I've seen many, many movies over the years, and there are only a few that suddenly inspire you so much that you want to continue to make films.

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

Eradicating a religion of kindness is, I think, a terrible thing for the Chinese to attempt.

[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.

Because of the movies I make, people get nervous. They think of me as difficult and angry. I am difficult and angry, but they don't expect a sense of humor. And the only thing that gets me through is a sense of humor.

Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out.

Music and film are inseparable. They always have been and always will be.