--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The desire to express in an art form and…" description: "\"The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from a desire to co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/elia-suleiman-20539_army_the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and_417164.jpg" --- # The desire to express in an art form and to compose a… ![“The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from a desire to compose an image for cinema. It is not my fault that when I go to Ramallah there is a checkpoint and therefore it enters my film. Tell me a way to…” quote by Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/elia-suleiman-20539_army_the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and_417164.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/elia-suleiman-20539_army_the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and_417164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/elia-suleiman-20539_army_the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and_417164.jpg) > “The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from a desire to compose an image for cinema. It is not my fault that when I go to Ramallah there is a checkpoint and therefore it enters my film. Tell me a way to avoid that politicized image. The fact is that the police are everywhere, the army everywhere and occupation is total. Whether it's a love story or a thriller, you place the camera and these realities will cross the frame.” [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic vision is shaped by political realities; the filmmaker must decide how to portray unavoidable conflict. **In simple terms:** Political context forces certain images into film. Key Takeaway Choose narrative focus that transcends imposed visuals. Themes politics art cinema conflict identity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - documentary filmmaking - fictional narratives - on‑location shooting - media criticism Key Concepts visual storytelling political cinema ethics Questions to Reflect On - Can you depict truth without reinforcing oppression? - How to balance aesthetic goals with political responsibility? A Different Perspective Avoiding the image may erase essential truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Burlesque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burlesque/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Checkpoints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/checkpoints/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Humorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorous/) [Love story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-story/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Poetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thrillers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrillers/) [Vignettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignettes/) ## Related quotes > [You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side by side, you know that a certain turn of phrase you've been saving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vignette-belong-side-by-side-you/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Aww man check out that vignette I added :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james/aww-man-check-out-that-vignette-i-added-p/) [Andrew James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james/) > [“Hey amygdala, what’s wrong with a nice vignette that features me enjoying a warm day on a Florida beach”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-gatzby/hey-amygdala-what-s-wrong-with-a-nice-vignette-that-features-me/) Rick Gatzby > [Remember: a story is not a vignette. It has a beginning, middle and an end. It is not merely a snapshot in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/remember-a-story-is-not-a-vignette-it-has-a-beginning-middle-and-an/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [I love the idea of the 'vignette,' which is associated with the decorative, illustrative, small, and thus with the feminine, and thus easily maligned.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/i-love-the-idea-of-the-vignette-which-is-associated-with-the/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [History is but the record of crimes and misfortunes. L'histoire n'est que le tableau des crimes et des malheurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-but-the-record-of-crimes-and-misfortunes-l-histoire-n-est/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [During the Reagan Administration, Bob Dole was present at a ceremony that included each living ex-president. Looking at a tableau of Ford, Carter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/during-the-reagan-administration-bob-dole-was-present-at-a-ceremony/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [But the average person doesnt have that much imagination. They just want to be entertained. They want to have the tableau presented for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-szandor-lavey/but-the-average-person-doesnt-have-that-much-imagination-they-just/) [Anton Szandor LaVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-szandor-lavey/) > [When we play music we describe the echo the tableau of natural forms, their shapes and arrangements, as uncovered by the composer's imagination, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-sherman/when-we-play-music-we-describe-the-echo-the-tableau-of-natural-forms/) [Russell Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-sherman/) > [I do have a dream, a tableau of the bathing place of La Grenouillère, for which I've done some bad pochades (sketches), but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/i-do-have-a-dream-a-tableau-of-the-bathing-place-of-la-grenouill-re/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Gardens do offer a temporal tableau and certainly mean differently in different eras and indeed geographies (think of the formal gardens in France).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/gardens-do-offer-a-temporal-tableau-and-certainly-mean-differently-in/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [I felt like a Tinker toy kid building my own self out of one of those toy building sets; for as she laid her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/i-felt-like-a-tinker-toy-kid-building-my-own-self-out-of-one-of-those/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [“But when it seems insurmountable, I need reminders like this that you can get used to it. That it can take on the comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-when-it-seems-insurmountable-i-need-reminders-like-this-that-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Everybody makes it to different checkpoints and that's why they say it's lonely at the top. That crowd that you show with from jump,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-the-butcher/everybody-makes-it-to-different-checkpoints-and-that-s-why-they-say/) [Benny the Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-the-butcher/) > [“I was amazed we’d got through the checkpoint so easily. I couldn’t help asking about it. “Well, these soldiers, you see . