Contempt

Camille Javal (Brigitte Bardot) You like all of me? My mouth? My eyes? My nose? And my ears?

Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) Yes, all of you.

Camille Then you love me... totally?

Paul Yes. Totally... tenderly... tragically.

Jerry Prokosch (Jack Palance) To know that one does not know, is the gift of a superior spirit. Not to know and to think that one does know, is a mistake. To know that this is a mistake, keeps one from making it. I have the knowledge here.

Jerry I like gods. I like them very much. I know exactly how they feel--exactly.

Fritz Lang Jerry, don't forget. The gods have not created man. Man has created gods.

Paul I like cinemascope very much.

Fritz Lang Oh, it wasn't meant for human beings. Just for snakes... and funerals.

Jerry after viewing film shot by Fritz Lang. You've cheated me, Fritz. That's not what is in that script.

Fritz Lang It is! He pulls the script away from Jerry, who is attempting to grab it out of his hand. Oh, no!

Jerry Get the script, Francesca. He reads the script and then changes his tone. Yes, it's in the script. But it's not what you have on that screen.

Fritz Lang Naturally, because in the script it is written, and on the screen it's pictures. Motion picture, it's called.

Jerry Whenever I hear the word culture, I bring out my checkbook. (To his assistant) Come here. He places his checkbook on his assistant's back and writes out a check.

Fritz Lang Some years ago--some horrible years ago--the Nazis used to take out a pistol instead of a checkbook.

Fritz Lang Now it's no longer the presence of God, but the absence of God, that reassures man. It's very strange, but true.

Paul I'll tell you the story of Ramakrishna and his disciple. Ramakrishna was a Hindu wise man. And he had a disciple who had absolutely no faith in his teachings. So the disciple went off all by himself. Fifteen years later, he came back and said, "I have found the Way!" He told Ramakrishna, "Come, and I will show you." Then he took Ramakrishna to a river. And the disciple went back and forth across the river, walking on water. "See?" he told Ramakrishna. "I can cross the river without getting wet! I have found the Way!" Then Ramakrishna said to him, "You're a complete ass. With one rupee and a boat, I've been doing the same thing for years!"

Camille I like you better without the hat and cigar.

Paul I'm just imitating Dean Martin in "Some Came Running."

Camille Very funny. You don't remind me of Dean Martin, but of Martin and the ass. Don't you know the story about Martin and the ass?

Paul No.

Camille One day Martin went to Baghdad to buy himself a flying carpet. And a merchant sold him a very pretty one. Martin sat down on the carpet, but it didn't fly. "Well," said the merchant, "that's not surprising." Are you listening to me?

Paul Yes.

Camille "That's not surprising. The carpet will never fly if you think of an ass." "All right," Martin said, "I just won't think of an ass." But then he couldn't stop thinking of an ass! And the carpet wouldn't fly.

Paul I don't see what that has to do with me.

Camille That's exactly what I mean.

Paul After dinner we'll see a movie. It'll give me ideas.

Camille Use your own ideas, instead of stealing them from everyone else.

Paul There's nothing like the movies. Usually when you see women, they're dressed. But put them in a movie, and you see their backsides.