Firsts Quote by Leonard Maltin
“Documentarian Laura Poitras has crafted a first-rate Hitchcockian-type thriller telling the story of Edward Snowden.”
About This Quote
Source Review: Film Critic Commentary, 2013
Laura Poitras creates a suspenseful, investigative film about Snowden that feels like a classic thriller.
In simple terms: She makes a documentary feel like a thriller.
Key Takeaway
Blend investigative depth with cinematic tension.
Themes
journalism
thriller
privacy
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
film
documentary
When to use this quote
- watching documentaries
- studying surveillance
- film analysis
Key Concepts
documentary storytelling
political intrigue
cinema technique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does thriller style affect perception of truth?
- What ethical lines are crossed in dramatizing real events?
A Different Perspective
Balancing factual accuracy with dramatic pacing can be challenging.
![“The situation they [journalists and Edward Snowden] were in was incredibly heightened. The stakes were high. There was a lot of pressure, a lot of tension, a lot of sense of claustrophobic, clandestine energy that I think was exhilarating for us to explore and recreate. We were fortunate to shoot…” quote by Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c50/zachary-quinto-4021_amount_the-situation-they-journalists-and-edwar_1121168.jpg)
![“It's not exactly an interview that's going on [in documentary]. I guess we do ask Edward Snowden some questions and we're recording him answering them and so on like that.” quote by Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dee/melissa-leo-9231_asks_it-s-not-exactly-an-interview-that-s-goi_1084250.jpg)
![“I was really not familiar at all with Edward Snowden. I like to get that right out of the way and really learned most of what I know from Oliver's [Stones] script.” quote by Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bca/melissa-leo-9231_familiar_i-was-really-not-familiar-at-all-with-ed_944693.jpg)
![“[Edward Snowden and his team] they're great characters. They're fascinating people. They were in an extraordinary situation.” quote by Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a48/zachary-quinto-4021_character_edward-snowden-and-his-team-they-re-grea_906064.jpg)
![“It certainly woke me up to how vulnerable we all are. I think I was much more cavalier about it before I started working on the movie [Edward Snowden], and then the more I read the documents themselves and saw just how sweeping and indiscriminate the intrusions into our privacy have been, it made…” quote by Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/52b/zachary-quinto-4021_documents_it-certainly-woke-me-up-to-how-vulnerabl_515700.jpg)
![“Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and the screenplay of Simon (Beaufoy) and I was reading it, even before the shoot, some kind of sounds came into my mind and I put some stuff [down] and sent it to…” quote by A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/a-r-rahman-4481_cutting_since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-o_539.jpg)
