--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cinema really lends itself well to big…" description: "\"Cinema really lends itself well to big, archetypal stories, you know, classic old stories and you need kind of a weird, big terrain like the Japanese p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/alexander-payne-5223_bigs_cinema-really-lends-itself-well-to-big-a_1279352.png" --- # Cinema really lends itself well to big, archetypal… ![“Cinema really lends itself well to big, archetypal stories, you know, classic old stories and you need kind of a weird, big terrain like the Japanese plains for Samurai movies or the West. You need that for these giants to walk around.” quote by Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/alexander-payne-5223_bigs_cinema-really-lends-itself-well-to-big-a_1279352.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/alexander-payne-5223_bigs_cinema-really-lends-itself-well-to-big-a_1279352.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/alexander-payne-5223_bigs_cinema-really-lends-itself-well-to-big-a_1279352.png) > “Cinema really lends itself well to big, archetypal stories, you know, classic old stories and you need kind of a weird, big terrain like the Japanese plains for Samurai movies or the West. You need that for these giants to walk around.” [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Epic stories need vast, distinctive settings—like Japanese plains for samurai or the West for frontier tales. **In simple terms:** Big stories need big, unique settings. Key Takeaway Choose settings that amplify narrative scope. Themes storytelling environment mythology Mood creative analytical Type cinematic educational When to use this quote - film production - novel writing - game development - theatrical staging Key Concepts cultural geography cinematic design Questions to Reflect On - How does setting shape character arcs? - What modern locales can serve as new mythic backdrops? A Different Perspective Limited resources may restrict epic settings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big Terrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-terrain-4128685/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Cinema Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema-really-956916/) [Classic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic/) [Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giants/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Need Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-giants-4128684/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Samurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/samurai/) [Samurai Movies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/samurai-movies-1989602/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Terrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrain/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) ## Related quotes > [I watch mostly every martial arts movie... I really like movies that aren't just martial arts. I like movies that have spiritual meaning behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-jaa/i-watch-mostly-every-martial-arts-movie-i-really-like-movies-that/) [Tony Jaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-jaa/) > [I've always been passionate about these different (film) genres. Kung fu movies, samurai movies, Japanese movies, all this kind of stuff, and my love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-ve-always-been-passionate-about-these-different-film-genres-kung-fu/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [I always loved samurai movies, and I wanted to incorporate that whole level of elegance and just the code of the samurai to 'Conan.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-momoa/i-always-loved-samurai-movies-and-i-wanted-to-incorporate-that-whole/) [Jason Momoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-momoa/) > [I like action films, not exclusively, but I like Samurai films. I like Westerns. Not so much war pictures, but a few. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-like-action-films-not-exclusively-but-i-like-samurai-films-i-like/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [In a sense I feel very much a part of the cinema now in a way where when I come back to the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/in-a-sense-i-feel-very-much-a-part-of-the-cinema-now-in-a-way-where/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [I've always been a fan of Korean cinema but never really pursued it, as I wanted to pave my way here in the States.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tee/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-korean-cinema-but-never-really-pursued-it/) [Brian Tee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tee/) > [My dad would often take me to the cinema and I found myself really seduced by the imagery, I think this had a massive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rankin/my-dad-would-often-take-me-to-the-cinema-and-i-found-myself-really/) [Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rankin/) > [I had no aspirations to be part of American cinema... I was really a Europe-based person, and those were the films I was inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/i-had-no-aspirations-to-be-part-of-american-cinema-i-was-really-a/) [Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/) > [Telugu cinema can really spoil you. They treat you like a queen. As soon as you get down from your van, they will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taapsee-pannu/telugu-cinema-can-really-spoil-you-they-treat-you-like-a-queen-as/) [Taapsee Pannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taapsee-pannu/) > [In cinema, I would not really rate my costar and I would not pick a project because of the costar. I would pick a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/in-cinema-i-would-not-really-rate-my-costar-and-i-would-not-pick-a/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [The cinema is really built for the big screen and big sound, so that a person can go into another world and have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/the-cinema-is-really-built-for-the-big-screen-and-big-sound-so-that-a/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Whether art is music or cinema or whatever, it really is art only when it is in touch with the people - forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikis-theodorakis/whether-art-is-music-or-cinema-or-whatever-it-really-is-art-only-when/) [Mikis Theodorakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikis-theodorakis/) > [I don't believe in proper cinema; it doesn't have the strength of television. People having to go out to the cinema is really archaic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-believe-in-proper-cinema-it-doesn-t-have-the-strength-of/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I remember queuing around the block in Sheffield when I was growing up. At that time, going to the cinema was really something special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/i-remember-queuing-around-the-block-in-sheffield-when-i-was-growing/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [We can't keep thinking in a limited way about what cinema is. We still don't know what cinema is. Maybe cinema could only really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/we-can-t-keep-thinking-in-a-limited-way-about-what-cinema-is-we-still/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) ## More by Alexander Payne > [I want all of my films to belong to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-want-all-of-my-films-to-belong-to-me/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I spend a long time casting, but once I've cast a film there's a reason why I selected those people. So I'm hands-on in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-spend-a-long-time-casting-but-once-i-ve-cast-a-film-there-s-a/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [You just never know when you're living in a golden age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/you-just-never-know-when-you-re-living-in-a-golden-age/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I don't feel despair because I am able to make the films I want to make, and that gives me hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-don-t-feel-despair-because-i-am-able-to-make-the-films-i-want-to/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [Jesuits encourage an intellectual rigor in a way that I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/jesuits-encourage-an-intellectual-rigor-in-a-way-that-i-like/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [Forgiving yourself may be for many people, at least for myself, extremely difficult. And then in a larger context, I will say that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/forgiving-yourself-may-be-for-many-people-at-least-for-myself/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [In a general sense, to convert any short story, novel, play, or opera into a movie, you have to re-rig it. Even though they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/in-a-general-sense-to-convert-any-short-story-novel-play-or-opera/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [If you have your movies so that everyone understands everything, I think that's probably not a very good movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/if-you-have-your-movies-so-that-everyone-understands-everything-i/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I like actors who, when you see them on screen, you sense a person, not just an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-like-actors-who-when-you-see-them-on-screen-you-sense-a-person-not/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [If you're trying to recreate life, the life that you best know is the one you grew up with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/if-you-re-trying-to-recreate-life-the-life-that-you-best-know-is-the/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I think about what movie I would like to see. I don't think of them as a correction or palliative. I certainly am irritated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-think-about-what-movie-i-would-like-to-see-i-don-t-think-of-them-as/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [If you were falling in love and you could go back in time and relive a day and see the banal things you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/if-you-were-falling-in-love-and-you-could-go-back-in-time-and-relive/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [Omaha, like Rome, is built on seven hills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/omaha-like-rome-is-built-on-seven-hills/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [Hollywood films have become a cesspool of formula and it's up to us to try to change it... I feel like a preacher! But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/hollywood-films-have-become-a-cesspool-of-formula-and-it-s-up-to-us/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [I don't want all of American cinema to be big cartoons that are just made to be digested by the entire world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-don-t-want-all-of-american-cinema-to-be-big-cartoons-that-are-just/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) [Explore all 102 Alexander Payne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cinema really lends itself well to big, archetypal stories, you know, classic old stories and you need kind of a weird, big terrain like the Japanese plains for Samurai movies or the West. 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