In an age of violent regional conflicts, there is German-born filmmaker Percy Adlon, the cheerful peacemaker who celebrates the richness possible in the mingling of cultures and ideas.” (Bruce Kirkland, The Toronto Sun, 1/20/92)
Adlon’s cinematic style “ has a sweetness that lingers like a desert sunset.” (David Ansen, Newsweek)
“Adlon is a master of his own particularly quirky and whimsical tone.” (Kenneth Turan, GQ, MAY 88)
“For me, the desert is a great horizontal stage. With one person on it, you have an image. With two, you have suspense. And when you put three people on it, you have a drama.” (P.A.)
“Music played the biggest role in shaping my sense of aesthetics. Music is my master, and the only reason I didn’t become a musician was because I wasn’t able to. I had a very nice soprano voice when I was a boy and I even did concerts in my school, but intuitively I knew that if I took up music professionally I’d loose it. So instead I use music in a secondary way - it’s always there supporting the ideas in my films. How suspense is built up, how a melody forms, how rhythms happen, how blocks of harmony come together and cook down to one line - the musical elements are central to my films.” (P.A.)
“The thing I enjoy most about filmmaking is the end of a shooting day when we finish early and the sun is still up and I go walking. Your body has completed a day’s work, and it’s such a relief when you’re just breathing and nobody is talking to you.” (P.A.)
“I don’t like tags but I understand why I’m sometimes described as a feminist filmmaker because I have stronger relationships with woman. I had a wonderful mother and I was always so proud that we didn’t need a man to get along.” (P.A.)
“My first film, “The Guardian and His Poet”, is my white film. It tells of a poet who is in a mental institution, and who goes for long walks - or rather runs - with his guardian in the snow. “Bagdad Cafe” is my yellow film: the color of the sand and the sun - and of warmth.” (P.A)
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