34 Quotes by Jan de Bont

Angelina wanted to make sure that any fighting in the movie would be comparable to any male actor. Everything from stick fighting to horse riding was real to her.

I worked on movies with a lot of violence when I was a cinematographer, and it always bothered me. It's a personal thing. I wouldn't want my kids to see it. I certainly believe that freedom of expression shouldn't be taken away, but I also believe you can make movies that are thrilling and exciting without too much violence.

I think you have to know and care about the character. You have to have a character that feels contemporary, and like a real person.

We're surrounded by violence, and we see so much of it on TV, especially the news programs. We almost become numb. And that forces filmmakers to try to outdo themselves... They say, 'Look what I can do,' and it becomes like a showoff thing. To me, that's ridiculous. Filmmaking isn't a contest!

We sometimes do things that we think, Oh, I never knew I could do that. If you create that type of character, it's fun to see people do that.

Technology is a major tool in exploring and challenging your creativity, but it can also overtake your creativity... My mind goes very fast, and I can see all kinds of images that would be spectacular on the screen. But they would cost so much money, and would they really make the story that much better?

In regards to The Haunting, people compared it to the old movie, which is unfair. We didn't have the rights to the movie. I couldn't duplicate a single thing because that would have been legal infringement.

In the sequence where they fly off the Hong Kong building, everybody is convinced it has to be CGI or a composite shot, but that's all real.

Lara Croft is such a strong individual, she’s very driven, she doesn’t need a man, she’s speaks her own mind, and that she’s in control of her own life. It’s a lot of what women want and have.