With Cold Sassy Tree having its first production, I saw no necessity to do anything other than produce it with the correct setting.

When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match.

Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.

I don't rehearse films as much as opera or theatre. When I began directing films I thought a long rehearsal was a good idea. Experience showed me that the best performance was often left in a rehearsal room.

In my view, the operas of Carlisle Floyd will find a place in the permanent repertoire.

With a film, I do my best to understand the author's intentions and try to bring the characters to life.

In silent movies, they tended to put the camera down, and everybody walked in front of it and acted, and then they all walked off. Cutting was quite infrequent.