It's a great lesson in modesty that you realize you're illiterate in a field that you think you're an expert in.

Any film that supports the idea that things can be changed is a great film in my eyes.

The Yanks have colonized our subconscious.

It's almost scary how stylish things can look if you take the color out - how much more you see the essence of things and how much more something can appear elegant.

The Cuban people have an amazingly strong and unbroken spirit.

Movies are something people see all over the world because there is a certain need for it.

To evoke the classic period of Italian cinema in a little film seemed like a great, fun thing to do. I had relations to that period. I had known Fellini and I had known Antonioni. I had made a movie with Antonioni and I had visited Fellini in his studios. So, it seemed like something worthwhile doing. You bring yourself to that mythical cinema.