We started filming in 1993 which was only four years after the fall of communism. The difference in Budapest over the last five years has been remarkable.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Now, actors get so familiarized with Eastern Europe. I never imagined I'd get as familiar with Budapest and Prague and places like that in my life.
We were surprised that the television series had the kind of longevity that it had after only four years of filming it and the reception in 6 countries around the world was quite extraordinary.
I think nothing has been filmed as much as World War II.
Now, after the communist take-over in 1948, the amount of feature films produced dwindled to three a year, while the school was, you know, every year another three, four, five students.
However, that old mode of Polish filmmaking virtually disappeared.
I went to Yugoslavia to make a movie. People saw me there and asked me to do a movie in Germany. And that led to a movie in Italy. Before I knew it, I was in Europe for most of the next 10 years.
We haven't done action movies in Germany. We had some attempts in the '90s, but they failed.
I remember Berlin. Berlin to me was the star of the film. I loved for six months that we filmed there.
There's a burgeoning film scene in Romania.
You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.