I try to capture reality, nothing else.

I am not a pessimist; to perceive evil where it exists is, in my opinion, a form of optimism

Noble acts and momentous events happen in the same way and produce the same impression as the ordinary facts.

Don't get married to an actress, because they're also actresses in bed.

The camera's a ballpoint pen, an imbecile; it's not worth anything if you don't have anything to say.

Ever since ROME, OPEN CITY, I have maintained a conscious, determined endeavor to try to understand the world in which I live, in a spirit of humility and respect for the facts and for history. What as the meaning of ROME, OPEN CITY? We were emerging from the tragedy of the war. We had all taken part in it, for we were all its victims. I sought only to picture the essence of things. I had absolutely no interest in telling a romanticized tale along the usual lives of film drama. The actual facts were each more dramatic than any screen cliche.

I try to capture reality, nothing else.