Mississippi Quote of the Day: Judge Mike Mills on Faulkner vs. Woody Allen

An oft-quoted line from William Faulkner’s “Requiem for a Nun” got quoted one too many times, as far as the Nobel Prize-winning author’s estate was concerned, when Woody Allen referenced it in his 2011 film, “Midnight in Paris.”
“The past is never dead,” the character Gavin Stevens says to Temple Drake in Faulkner’s book. “It’s not even past.” Allen recycled the famous line in “Midnight,” when one of his time-traveling characters (played by Owen Wilson) tells his fiancée, “The past is not dead! Actually, it’s not even past. You know who said that? Faulkner. And he was right. And I met him, too. I ran into him at a dinner party.”
Faulkner’s estate filed a suit against Sony Films in federal court, alleging the movie had violated copyright laws by using the quote. In response, Sony Films called the suit “frivolous” and moved for its dismissal. The case was heard in Oxford by U.S. District Court Judge Mike Mills, known for his wit and erudition. Mills, who dismissed the suit, commented:
“The court has viewed ‘Midnight in Paris,’ read the book, ‘Requiem for a Nun,’ and is thankful the parties did not ask the court to compare ‘The Sound and the Fury’ with ‘Sharknado.’”