Patrice Leconte Quotes

I'm not one to dwell on rehearsal or preparation.

No, but it’s not because I’m getting older that I’m trying to accelerate. But something very curious is happening: The older I get, the more ideas I’m getting.

I'm not one to dwell on rehearsal or preparation. I like to just go out and do it. Of course, that doesn't mean actors are free to do whatever they like, they're always being directed.

I like films that are well-written and concise and with not a lot of room for improvisation.

What stirs my passion is making cinema, and that means doing different things, making different types of films.

Married people from my generation are like an endangered species!

When I was young, my idea was to become a filmmaker.

I can zero in on subtle things because I'm holding the camera.

Yes, I am very prolific.

I like films to be complete in their written form.

I like cinema. I am very fond of it. But from time to time I feel like having some time on my own.

I am not a fan of westerns particularly.

If a film is very clever and well-written, that's what gives you freedom as a director.

I did the drawing and writing - for five years. I made a lot of short films the whole while and I made a promise to myself in front of the mirror that I would stop drawing when I signed my first contract for a feature film.

Working with a bunch of actors is like trying to tune each violin.

But I won't work with the exact same crew film after film because I feel the work would get a little complacent.

You can work, shop, do everything from home, and I find this unsettling.

I see people growing more and more isolated in their lives. It's not like it's a new thing, but it's more preoccupying now as you can do so many things without leaving your home. You can work, shop, do everything from home, and I find this unsettling.

If a film is very clever and well-written, that's what gives you freedom as a director. Part of the freedom in directing, for me, is that I'm also the camera operator. That's the place where things are less rigid, where I can adjust as I go along.

Love stories that are too simple don't deserve to have films made about them.

What I expect of a movie reviewer is that he should love cinema as much as I do.

As a spectator, I have very eclectic taste, whether it's comedies or action or very small, intimate films. And I feel as a filmmaker I should be able to have that same eclectic taste.

You may think it's very presumptuous, but I really hope that my movies are going to turn people into better people.

My movies are, more or less, very short. I'm terrified of boring an audience.

Sometimes it only takes three words, so long as they're the right words, to direct an actor in the right way.

I would rather my films be well-known than I be well-known.

I never storyboard. I hate it. I don't understand why so many directors want to make comic strips of their films.

I think the best thing I learned from drawing comics is that it's a great exercise in concision.

Working with the same people is so much quicker and frees up your energy for other things.