Quotes

My dream is of a craftsman's cinema in which the author can express himself as directly as the painter in his paintings or the writer in his books.

The Western is always the same, which gives the director tremendous freedom.

The saving grace of the cinema is that with patience and a little love we may arrive at that wonderfully complex creature which is called man.

A director only makes one film in his life. Then he breaks it into pieces and makes it again.

I believe that perfection handicaps cinema.

It's a war film; nevertheless there's not a mention of war in it. Beneath its benign appearance, this story strikes at the very structure of our society. (on his film "The Rules of the Game")

[on Orson Welles]: Orson Welles is an animal made for the screen and the stage. When he steps before a camera, it is as if the rest of the world ceases to exist. He is a citizen of the screen.

The real artists tells about himself entirely, with a perfect sincerity - but without knowing it. In spite of himself, he's conveying a message. If he starts his work explaining to himself, "I'm going to deliver a great message" - there's a very good chance he will not deliver anything at all.