Well, Italy had been overrun by the War, there had practically been civil war, north and south of the Gothic Line, heavy bombing, the northern industrial cities had been bombed heavily and we had political disorder before 1948.
Everything I do, I do for love.
But I find that for myself, without exception, the more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.
Inspiration is cross-pollinating.
Students generally have very little idea of the world they are entering into, and their teachers - like parents - are viewed as beings who alternately guide and admonish; rarely are those teachers viewed as individuals or is their professional standing considered. It is usually only afterward, when young people encounter real-life situations in their chosen professions that they sometimes learn (if they are lucky) that they studied with one of the greats.
I wanted to change my name to Romeo Florentino. Romeo Florentino - that's a good fighter's name.
Privately, I consider religion to be a load of bollocks, but when you have a sobbing five year old wanting to know what happened to her hamster, you develop an instant belief in anything that dissolves some of the heartbreak off her face.
Mostly it's like, I get inspired by something and I want to learn that part of filmmaking, I want to delve into that kind of depth. And leading, also, a lot of people. A lot of people, for two years of their life they follow me, and they believe what I believe in. So that's some responsibility and I'd like to make it worth the effort.
You know, gynecology has a role; sex is a gift. And literature is not about sending messages.