[on making low-budget independent films in the late 60s and early 70s] It was a wonderful period. We just wanted to make films, so we went out and figured out the best way to do it. How can you make a film for a limited amount of money? You learn your craft working with
Joe Solomon or
Roger Corman or doing things for AIP. We didn't want to be dominated by the studios. We wanted to control our films. We were all really taken up with what the French were doing at that point, the whole New Wave. The freedom that the filmmakers were experiencing in Europe was what we really wanted. We wanted Cannes; we didn't want Oscars. To get to Cannes was the great dream. To win an Oscar didn't mean anything in those days to us.