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/i-was-amazed-we-d-got-through-the-checkpoint-so-easily-i-couldn-t/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) ## More by Elia Suleiman > [The problem is that when you grow absolutely certain that all authorities are corrupt, then that would include the Palestinian authorities as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-problem-is-that-when-you-grow-absolutely-certain-that-all/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I'm not in the business of saying just one thing about just one place. If you only see Palestine in my films, then I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-m-not-in-the-business-of-saying-just-one-thing-about-just-one-place/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Silence can be intimidating, sometimes provocative, sometimes a form of resistance because it dislocates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/silence-can-be-intimidating-sometimes-provocative-sometimes-a-form-of/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Israel, the Israelis, and the rest of the world have been brainwashed. They don't think of pre-1948, they have no idea Palestinians were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/israel-the-israelis-and-the-rest-of-the-world-have-been-brainwashed/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [To think of a film from the point of view of a tank barrel is already so inhumanly positioned. This is when film can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/to-think-of-a-film-from-the-point-of-view-of-a-tank-barrel-is-already/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Living more intensely, more lovingly, with more camaraderie, that is in itself resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/living-more-intensely-more-lovingly-with-more-camaraderie-that-is-in/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I'm trying to use Palestine as a microcosm of the world, but maybe the world is a microcosm of Palestine. We're living in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-m-trying-to-use-palestine-as-a-microcosm-of-the-world-but-maybe-the/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [People in power tend to find poetry dangerous to them because it is dislocating, they can't catch it, can't control it. They prefer coherence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/people-in-power-tend-to-find-poetry-dangerous-to-them-because-it-is/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I am more at peace than I've ever known myself to be. My connectedness to the world is more intense. I am more attentive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-am-more-at-peace-than-i-ve-ever-known-myself-to-be-my-connectedness/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I don't particularly have a good memory. I think history is many times just the text written by the victors. I wanted to counter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-don-t-particularly-have-a-good-memory-i-think-history-is-many-times/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [There are a lot of questions that come out of the silence. It is so close to the infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/there-are-a-lot-of-questions-that-come-out-of-the-silence-it-is-so/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [I don't think you can strategize to be poetic and neither can you strategize to be funny. It is not a tool, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/i-don-t-think-you-can-strategize-to-be-poetic-and-neither-can-you/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [The Time that Remains is a way of interpreting a certain ambience or emotion. These are the stories that my father told me over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-time-that-remains-is-a-way-of-interpreting-a-certain-ambience-or/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [A lot of narrative films leave you no space for anything else but eating popcorn. I want to go in the complete opposite direction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/a-lot-of-narrative-films-leave-you-no-space-for-anything-else-but/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [Palestine is about how we drink the water, whether we are being ecological or not. Palestine is our way of exercising our daily living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/palestine-is-about-how-we-drink-the-water-whether-we-are-being/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) [Explore all 30 Elia Suleiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) ## More Army quotes > [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [I just read an article about how young American males feel uncomfortable appearing naked in front of each other in locker rooms. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ivory/i-just-read-an-article-about-how-young-american-males-feel/) [James Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ivory/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I have real strong feelings about our troops and support them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-fichtner/i-have-real-strong-feelings-about-our-troops-and-support-them/) [William Fichtner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-fichtner/) > [Personally, I don't really have a set style or look. It's pretty much what I feel like wearing that day, from a floral-print dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/personally-i-don-t-really-have-a-set-style-or-look-it-s-pretty-much/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) [Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from a desire to compose an image for cinema. It is not my fault that when I go to Ramallah there is a checkpoint and therefore it enters my film. Tell me a way to avoid that politicized image. The fact is that the police are everywhere, the army everywhere and occupation is total. 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