I was born with this bow tie made of celluloid on my collar.

I was born with this bow tie made of celluloid on my collar.

If there is an auteur who influenced me - and there is only one - that is Charlie Chaplin. And he never won an Oscar.

Producing films was a distraction for me for which I payed dearly.

I can't see America any other way than with a European's eyes. It fascinates me and terrifies me at the same time.

What I do is give Ennio Morricone suggestions and describe to him my characters, and then, quite often, he'll possibly write five themes for one character. And five themes for another. And then I'll take one piece of one of them and put it with a piece of another one for that character or take another theme from another character and move it into this character.... And when I have my characters finally dressed, then he composes.

My life, my reading, everything about me revolves around the cinema. So for me, cinema is life, and vice-versa.