A Matter of Time (1976)

Liza Minnelli: Nina

Photos 

Quotes 

• Contessa Sanziani : Now, you look as you should. You may go now.

  Nina : Oh, Contessa, thank you.

  Contessa Sanziani : Oh, don't thank me. I'm merely teaching myself to grow old in the right way. I'll wish you as much happiness, as much suffering, in your life, as I've had in mine. Go along now.

• Contessa Sanziani : It isn't enough to look at oneself. The mirror must be beautiful too.

  Nina : The mirror?

  Contessa Sanziani : Yes - the two. You and the mirror.

• Nina : If only I could be like you!

  Contessa Sanziani : Oh, never! Never! You must never wish to be like anyone else in this world. Unless you want to be a copy. Copies, of course, they only produce mediocrity.

• Nina : Not even a beautiful mirror can take away an ugly birthmark.

  Contessa Sanziani : You have my sacred promise. One day, there will be men, important men, who will go to their damnation for the sake of pressing their lips to it.

• Nina : That old lady has more life left in her, right this minute, than you've got left between your legs!

• Nina : Tell me something, do you have any idea for what its like for a woman to grow old? Oh, a man, that's a different story. A man can live to be 90 and they still come to honor him.

• [last lines] 

  Nina : Be yourself. That's the important thing. The world, you see, worships the original.

• Nina : She doesn't tell stories to anyone. She *lives* them. She's living through all the great moments of her life.

• Nina : Sanziani never sold herself to anyone! Anyone! She never cared about money! She doesn't even know what money is now. What she did care about, what she worshipped, was genius. All kinds of genius. Men who accomplished great things in this world. Statesmen. Poets - and painters and composers. She gave herself to them, in return for their genius. She gave them the greatest gift of all. She made them feel like gods! No wonder men wanted her. No wonder they'd give up everything they had for her. And not just money. They gave everything.

• Nina : [singing]  If you keep dreaming, Some remarkable things occur, Oh, it's only a matter of time...

• Nina : People like you! You and your goddamn, stupid rape scene. Well, I don't need you. I really don't need you. You can take your rape and you can rot with it. You can just rot with it!

• Nina : [singing]  I only met you, And I shouldn't let you, But, oh, Do it again, I may cry, "No, no no, no, no!" But do it again, My lips just ache, To have you take, The kiss that's waiting for you, You know if you do, You won't regret it, Come and get it...

• Nina : Don't give up your memories! Contessa, please, I mean for your sake as well as for mine. I feel like I'm a part of them now.

• Nina : You didn't know what you've done for me. You've made me think of myself as really *being* someone.