Sergio Leone Quotes

For me, what is most important is the element of surprise. If I can surprise you with every film of mine, that is exactly what I am trying to do.

Originality is, for me, the most important quality in a script.

I haven't broken any new ground in the form of a film.

Making an authentic film about anything is difficult.

The joy of art is particularly sweet, though, because it carries with it the threat of rejection, of failure, and of missed connections. It's precisely the high-wire act of "this might not work" that makes original art worth doing.

Every movie I do is challenging for me. There is some element of imaginative that you wouldn't have in a typical movie.

Utter originality is, of course, out of the question.

Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand - a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods - or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values.

I make films for myself, first and foremost, just because it is such a personal experience, and it's something I really have to want to do and feel connected to.

One of the reasons I love making movies is because it's an opportunity to share with the world a different way of being or a different way of living or seeing the world. If it's something you've already seen before, if I have too many reference points for it, then it's not exciting for me to make.

I think with Blair Witch and The Sixth Sense, people are much more open to something that is different.

The challenge, really, on any new film is to try to avoid that and achieve a few moments that aren't cliche.

To make great movies, there is an element of risk. You have to say, 'Well, I am going to make this film, and it is not really a sure thing.'

Nothing can ever be a rule in drama, because then you're saying certain things won't ever happen, and that would be very boring.

As a director, you try to find what is creative.

But I think the thing I'm proud of about the film is that there aren't many films - either independent films or mainstream Hollywood films - that are like this; it's of its own times, and it's the film Mike Nichols wanted to make.

I see myself as attempting to break ground. I definitely am trying to create my own genre here... I'm attempting to tell stories in a very new and entertaining way.

The businessman says 'If I don't do it first, somebody else will.' The artist says 'If I don't do it first, nobody else will.'

Every movie has its uniqueness. You just do your best and go with it.

The best films come about through experimentation.

The informing idea of what you want to say and do, that's what will take you from film school to professional - the idea. That's what is original to you.

Each novel is harder than its predecessor because I must work harder at not repeating myself. However, I enjoy the challenge. This is the greatest job in the world.

Our responsibility as filmmakers is to make things that are fresh, unique and original.

True originality consists not in a new manner but in a new vision.

I always make sure that every film of mine has some element of freshness to it.