He was a staunch supporter of the British monarchy over the possibility
of a republican alternative. He once stated a reason for this was that
he would have hated to have seen President Margaret Thatcher.
[speaking in 2004] I believe the best films today are as good as, and technically far
better than, any that have gone before, but generally speaking it's no
good looking to Hollywood for such films, because it does not want the
new and daring but the tried and trusted - revamped versions of what
has proved popular before and might therefore appeal to a current,
younger audience that never saw the originals.
