When I came for the first time to the United States, visiting, I was absolutely fascinated by New York.

When I came for the first time to the United States, visiting, I was absolutely fascinated by New York.

Because if you lived, as I did, several years under Nazi totalitarianism, and then 20 years in communist totalitarianism, you would certainly realize how precious freedom is, and how easy it is to lose your freedom.

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 really see life around the principals to be as important as the main, principal actors. That's what cinéma vérité taught me - that it's not a question of having a main character, a great actor, and the rest is unimportant. Every detail, every face in the crowd is important.

Usually you don't think about re-releasing an old movie.

I'm convinced the Beatles are partly responsible for the fall of Communism.