Some feminists have this party-line attitude, and they can be very extremist. The most enlightened characters in my film are women.

I love life. I love my friends. I love to eat. Too many things, I love. I am very much an anti-historical character. I am attracted to happy people. Happy people with very grave problems.

Prizes are like butterflies, colorful butterflies that fly away. I don't believe in prizes much.

I've always been an angel. Sometimes I transform into a witch only because the filmmaking demands it.

Even American artists are terrorized by market forces. If one can't see the films, my wings are clipped. I am no longer concerned about this, because I'm focused on making films. Perhaps one day someone who discovers sunken treasures will reexamine my 35 or 36 films - I hope it will be 40 or 50 before I die.

When I was young, I ran to see Astaire and Rogers, Huston, Lubitsch - they were formative for me. I also read 'Flash Gordon' when I was 6, but if I were still reading it when I was 16, I'd have been an imbecile.