--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think about it, most cinema is…" description: "\"If you think about it, most cinema is built along 19th-century models. You would hardly think that the cinema had discovered James Joyce sometimes.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg" --- # If you think about it, most cinema is built along… ![“If you think about it, most cinema is built along 19th-century models. You would hardly think that the cinema had discovered James Joyce sometimes.” quote by Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg) > “If you think about it, most cinema is built along 19th-century models. You would hardly think that the cinema had discovered James Joyce sometimes.” [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern cinema still follows outdated 19th‑century narrative structures, limiting innovation. **In simple terms:** Cinema repeats old models, stifling new ideas. Key Takeaway Seek fresh storytelling forms. Themes cinema history innovation structure Mood reflective critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - film criticism - screenwriting - directorial workshops - academic courses Key Concepts narrative theory media evolution cultural lag Questions to Reflect On - How can filmmakers break from historic templates? - What incentives encourage experimental cinema? A Different Perspective New media can break these patterns, but market forces often favor familiar formats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Cinema Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema-built-751053/) [Cinema Discovered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema-discovered-751052/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/james-joyce/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-cinema/) ## Related quotes > [I went to the University of Michigan for one year, and fortunately they had a foreign-film cinema, and I discovered it, and I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-went-to-the-university-of-michigan-for-one-year-and-fortunately/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I always think that if you deal with extremely emotional, even melodramatic, subject matter, as I constantly do, the best way to handle those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-always-think-that-if-you-deal-with-extremely-emotional-even/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [There are those who think that Zeffirelli's Hamlet is the way to treat Shakespeare. I think that cinema can handle much more. We somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-are-those-who-think-that-zeffirelli-s-hamlet-is-the-way-to/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I do indeed think that cinema is mortal. There is a lot of evidence already that it is dying on its feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-do-indeed-think-that-cinema-is-mortal-there-is-a-lot-of-evidence/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I suppose I am gently cynical about notions of who we think we are, but I certainly don't hate my fellow man. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-suppose-i-am-gently-cynical-about-notions-of-who-we-think-we-are/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I think that cinema has always progressed through exchanges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-audiard/i-think-that-cinema-has-always-progressed-through-exchanges/) [Jacques Audiard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-audiard/) > [I think cinema is closer to allegories than to reality. It's closer to our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/i-think-cinema-is-closer-to-allegories-than-to-reality-it-s-closer-to/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [That's grossing money for other people that has a multiplying factor, but the government doesn't see that. It doesn't see that making a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-falardeau/that-s-grossing-money-for-other-people-that-has-a-multiplying-factor/) [Philippe Falardeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-falardeau/) > [I think cinema is a reflection of the society and whatever is being shown is because of the climate we're living in. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiara-advani/i-think-cinema-is-a-reflection-of-the-society-and-whatever-is-being/) [Kiara Advani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiara-advani/) > [I don't think that cinema is bigger than family as an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmila-tagore/i-don-t-think-that-cinema-is-bigger-than-family-as-an-institution/) [Sharmila Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmila-tagore/) > [I think the cinema you like has more to do with silence, and the theater you like has more to do with language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-kingsley/i-think-the-cinema-you-like-has-more-to-do-with-silence-and-the/) [Ben Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-kingsley/) > [I think that cinema is medium of communication. It's as valid as novels or fine art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/i-think-that-cinema-is-medium-of-communication-it-s-as-valid-as/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [I think cinema is needed throughout Africa, because we are lagging behind in the knowledge of our own history. I think we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ousmane-sembene/i-think-cinema-is-needed-throughout-africa-because-we-are-lagging/) [Ousmane Sembene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ousmane-sembene/) > [I think our cinema has stayed in its adolescent stage largely because of our obsession with and our dependence upon stars to make our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/i-think-our-cinema-has-stayed-in-its-adolescent-stage-largely-because/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [Jean-Luc Godard said that cinema is the truth 24 frames a second. I think cinema is lies 24 frames a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-donen/jean-luc-godard-said-that-cinema-is-the-truth-24-frames-a-second-i/) [Stanley Donen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-donen/) ## More by Peter Greenaway > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I want to be a prime creator - as every self-regarding artist should do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-want-to-be-a-prime-creator-as-every-self-regarding-artist-should-do/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [To be an atheist you have to have ten thousand times more imagination than if you are a religious fundamentalist. You must take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/to-be-an-atheist-you-have-to-have-ten-thousand-times-more-imagination/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [An American critic wrote that she would rather be forced to read the New York telephone directory three times than watch the film A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/an-american-critic-wrote-that-she-would-rather-be-forced-to-read-the/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I like a lot of glasses about - it highers the tone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-like-a-lot-of-glasses-about-it-highers-the-tone/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [There are those who think that Zeffirelli's Hamlet is the way to treat Shakespeare. I think that cinema can handle much more. We somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-are-those-who-think-that-zeffirelli-s-hamlet-is-the-way-to/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [A really intelligent man makes an indifferent painter. For painting requires a certain blindness, a partial refusal to be aware of all the options.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/a-really-intelligent-man-makes-an-indifferent-painter-for-painting/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I have often thought it was very arrogant to suppose you could make a film for anybody but yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-have-often-thought-it-was-very-arrogant-to-suppose-you-could-make-a/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [I believe that cinema died on the 31 September 1983 when the zapper, or the remote control, was introduced into the living rooms of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/i-believe-that-cinema-died-on-the-31-september-1983-when-the-zapper/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [My biggest critical success was 'The Draughtsman's Contract,' but then it wasn't the English who particularly thought so; it was the French, who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/my-biggest-critical-success-was-the-draughtsman-s-contract-but-then/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [There are basically only two subject matters in all Western culture: sex and death. We do have some ability to manipulate sex nowadays. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/there-are-basically-only-two-subject-matters-in-all-western-culture/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Cinema doesn't connect with the body as artists have in two thousand years of painting, using the nude as the central figure which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/cinema-doesn-t-connect-with-the-body-as-artists-have-in-two-thousand/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Cinema is far too rich and capable a medium to be merely left to the storytellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/cinema-is-far-too-rich-and-capable-a-medium-to-be-merely-left-to-the/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Jean Renoir once suggested that most true creators have only one idea and spend their lives reworking it, but then very rapidly he added…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/jean-renoir-once-suggested-that-most-true-creators-have-only-one-idea/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [Bill Viola is worth ten Scorseses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/bill-viola-is-worth-ten-scorseses/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Explore all 166 Peter Greenaway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you think about it, most cinema is built along 19th-century models. You would hardly think that the cinema had discovered James Joyce sometimes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Greenaway" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-built-along-19th-century-models/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-built-along-19th-century-models/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/peter-greenaway-2444_about_if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-bui_2470041.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you think about it, most cinema is built along 19th-century models. You would hardly think that the…” — Peter Greenaway", "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": "Peter Greenaway", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you think about it, most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-built-along-19th-century-models/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/if-you-think-about-it-most-cinema-is-built-along-19th-century-models/#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 } } ] } ```