Author

I always loved silent movies. I was not a specialist, but I loved them. And when I started directing, I became really fascinated by the format - how it works, the device of the silent movie. It's not the same form of expression as a talkie. The lack of sounds makes you participate in the storytelling.

From Michel Hazanavicius

It's about storytelling. The story is told through images. So with the cast, I had to make sure that the emotions were readable without sound... I know some great actors, if you turn off the sound, you don't really know what they're saying.

From Michel Hazanavicius

When you look at the early-'30s movies, like King Kong, the codes of acting are very similar to those of silent movies. In some of the silent movies - the good ones, the ones done by the best directors - the acting is very, very natural.

From Michel Hazanavicius

I think being a foreigner and talking about Hollywood allowed me to use some cliches and some references that an American would maybe not use.

From Michel Hazanavicius

But I don't think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director. Whether I'm French or Australian or whatever, it's really not important.

From Michel Hazanavicius

Hollywood is much more than America. Hollywood belongs to all of the planet.

From Michel Hazanavicius

Sure, I watched a lot of Hollywood movies. Maybe I've seen more Hollywood movies than French movies.

From Michel Hazanavicius

Sometimes when an actor says something almost perfect, but you know you have to edit it, if you tell them to change something immediately, it will come out great.

From Michel Hazanavicius

I watched a lot of silent directors who were absolutely great like John Ford and Fritz Lang, Tod Browning, and also some very modern directors like The Coen Brothers. The directors take the freedom within their own movies to be melodramatic or funny when they chose to be. They do whatever they want and they don't care about the genre.

From Michel Hazanavicius

When you do not have the dialogue to explain things, you will use everything to show and to tell the story. I think that this is what makes you believe that it is impeccable.

From Michel Hazanavicius

Michel Hazanavicius

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