Paul Greengrass Quotes

I love filming in Britain.

After 'The Gamekeeper' I made one other film called 'Looks and Smiles,' but making British films was very difficult. There wasn't a tradition of British cinema.

I have always thought we should think less about the British film industry as an entity, and more about getting British talent working.

The agency was desperate to get started with the commercials in 1976, but I was working on Star Wars.

I like the constant rise and fall of the British film industry. But above all, I like the workhorses who kept going no matter what.

It's weathered many a storm, but the British film industry is, thankfully, still afloat.

When you think of a movie, most people imagine a two hour finished, polished product. But to get to that two hour product, it can take hundreds or thousands of people many months of full time work.

When I make films, I work with Mike Leigh, who's the most prolific director in England.

It will never be Hollywood, the same way people think it should be. I think it will grow and it will be healthy and it will expand into more than one production house.

People in Scotland appreciate homegrown talent, but it's getting harder and harder to get films made in Britain.

What can we expect from this latest crop of indie directors who have been sucked into the franchise factory? I'm especially curious about 'Star Wars,' which will feature an all-indie crew after J. J. Abrams finishes with 'Episode VII.'

It's hard to make a film in Britain. It's hard to raise money. The best stuff that is shot on film in Britain is usually shot on film for television.

The moral of filmmaking in Britain is that you will be screwed by the weather.

It's not simply that British films do well at the box office and generate revenue, it's that they provide a window to the world of what Britain and its culture is about.

When I finally got up to Industrial Light And Magic to work on the 'Star Wars' movies as a model-maker, it felt like dying and going to heaven.

You can't actually be just a movie actor in Britain, because we don't make that many movies.

I definitely used to dream of sitting in the movie theatre watching the 'Star Wars' credits come up knowing I was part of one of those films.

In the 40 or so years I've known David Puttnam, not only has he pursued an outstanding career in films and now politics, but he has been the keeper of the flame of the British film industry.

There's no need to live in L.A. Half of Hollywood's films are shot in London, anyway.

I'd love to make films in England, and I tried to. I think there's a wealth of amazing talent and astonishing writing over here; there just seems to be more of a culture of developing films than actually making them.

I read a magazine called 'Cinefantastique' that had just come out with a making of 'Star Wars' issue. They had some very long and detailed interviews with a whole bunch of people at ILM. I think I memorized that whole magazine.

I kind of want to be in a comedy movie, or maybe something like 'Star Wars.'

As a rule, Michael Balcon was at great pains to ensure Ealing remained very British. There was no point our trying to be MGM, and we didn't see a lot of American stars.

I got a chance to work with so many stalwarts from British cinema. Judi Dench, of course, who is a legend. Then there was my director Stephen Frears. He is the man who made some of British cinema's salient trendsetters.

Just getting to meet George Lucas was pretty amazing, and then working with him and getting to be part of this process... it's a great responsibility.