Directing "THE ARTIST"

MH: What was most important was to make a silent film. That was the attraction. Then I have many options for the story, it could be a lot of things. But really, I've thought of doing a silent movie for about ten years. I have many stories that could "fit", in a way. So it could be a lot of things. But when I started to work on this story, the story became the most important thing. Because people don't care… they just want a good story!

Q: With films always aiming to have the most advanced CGI, or the most advanced 3-D, do you see your film as a statement that the previous eras produced better film?

MH: I didn't make the movie against another kind of film or… I did it because I had the desire to make it, and because I had the hunch that it was a good movie to make. There's a lot of movies with special effects that are very good, I think. Like I was just talking with the photographer about "RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES". I think it's a very good movie. Lots of visual effects, but the movie is really really good because the story is so good. It's amazing, really. When the ape says his first words – "NO!" – to me this is really strong. There's a lot of movies that take care with telling a story, with actors. There's many good movies in every style – there's no one way to make a good movie. There is room for all kinds of cinema.