I just wanted to be an ordinary parish priest.

Being independent... is being innovative out of inspiration as well as necessity.

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

Orson Welles was a force of nature, who just came in and wiped the slate clean. And Citizen Kane is the greatest risk-taking of all time in film. I don’t think anything had even seen anything quite like it. The photography was also unlike anything we’d seen. The odd coldness of the filmmaker towards the character reflects his own egomania and power, and yet a powerful empathy for all of them--it’s very interesting. It still holds up, and it’s still shocking. It takes storytelling and throws it up in the air.

People have to start talking to know more about other cultures and to understand each other.

An interviewer once asked me to discuss my collaboration with Elmer Bernstein, and precisely why I chose to work with him. My first thought was: How could I not work with Elmer, when I had the chance? Simply put, he's the best there is-the very best.

We cannot burn Mick Jagger. We want the effect, but we can't burn him.