"I was moved by the probing philosophical questions this film asks, as well as by the fact that Schrader, now in his early 70’s, has made his most complete and satisfying film as a director. Myself, I hope to grow older and continue to make challenging, confrontational work. I tip my hat to Schrader for this formally disciplined and sometimes despairing film."

"I don’t think this movie will ever be considered tame. Subversive in every way, this is my favorite of the Monty Python movies because it houses a refined and philosophical look at organized religion, delivered in the most absurd and profane manner. Incredible jokes, great performances, and it’s almost a musical except for all the blood—kind of like the Bible."

"In the last ten years this magnum opus has eclipsed Ulysses as the most influential novel of the 20th century. Proust is wonderfully companionable, his analyses of passion and snobbism and the corroding effect of time are devastating, but despite his philosophical gloom his rich, intelligent prose is exhilarating. He and George Eliot are the most intelligent of all authors."

"It’s a beautiful, beautiful movie. A philosophical introspection on the nature of revolution and change and deciding to be on one side or the other. And it’s about how the outside world makes you decide how to step on one side or the other. It’s possibly one of the most eye-opening films i can ever recommend to anyone because it gives you a glimpse on an internal struggle."

"The thundering success of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain … required the intervention of the rector to keep us from spending the whole night awake, waiting for Hans Castorp and Clavdia Chauchat to kiss. Or the rare tension of all of us sitting up on our beds in order not to miss a word of the disordered philosophical duels between Naptha and his friend Settembrini. The reading that night lasted for more than an hour and was celebrated in the dormitory with a round of applause."

"It's that rare feat, a tremendous philosophical insight presented in a way that anyone, at any age can grasp! Wow. Of all my childhood books, The Giving Tree and Hope for the Flowers really did change my early world, but after reading Momo in my thirties, I thought, ‘Ahhhhhh this is the one book I wish I had read as a kid! Then re-read at every subsequent chapter of my life.’ Yes, this sounds cliche but I truly think this is essential reading for—here goes—children of all ages!"