Michael Cimino Quotes

As a result of my life on the road and the increasing number of rainy afternoons in cinemas, I began to get the idea that I might write a film.

One of the things that I find so exciting about life is that you're constantly surprised. You never know what's going to happen, and it's certainly like that making movies; every once in a while, one will come along that transcends all of your expectations.

Being on a trapeze is like dreaming. I feel totally outside of myself when I'm flying. You know, designing shoes, my imagination is flying in my drawings.

Woody Allen is in his '70s and he's making movies, so I look forward to getting there.

Normally sports day is once a year for kids, where you have fun, and everybody is jostling. For us, making movies is like having sports day everyday: competing with each other, doing your best. It's like that except we don't get awards every day in our sports day.

It seems so cliched and obvious, but write the movie you want to see in the theater.

Making movies, even though it's a business, is also an art, and sometimes you don't hit the bull's-eye.

When you're writing something and you know it's good, you get flushed, you can feel the blood coursing through your veins, you feel alive, all your nerve endings stand up, something just clicks.

Every time I start the next movie, it's as exciting as the first time.

I'm drawn to cinema, especially when you're on a project that feels like it's going to be a challenge.

All of my heroes, like Dali, are people who pioneered various forms of cinema.

I am filled with awe that filmmakers have the capacity to stir us and give us back a sense of wonder.

The creative habit is like a drug. The particular obsession changes, but the excitement, the thrill of your creation lasts.

So I like to try to go back and develop pure visual storytelling. Because to me, it's one of the most exciting aspects of making movies and almost a lost art at this point.

I make movies. I have a passion. Puppies and daisies don't accomplish anything. That's not me at all.

I think mostly it's the adventure that I will have in making the movie. That's what I look for.

Making movies is my profession. I like doing it a lot.

Going into a shoot not fully knowing what I want to do - that excitement, that thing that happens, is just so powerful and makes such great pictures.

I mean, '8½' to me is such a great dissertation on the whole, you know, act of filmmaking and creativity.

Sometimes I get an idea for cinema. And when you get an idea that you fall in love with, this is a glorious day.

It's all about having fun and shooting something that you like. Where it goes afterwards is up to the movie gods.

I make a movie because it's something that inspires me.

I love film - it's like painting.

I just want to make movies. I really love movies. I want to be involved with them.

I'd like to direct myself but I'm a cinephile and I also would like to just step behind the camera and be on the other end of making movies.