As A Child I Had Terrible Asthma.

When Everything Is Added Up, The Frequent Blows Weighted Against The Sporadic Triumphs, This Is I Have To Say Not Just A Vocation, It's A Great Gift. But You Also Know This, For Your Work, For Your Passion, Every Day Is A Rededication. Painters, Dancers, Actors, Writers, Filmmakers. It's The Same For All Of You, All Of Us. Every Step Is A First Step. Every Brush Stroke Is A Test. Every Scene Is A Lesson. Every Shot Is A School. So, Let The Learning Continue.

As A Kid I Watched The Academy Awards On Television And Always Wanted One - Or Several - Like One Of My Favorite Directions, John Ford. He Won Six. On The Other Hand, Orson Welles, Who's On The Top Of My List, Didn't Win Any. Alfred Hitchcock Didn't Win Any. Howard Hawks Didn't Win Any.

I Know That I Come From Mid-20th Century America, Urban, Specifically Downtown New York, Specifically An Italian-american Area, Roman Catholic - That's Who I Am. And A Part Of What I Know Is There's A Decency To People Who Tried To Make A Living In The Kind Of World That Was Around Us And Also The Skid Row Area Of The Bowery; It Impressed Me.

Watching A Kubrick Film Is Like Gazing Up At A Mountaintop. You Look Up And Wonder, How Could Anyone Have Climbed That High?

Every Scene Is A Lesson. Every Shot Is A School. Let The Learning Continue.