-tps-recipients-and-develop-a-path-to/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [Treat everyone with kindness, dignity, compassion and respect, irrespective of whether you think they understand or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-pistorius/treat-everyone-with-kindness-dignity-compassion-and-respect/) [Martin Pistorius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-pistorius/) > [“All life deserves respect, dignity, and compassion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-douglas/all-life-deserves-respect-dignity-and-compassion/) [Anthony Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-douglas/) > [All life deserves respect, dignity, and compassion. All life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-douglas/all-life-deserves-respect-dignity-and-compassion-all-life/) [Anthony Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-douglas/) > [“Some primal instinct tells the parent, or the person down on their luck, than if we let it go — the child's hand, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/some-primal-instinct-tells-the-parent-or-the-person-down-on-their/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [Well, I think when we can turn to the person sitting next to us and really see them with kindness and see ourselves reflected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/well-i-think-when-we-can-turn-to-the-person-sitting-next-to-us-and/) [Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/) > [We're victims, and we're portrayed as crooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-pilatus/we-re-victims-and-we-re-portrayed-as-crooks/) [Rob Pilatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-pilatus/) > [You gotta know what you are, who you are and how you want to be portrayed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/you-gotta-know-what-you-are-who-you-are-and-how-you-want-to-be/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [I've given every maid I've portrayed soul and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-ontiveros/i-ve-given-every-maid-i-ve-portrayed-soul-and-heart/) [Lupe Ontiveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-ontiveros/) > [I would like to believe that all the roles I have portrayed so far - no matter how significant or insignificant they are -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-menon/i-would-like-to-believe-that-all-the-roles-i-have-portrayed-so-far-no/) [Shweta Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-menon/) > [The emails and the tweets and the Facebook posts and the fan mail that we get from young people all over America that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-donovan/the-emails-and-the-tweets-and-the-facebook-posts-and-the-fan-mail/) [Trevor Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-donovan/) > [I feel like I have been portrayed as if I was standing outside Cipriani hoping someone picks me as their plus-one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-blasberg/i-feel-like-i-have-been-portrayed-as-if-i-was-standing-outside/) [Derek Blasberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-blasberg/) > [I dont want to be a victim, nor be portrayed as one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davina-mccall/i-dont-want-to-be-a-victim-nor-be-portrayed-as-one/) [Davina McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davina-mccall/) ## More by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think the most experimental way to a film is to tell the story the traditional way, because everyone is doing the other thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-the-most-experimental-way-to-a-film-is-to-tell-the-story-the/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Time starts out as a notion. But after you turn fifty, time is not a notion anymore but a fact that you start feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/time-starts-out-as-a-notion-but-after-you-turn-fifty-time-is-not-a/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think bad movies are made around the world, not just in Hollywood. There are as many bad art films in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-bad-movies-are-made-around-the-world-not-just-in-hollywood/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ How can \[actors\] learn their lines and be honest in front of 30 people and all the lights? It makes me cry sometimes. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/how-can-actors-learn-their-lines-and-be-honest-in-front-of-30-people/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I love the three-act theory. It works and works beautifully. But you don't necessarily have to structure a story that way: Cortazar and Borges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-love-the-three-act-theory-it-works-and-works-beautifully-but-you/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [3D is the way we experience life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/3d-is-the-way-we-experience-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I made commercials for corporations like Volkswagen and Coca-Cola, but I was always the one to write them, too, which was a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-made-commercials-for-corporations-like-volkswagen-and-coca-cola-but/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I like to make films, but the only reason I do is because I'm a very bad musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-like-to-make-films-but-the-only-reason-i-do-is-because-i-m-a-very/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [It's very healthy to be aware of your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/it-s-very-healthy-to-be-aware-of-your-ego/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I personally can't handle frivolous violence. I overreact to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-personally-can-t-handle-frivolous-violence-i-overreact-to-it/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ I saw what I could \[in Mexico City\], but we rarely got anything other than big, mainstream American films. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-saw-what-i-could-in-mexico-city-but-we-rarely-got-anything-other/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [For the actors, the talent is to serve the demands that I ask of them, to do it with naturality and truth, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/for-the-actors-the-talent-is-to-serve-the-demands-that-i-ask-of-them/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) [Explore all 262 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. 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