I'm not a Hollywood director. I'm an in spite of Hollywood director.

The tone of the picture and the atmosphere was in my head and in my blood in a way once I'd decided to make the picture. I had to find my way through that to choose, select, emphasise certain visual elements and sound.

[Action's] a Western thing. We think of the hero going into battle, rebelling against a government or an oppressor, but [in KUNDUN] action is nonaction or what appears to be nonaction. That's a hard concept for Western audiences. . . . We wanted to show a kind of moral action, a spiritual action, an emotional action. Some people will pick up on it; some won't.

Any film, or to me any creative endeavour, no matter who you're working with, is, in many cases, a wonderful experience.

Film in the 20th century, it's the American art form, like jazz.

Sometimes when you're heavy into the shooting or editing of a picture, you get to the point where you don't know if you could ever do it again.

If you’re looking for the origins of film culture in America, look no further than Amos Vogel.