I think, to go to the bottom of it all, that the films I have made and my kind of film-making is a hybrid type of film-making - in that it isn't American, it isn't Italian.

It is clear that the vehicle of the western was a very interesting vehicle for me to contraband some of my ideas.

My films are often characterized by the lack of women present in them, except for this last one [Once Upon a Time in America].

I think politics should be expressed in this way and not in other ways. And not just politics - sentiments, even certain states of being.

[The director] has to, I feel, be one step back, not only from cinema, but also from politics and all these issues in order to tell and depict the situation that spreads to people.

When I go to the cinema, I'm often frustrated because I can guess exactly what is going to happen about ten minutes into the screening. So, when I'm working on a subject, I'm always looking for the element of surprise.

In my childhood, America was like a religion. Then, real-life Americans abruptly entered my life - in jeeps - and upset all my dreams.