At the same time, of course, Marxism arose - Rosa Luxembourg, Leninism, anarchism - and art became political.
My idea at this time, which was slowly developing, was to create a comedie humaine with little people, average people - samples from every period in American life.
There arose a belief in style - and in banality. Banality encompassed politics, too, because it was a common belief that politics were not worthy of art.
I was making films about American society, and it is true that I never felt at home there, except perhaps when my wife and I lived on a farm in the San Fernando Valley.
Your camera is the best critic there is. Critics never see as much as the camera does. It is more perceptive than the human eye.
Ross Hunter was my assistant on Take Me to Town, He was a young man, an actor before that, and learned a lot on the picture. During shooting, Goldstein left, and Ross was most pleasant. He never interfered.
The war was the end of an era, in art as well. And we were trying to create a new philosophy.
Rock Hudson was not an educated man, but that very beautiful body of his was putty in my hands.
I worked for UFA as a set designer, you know.
At the time I belonged to the socialist party, and Hitler came to power.
