George Stevens had the only contract that ever has or ever will exist giving the director complete control over every aspect of his films. He was once asked which aspect he would give up if he had to give only one of the basic four away. The four aspects were: (1) selecting the material and working on it; (2) casting, sets, and costumes; (3) shooting it; (4) scoring, dubbing, and cutting. When asked which of those aspects he would give up, he said, “Directing the picture.”
