I’m a much better filmmaker than painter. But studying it did make me visually acute and taught me lessons like being economic: Say something once and you don’t have to say it again. – Jane Campion
I took four years off after ‘In the Cut’ because I wanted to see who I’d be without work. I even tried being a hermit in the wilderness in New Zealand. I stayed in a warden’s hut two-and-a-half hours off the Routeburn Track through the fjords on the South Island. It was early winter, so there was no electricity or running water. – Jane Campion
There are some things that are real, that you can see, that you can observe, like the moon, and grass and things. But for ideas to become real, they have to be played on your senses. – Jane Campion
I think that the romantic impulse is in all of us and that sometimes we live it for a short time, but it’s not part of a sensible way of living. It’s a heroic path and it generally ends dangerously. I treasure it in the sense that I believe it’s a path of great courage. It can also be the path of the foolhardy and the compulsive. – Jane Campion
I did this Super-8 film at art school called ‘Tissues,’ this black comedy about a family whose father has been arrested for child molestation. I was absolutely thrilled by every inch of it, and would throw my projector in the back of my car and show it to anybody who would watch it. – Jane Campion
For me, being a director is about watching, not about telling people what to do. Or maybe it’s like being a mirror; if they didn’t have me to look at, they wouldn’t be able to put the make-up on. – Jane Campion
I think that the romantic impulse is in all of us and that sometimes we live it for a short time, but it’s not part of a sensible way of living. It’s a heroic path and it generally ends dangerously. – Jane Campion
I think the whole tension about romanticism is the way it builds and builds, and the moment it’s consummated, the tension’s over. – Jane Campion
My musical knowledge is so bad it’s embarrassing. When composers discuss music with someone as primitive as myself, they have to talk about it in terms of senses and emotion, rather than keys and tempo. – Jane Campion
Eight years ago, I was drawn into Keats’s world by Andrew Motion’s biography. Soon I was reading back and forth between Keats’s letters and his poems. The letters were fresh, intimate and irreverent, as though he were present and speaking. The Keats spell went very deep for me. – Jane Campion
I had a daughter who was 9 years old and I had the feeling I wasn’t going to be a real parent if I didn’t quit making movies for a while and spend time with her. I also felt that I’d made enough movies and said what I had to say at the time. – Jane Campion
As for how criticism of Keats’ poetry relates to criticism of my own work, I’ll leave that for others to decide. – Jane Campion
And, I mean, I think poetry does need to be met to some extent, especially, I guess, 19th century poetry, and for me, it’s just been so worth the effort. It’s like I’m planting a garden in my head. – Jane Campion
There’s no artist in this world that doesn’t enjoy the dream that if they have bad reviews now, the story of Keats can redeem them, in their fantasy or imagination, in the future. I think Keats’ poem ‘Endymion’ is a really difficult poem, and I’m not surprised that a lot of people pulled it apart in a way. – Jane Campion
I think feature film can be quite conservative, because you have to now get audiences to come out, and it’s quite a hard thing to do. Of course, television can be conservative too. – Jane Campion
‘The Piano Lesson’ is very sophisticated, easily the most adult or complex material I’ve attempted. It’s the first film I’ve written that has a proper story, and it was a big struggle for me to write. It meant I had to admit the power of narrative. – Jane Campion
I think that three-act fundamentalism in film culture is a problem sometimes, because it’s almost too obvious, or it’s too expected. And it’s not the only way to fill two hours, or to phrase things, or to order thoughts, or order ideas. – Jane Campion
But short films are not inferior, just different. I think the short gives a freedom to film-makers. What’s appealing is that you don’t have as much responsibility for storytelling and plot. They can be more like a portrait, or a poem. – Jane Campion
What I have learned from my work up to now, is to try to be open, but also protect myself by not letting the good and the evil get too much importance. – Jane Campion
Between 18 and 26 I acted professionally, on the stage and a little bit on television. Acting is okay, but it’s quite pressurized. Then I went to England – I wanted to reinvent myself. – Jane Campion
But I think it’s quite clear in my work that my orientation isn’t political or doesn’t come out of modern politics. – Jane Campion
I had this spooky psychological thing about ‘The Piano’ before it began, which was how everybody was going to go nuts on the set. Because a film tends to set up the way people are going to behave. – Jane Campion
I don’t belong to any clubs, and I dislike club mentality of any kind, even feminism – although I do relate to the purpose and point of feminism. More in the work of older feminists, really, like Germaine Greer. – Jane Campion
I’ve had a lot of different responses to my films. I got a lot of support from ‘The Piano,’ the obvious one, but it feels like an ocean, with a lot going on – the goal is to keep alive. – Jane Campion
There was a big drive when I was at art school to make you aware of the economy of meaning – after all, this was still during the tail end of minimalism. Being responsible for everything you put in your picture, and being able to defend it. Keeping everything clear around you so you know what is operating. To open the wound and keep it clean. – Jane Campion
I can get very philosophical and ask the questions Keats was asking as a young guy. What are we here for? What’s a soul? What’s it all about? What is thinking about, imagination? – Jane Campion
