--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Making judgments on films is in many ways…" description: "\"Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly vaporous an occupation that the only question is why, beyond the obvious opportunities for a fe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg" --- # Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly… ![“Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly vaporous an occupation that the only question is why, beyond the obvious opportunities for a few lectures fees and a little careerism at a dispiritingly self-limiting level, anyone does it in the first place.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg) > “Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly vaporous an occupation that the only question is why, beyond the obvious opportunities for a few lectures fees and a little careerism at a dispiritingly self-limiting level, anyone does it in the first place.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Film criticism is often superficial and self‑serving, raising the question of why it persists despite limited value. **In simple terms:** Film criticism can be shallow and self‑interested. Key Takeaway Seek depth and purpose in evaluating art. Themes art criticism media culture careerism intellectual honesty Mood analytical skeptical inquisitive Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - academic reviews - blog posts - industry panels - film festivals Key Concepts aesthetic theory media studies professional ethics Questions to Reflect On - What makes criticism valuable? - How can critics avoid self‑promotion? A Different Perspective Criticism can become echo chambers without diverse perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [First and foremost, effective leaders must continuously strive to make themselves smarter and better at making judgments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/first-and-foremost-effective-leaders-must-continuously-strive-to-make/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [I always hate to sound like I know everything and make judgments about people and systems. I avoid making judgments, but I know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/i-always-hate-to-sound-like-i-know-everything-and-make-judgments/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [Corruption requires looking into someone's soul and making judgments about their intent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/corruption-requires-looking-into-someone-s-soul-and-making-judgments/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [Any lazy or biased fool can have opinions; making judgments is the hard work of responsible and compassionate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/any-lazy-or-biased-fool-can-have-opinions-making-judgments-is-the/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [“It’s recognizing that we’re making judgments about someone without yet loving them, forgetting that it is love in the end that makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shasta-nelson/it-s-recognizing-that-we-re-making-judgments-about-someone-without/) [Shasta Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shasta-nelson/) > [“A final caution to students: in making judgments on literature, always be honest. Do not pretend to like what you really do not like.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-perrine/a-final-caution-to-students-in-making-judgments-on-literature-always/) Laurence Perrine > [Not one of our mortal gauges is suitable for evaluating non-existence, for making judgments about that which is not a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-one-of-our-mortal-gauges-is-suitable-for-evaluating-non-existence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you are constantly making judgments based on superficial affiliations, your world gets to be pretty small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/if-you-are-constantly-making-judgments-based-on-superficial/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [“In making these judgments, the team is guided by Facebook’s standards for acceptable expression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-making-these-judgments-the-team-is-guided-by-facebook-s-standards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man may as well open an oyster without a knife, as a lawyer's mouth without a fee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barten-holyday/a-man-may-as-well-open-an-oyster-without-a-knife-as-a-lawyer-s-mouth/) Barten Holyday > [When I was a kid I got so much help from the Church. 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Active trading, attempts to "time" market movements, inadequate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/investors-of-course-can-by-their-own-behavior-make-stock-ownership/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? 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I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. 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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": "Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly vaporous an occupation that the only question is why, beyond the obvious opportunities for a few lectures fees and a little careerism at a dispiritingly self-limiting level, anyone does it in the first place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Didion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-ways-so-peculiarly-vaporous-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-ways-so-peculiarly-vaporous-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fac/joan-didion-497_cinema_making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-way_1601326.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Making judgments on films is in many ways so peculiarly vaporous an occupation that the only question is…” — Joan Didion", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joan Didion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Making judgments on films is in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-ways-so-peculiarly-vaporous-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/making-judgments-on-films-is-in-many-ways-so-peculiarly-vaporous-an/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```