A lot of directors don't know what they want to do. Every director I've seen that was a good director that I've admired knew exactly what he wanted to do. They didn't sit there and think about it.

You know, I find it very strange when movies that I made that were just excoriated - I mean that I was just vilified for - are now looked at as classics.

Films are always pretentious. There's nothing more pretentious than a filmmaker.

Charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500.

Egotism is not a good quality. It's not something to be admired or even tolerated. It wouldn't be tolerated in a field commander and it shouldn't be tolerated in a movie director.

I'm the barbarian of Hollywood.

I hardly said a word to my wife until I said 'yes' to divorce.