“You, maestro, though immortal are not a God but a man.”
Why it's great
It honors the maestro and cuts him down in one breath, which is exactly the joke.
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literary
Use it yourself
Though brilliant, our professor is not an oracle but a man.
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Brian Dines With Valery's Friends, Explained
5 to 7 · 2014
Chapter 5 of 10 · 2'25"
Valery hosts Brian at a dinner full of celebrities, introducing him around and telling him this may be "the first of many" handshakes. Brian holds his own, joking that he looks forward to affording the chef's restaurant. Talk turns to whether a great musician is a god or a man, and afterward Brian admits he cannot believe the evening happened.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:36
Brian Meets the Famous Guests
34s - 0:58–1:36
A God or a Man
38s
Brian Dines With Valery's Friends, explained
What happens
Valery hosts a dinner and introduces Brian to a room of notables: a conductor, a writer, a famous chef, and an editor who might publish him. Valery calls the introductions the first of many handshakes. Brian is charming and self-deprecating, telling the chef he hopes to afford the restaurant one day. A guest asks the conductor whether an immortal artist is a god or a man.
What's really going on
The dinner is Valery's way of folding Brian into a world. The guests are real cultural figures, the introductions are deliberate, and "the first of many handshakes" is not small talk but an offer of access - Brian's writing career is being helped along by the man whose wife he is seeing. Brian manages the room well, using self-deprecation to cover his inexperience, and the table's conversation about whether a genius is a god or a man mirrors his own situation: he is a young man among the accomplished, and no one is treating him as a threat. Afterward, his disbelief - that the night actually happened - is the film's way of measuring how far the affair has carried him.
Key lines & what they mean
- “You, maestro, though immortal are not a God but a man.”
- A dinner-table compliment with a sting: the artist is celebrated as immortal but reminded that he is still human, flaws included.
- “Not if we're made strictly in His image.”
- The wry turn in the God argument - if humans are made in God's image, then human temper is divine too, and blame cuts both ways.
- “I look forward to one day being able to afford to eat in one of your restaurants, sir.”
- Brian's self-deprecating wit with the famous chef: a compliment about the cuisine and a confession about his own finances at once.
- “What kind of a God is that now, maestro?”
- The playful question that keeps the analogy going, needling the conductor about an artist's godlike moods and sulks.
Theme
- Class — Valery's dinner seats Brian among famous artists and editors, opening doors that his own background cannot yet reach.
- Romance — The husband's hospitality keeps the affair functioning, and Brian's new access is inseparable from his relationship with Arielle.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level3/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Not if we're made strictly in His image.”
Why it's great
It flips blame back on believers: if God has moods, it is because we mirror him.
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literary
Use it yourself
Not if the flaws were copied from us in the first place.
“I look forward to one day being able to afford to eat in one of your restaurants, sir.”
Why it's great
He answers a grand gesture with honest poverty and perfect manners, which disarms the table.
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Formal
Use it yourself
I look forward to one day being able to return the favor.
“What kind of a God is that now, maestro?”
Why it's great
A theological question becomes a polite taunt, with the honorific making the jab sharper rather than softer.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
What kind of a genius is that now, professor?
Up next · 06Pardon my FrenchThe scene: Brian's Parents Meet ArielleTakeaways
What you walk away with- Take good care of someone promises real hospitality.
- Get used to marks a slow adjustment over time.
- The first of many forecasts a lasting connection.
- Seconds means a second helping at the table.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Valery introduce Brian to so many people?
He is folding Brian into his world and helping his career. The introductions are generous, but they also keep the affair inside a social circle Valery controls.
Why does the table debate whether an artist is a god?
The compliment to the conductor turns into a joke about whether a great artist is divine or just a difficult man. It is polite teasing dressed up as theology.
Why is Brian so surprised the evening happened?
He is a young, unpublished writer suddenly dining with famous artists. His disbelief measures the distance between his ordinary life and the world the affair has opened.
What does the first of many handshakes mean?
Valery means the introductions should lead to future contacts and opportunities. It is a promise of access, not just a pleasantry at the table.
Why does Brian joke about affording the restaurant?
He is being charming and honest about being out of his depth. The remark flatters the chef while admitting Brian cannot yet afford the world he has stepped into.