In a sense I've made the same film over and over again. In all of them I've asked, 'Who are we as Americans?

The flame is not out, but it is flickering.

One of the things I really like about Ford's films is how there is always a focus on the way characters live, and not just the male heroes.

I record all of my music with authentic instruments in a studio before we start editing, doing many, many versions. The music shapes the film as we edit so it has an organic relationship to the content.

Like a layer on a pearl, you can't specifically identify the irritant, the moment of the irritant, but at the end of the day, you know you have a pearl.

I think my expectations for myself are much more severe and much more direct. You can't work on a film for six years without being your own toughest critic. So you can't really be distracted by the expectations based on your previous performance.

History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.