I always loved silent movies. I was not a specialist, but I loved them. And when I started directing, I became really fascinated by the format - how it works, the device of the silent movie. It's not the same form of expression as a talkie. The lack of sounds makes you participate in the storytelling
Michel HazanaviciusI watched a lot of silent directors who were absolutely great like John Ford and Fritz Lang, Tod Browning, and also some very modern directors like The Coen Brothers. The directors take the freedom within their own movies to be melodramatic or funny when they chose to be. They do whatever they want and they don't care about the genre.
Michel HazanaviciusSometimes when an actor says something almost perfect, but you know you have to edit it, if you tell them to change something immediately, it will come out great
Michel HazanaviciusI think being a foreigner and talking about Hollywood allowed me to use some cliches and some references that an American would maybe not use.
Michel Hazanavicius