Neorealism taught us to follow the characters with the camera, allowing each shot its own real interior time. Well, I became tired of all this; I could no longer stand real time. In order to function, a shot must show only what is useful.

I would throw out the sense of nation, "good breeding," certain forms and ceremonies that govern relationships - perhaps even jealousy. We're not aware of all of them yet, though we suffer from them. And they mislead us not only about ethics but also about aesthetics.

Method actors are absolutely terrible. They want to direct themselves, and it's a disaster.

The struggle for life is not only the material and economic one. Comfort is no protection from anxiety.

People are always misquoting me.

After you've learned two or three basic rules of cinema grammar, you can do what you like - including breaking those rules.

I read somewhere that happiness is like the bluebird of Maeterlinck: Try to catch it and it loses its color. It's like trying to hold water in your hands. The more you squeeze it, the more the water runs away.