I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press - that's the cornerstone.

So, thanks God, our films, our first films were suddenly being appreciated by the Western media; especially France was very good, and Switzerland was very good.

You know what happened, you know, in 1938: France, England, you know, just sold out Czechoslovakia to Hitler.

People must not think that all bad in man which is unleashed, the moment you impose censorship disappears from man.

Definitely it would be foolish to try and make my Czech films here in America, as foolish as it is when some Czech filmmakers try to make movies of America in Czechoslovakia. It was always abysmal stuff.

You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.

For me, speaking is work. It's not like when you breathe.