The music of the most popular operas is so highly esteemed, it can stand endless revivals.

At HBO, they seem to be well-informed. They make what I think are really quite mature films.

The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than ever.

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

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.

For a director, the most challenging scenes are the dialogue scenes.