--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing with films is that you have to…" description: "\"The thing with films is that you have to make something that will get people out of their houses, away from the TV set. You must touch people, say some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elia-kazan-6753_cinema_the-thing-with-films-is-that-you-have-to_2949933.jpg" --- # The thing with films is that you have to make something… ![“The thing with films is that you have to make something that will get people out of their houses, away from the TV set. You must touch people, say something. Otherwise, they'll stay at home.” quote by Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elia-kazan-6753_cinema_the-thing-with-films-is-that-you-have-to_2949933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elia-kazan-6753_cinema_the-thing-with-films-is-that-you-have-to_2949933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elia-kazan-6753_cinema_the-thing-with-films-is-that-you-have-to_2949933.jpg) > “The thing with films is that you have to make something that will get people out of their houses, away from the TV set. You must touch people, say something. Otherwise, they'll stay at home.” [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Filmmakers must create works that draw audiences out of their homes and engage them emotionally, not just entertain passively. **In simple terms:** Make movies that pull people away from screens and touch them. Key Takeaway Create compelling, resonant stories. Themes cinema engagement audience storytelling Mood inspired determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - film festivals - community screenings - educational workshops - public debates Key Concepts empathy social impact media consumption Questions to Reflect On - How can a film inspire people to act beyond watching? - What themes most compel audiences to step out? A Different Perspective Not all viewers will leave home; some prefer private viewing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stay Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-home/) ## Related quotes > [hey. I just wanted to make sure you got home," I say. "Katniss, I live three houses away from you," he says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/hey-i-just-wanted-to-make-sure-you-got-home-i-say-katniss-i-live/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [We lived in a tall, narrow Victorian house, which my parents had bought very cheaply during the war, when everyone thought London was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-lived-in-a-tall-narrow-victorian-house-which-my-parents-had-bought/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I always used to tell others that 'we should make films to make the people happy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karunas/i-always-used-to-tell-others-that-we-should-make-films-to-make-the/) [Karunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karunas/) > [Ethics and religion must not stay at home when we go to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achille-silvestrini/ethics-and-religion-must-not-stay-at-home-when-we-go-to-work/) Achille Silvestrini > [Whether you are a stay-at-home mum, or on the red carpet, or in Afghanistan, the better you feel, the better you do your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobbi-brown/whether-you-are-a-stay-at-home-mum-or-on-the-red-carpet-or-in/) [Bobbi Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobbi-brown/) > [My mother was predominately a stay-at-home mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-rannells/my-mother-was-predominately-a-stay-at-home-mom/) [Andrew Rannells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-rannells/) > [If I stay at home, I'm not famous. I'm only famous when I'm out in the streets, so I don't go out on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/if-i-stay-at-home-i-m-not-famous-i-m-only-famous-when-i-m-out-in-the/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [A young man should ask himself not if it is his duty to go to the heathen, but if he may dare stay at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lottie-moon/a-young-man-should-ask-himself-not-if-it-is-his-duty-to-go-to-the/) [Lottie Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lottie-moon/) > [“There are so many dreams beyond our nights, and so much sunshine beyond our gray walls. But we can't see it when we stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-oise-hardy/there-are-so-many-dreams-beyond-our-nights-and-so-much-sunshine/) [Francoise Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-oise-hardy/) > [No woman should be authorized to stay at home and raise her children. Society should be totally different. Women should not have that choice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/no-woman-should-be-authorized-to-stay-at-home-and-raise-her-children/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Stay at home in your mind. Don't recite other people's opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/stay-at-home-in-your-mind-don-t-recite-other-people-s-opinions/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Stay at home mom is still a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/stay-at-home-mom-is-still-a-job/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [The decision in my case to become a stay-at-home dad, which people do all the time, I guess wouldn't have meant as much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moranis/the-decision-in-my-case-to-become-a-stay-at-home-dad-which-people-do/) [Rick Moranis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moranis/) > [Don't wonder whether you have a call to go. Have you had a distinct call from Christ to stay at home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wilson/don-t-wonder-whether-you-have-a-call-to-go-have-you-had-a-distinct/) [George Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wilson/) > [...in place of seeking a reason for going abroad, I would prefer to say that I have failed to discover any reason why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gilmour/in-place-of-seeking-a-reason-for-going-abroad-i-would-prefer-to-say/) [James Gilmour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gilmour/) ## More by Elia Kazan > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I didn't have the problem of finding myself at 45 on the wrong course - I always wanted to be a film director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-didn-t-have-the-problem-of-finding-myself-at-45-on-the-wrong-course/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a-writer/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [What's called a difficult decision is a difficult decision because either way you go there are penalties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/what-s-called-a-difficult-decision-is-a-difficult-decision-because/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You can't just sit there and do the lines. You have to do something revealing or unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-can-t-just-sit-there-and-do-the-lines-you-have-to-do-something/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'm small, but I'm neither compliant nor agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-small-but-i-m-neither-compliant-nor-agreeable/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [If you're going to play a cowboy, show up with the horse at the audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/if-you-re-going-to-play-a-cowboy-show-up-with-the-horse-at-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I value peace, too, when it is not bought at the price of fundamental decencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-value-peace-too-when-it-is-not-bought-at-the-price-of-fundamental/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You have no idea how fragile an actor's self-worth is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-have-no-idea-how-fragile-an-actor-s-self-worth-is/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [There was no doubt that there was a vast organization which was making fools of all the liberals in Hollywood and taking their money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/there-was-no-doubt-that-there-was-a-vast-organization-which-was/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-makers-of-entertainment-must-try-in-our-field-to-be-honest-and/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'm very pro-America, but I feel it necessary to keep in touch with Europe to maintain a perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-very-pro-america-but-i-feel-it-necessary-to-keep-in-touch-with/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [It's difficult, if not impossible, to get away with anything false before the camera. That instrument penetrates the husk of the actor; it reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/it-s-difficult-if-not-impossible-to-get-away-with-anything-false/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [For years after I resigned, I was still faithful to their way of thinking. But not in the American Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/for-years-after-i-resigned-i-was-still-faithful-to-their-way-of/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You've got to keep fighting; you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-ve-got-to-keep-fighting-you-ve-got-to-risk-your-life-every-six/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) [Explore all 97 Elia Kazan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing with films is that you have to make something that will get people out of their houses, away from the TV set. You must touch people, say something. 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