He notes that postwar greats Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini usually "drowned" their audiences in content, leaving viewers with little energy to focus on style and technique. When not making movies, Hou spends his time reading and watching videotapes of other films.
侯孝賢認為一部電影的內容重於技巧和形式。比如，欣賞柏格曼或費里尼等大師級的電影時，觀眾會被整部片的內容「淹沒」，無暇去感覺技巧等旁枝末節。