Even People On The Liberal Side Are

Over The Years, I Realized There Was A Republican Philosophy That I Liked. And Then They Lost It. And Libertarians Had More Of It. Because What I Really Believe Is, Let's Spend A Little More Time Leaving Everybody Alone.

I'm In The Saddle Every Day Playing A Screwball. And Then Somebody Comes Along And Says, "how Would You Like To Go To Italy And Spain And Do An Italian/spanish/german Co-production With An Italian Director Who's Only Directed One Movie?" It Wasn't Like I Was Going There To Be With Federico Fellini. But Something Was There, And I Thought, Well, I Loved This Story When It Was Told By Akira Kurosawa; Maybe This Is A Good Idea. That's An Instinctive Moment. A Fistful Of Dollars Was Made.

Westerns. A Period Gone By, The Pioneer, The Loner Operating By Himself, Without Benefit Of Society. It Usually Has Something To Do With Some Sort Of Vengeance; He Takes Care Of The Vengeance Himself, Doesn't Call The Police. Like Robin Hood. It's The Last Masculine Frontier. Romantic Myth. I Guess, Though It's Hard To Think About Anything Romantic Today. In A Western You Can Think, Jesus, There Was A Time When Man Was Alone, On Horseback, Out There Where Man Hasn't Spoiled The Land Yet.

After Directing Awhile, You Get An Instinct About It, But You Have To Be Able To Trust Your Own Feelings. Invariably, Two-thirds Of The Way Through A Film, You Say, "jeezus, Is This A Pile Of Crap! What Did I Ever See In It In The First Place?" You Have To Shut Off Your Brain And Forge Ahead, Because By That Time You're Getting So Brainwashed. Once I Commit Myself To A Film I Commit Myself To That Ending, Whatever The Motivations And Conclusions Are.

I Don't See Myself As Conservative, But I'm Not Ultra-leftist. You Build A Philosophy Of Your Own. I Like The Libertarian View, Which Is To Leave Everyone Alone. Even As A Kid, I Was Annoyed By People Who Wanted To Tell Everyone How To Live.