You walk through a series of arches, so to speak, and then, presently, at the end of a corridor, a door opens and you see backward through time, and you feel the flow of time, and realize you are only part of a great nameless procession."

"What to do when inspiration doesn't come: Be careful not to spook, get the wind up, force things into position. You must wait around until the idea comes."

Hollywood has always been a cage. . . a cage to catch our dreams.

The directing of a picture involves coming out of your individual loneliness and taking a controlling part in putting together a small world. A picture is made. You put a frame around it and move on. That is all there is to it.

I don't try to guess what a million people will like. It's hard enough to know what I like.