The 20 Greatest Film Directors
Submitted by lbangs on Thu, 03/18/2004 - 12:38
Tags:
- Fritz Lang - Dr. Mabuse, Die Nibelungen, Metropolis, M, The Big Heat
- Howard Hawks - Scarface, Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, The Big Sleep, Red River
- Alfred Hitchcock - The 39 Steps, Notorious, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, North by Northwest
- John Ford - The Informer, Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
- John Huston - The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen, The Dead
- Orson Welles - Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Lady from Shanghai, Othello, Touch of Evil
- Billy Wilder - Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd., Stalag 17, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment
- David Lean - Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, A Passage to India
- Vittorio De Sica - Shoeshine, The Bicycle Thief, Umberto D., Two Women, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
- Akira Kurosawa - Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, High and Low, Ran
- Federico Fellini - La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Juliet of the Spirits
- Ingmar Bergman - The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Scenes from a Marriage, Fanny and Alexander
- Roman Polanski - Knife in the Water, Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, The Pianist
- Andrei Tarkovsky - My Name Is Ivan, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, The Mirror, Stalker
- Sergio Leone - A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Once Upon a Time in America
- Bob Fosse - Cabaret, Lenny, All That Jazz, Star 80
- Woody Allen - Annie Hall, Manhattan, Zelig, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors
- Martin Scorsese - Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, GoodFellas, Casino
- Hal Hartley - Trust, Surviving Desire, Simple Men, Amateur, Henry Fool
- Quentin Tarantino - Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1
- Honorable Mention
- Charles Laughton - He only directed one film, so I really can't rate him with the others above, but that one movie, The Night of the Hunter, strongly suggests he might have been one of the greats behind the camera...
Author Comments:
These are listed very approximately by date of first masterpiece, and I have listed up to five terrific movies for each director.
This is inspired by Stooky's list. I originally cloned it, but belatedly discovered his is an article while mine is put together as a list. As a result, this list doesn't show it was cloned, but here's my thanks all the same...
Here's the first of the 'where is...' responses. Where is Stanley Kubrick?
After I finished this up last night, I had a strange feeling that he might be the first missing director to be asked about.
I admire Kubrick's skill, and when he pulls everything together, he can create a masterpiece such as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Alas, I feel he often shoots himself in the foot, and he can also let films get away from him too often (odd, for such a control freak).
So while I greatly admire Mr. Kubrick, nope, he isn't one of my favorites. Forgive me?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I agree with bertie.
Me too, and I'd probably also include Francois Truffaut, and at least one director of silent comedies (Keaton / Chaplin). Also, if you're talking most innovative directors, D.W. Griffith. But then again, that would be my list, and your list is very good too. :-)
Yup, can't argue with the man's picks, though I'd also include Stanley, Truffaut, Keaton, Chaplin, and maybe Buñuel (though I've hardly seen enough of his films), Capra, and the Powell/Pressburger team. You've got some excellent film choices included as well, and this'll serve me well as I wander the virtual aisles of Netflix.
Good suggestions, and I considered them all. Bunuel, in particular, was one of the last three I had to chop...
This was one of the toughest lists for me to pull together; I love so many directors!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Griffith is certainly one of the most innovative and influential, but he also created a ton of films I frankly find it a chore to sit through, despite the few I love.
I considered both Keaton and Chaplin, but the trouble is that while I love their films, I have a bit of trouble truly saying that their directing skills alone are up to par with the 20 (I finally pruned it down) on my list.
As for Truffaut, he was one of the last, painful cuts, and he certainly should be considered a strong runner-up!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Keaton and Chaplin are tough calls. Comedy direction is subtle and underrated. It's very hard to direct a comedy (especially physical comedy) and get all the timing and angles right. Both Keaton and Chaplin almost always did it right, resulting in hilarious films. But at the same time, I don't know if they'd stack up to the other guys on this list. They did what they did very, very well, but what they did was perhaps less ambitious than what Welles or Hitchcock were doing. They have certainly created their share of masterpieces though.
"he also created a ton of films I frankly find it a chore to sit through" - Well, I'm certainly not going to argue with that. In fact, I've only seen one full-length Griffith film, an established classic, and I found that one a real chore to sit through. If you're talking sheer directorial prowess, talent, vision, and influence, Griffith is way up there, but I certainly respect your choice to cut him. If I made such a list, I'd probably cut him too.
I'd definitely keep Kubrick though. :-)
I just realized my explanation sounds much too dismissive of both silent greats. While my reasons kept them from my list of 20, Chaplin in particular nearly landed here.
Kubrick was also considered, but alas, twenty slots, and these folks were ahead in the line...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Great list! You know I'm disappointed not to see Zhang Yimou make the cut, but I have a hard time displacing anyone you've listed. Well, while I do like Hartley... :-) I guess he could also squeeze out Mankiewicz, Fosse, Allen, or Tarantino on my list, but it's not my list then, is it?
Why did Laughton only direct one film? Any idea?
Zhang Yimou was right beside Francois Truffaut on my tough cuts list. Honestly, it may well be my fault. While I've seen several of Zhang Yimou's films, I still have several more to go. He is perhaps the one living director I think is most likely to join up here one day.
Wow, this site has an uncanny way of suggesting my closest runners-up and final cuts. I'm impressed!
I really don't know why Laughton only directed one film, especially since he continued acting afterwards. I do believe The Night of the Hunter was rather over-looked on first release, and perhaps that is a factor. I'll have to research; I'd love to find out.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I believe I read somewhere that Laughton was a fat lazy but brilliant man who did not like all the work associated with directing and never wanted to do it again but I wont swear that this is true. If I have the time, I will try to look up where I read it.
BTW, nice list.
Thanks.
I've heard that same explanation before, but I didn't know if it was true or if the person I was listening to was just blowing air. I wouldn't be very shocked, at least not from what little I do know about Mr. Laughton.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
hmmmm...David Lynch? Great List though. I'll have to check out the few I'm unfamiliar with.
Yes! David Lynch was another close runner up, and hey, he's still alive and kicking. A few more films anywhere near the greatness of, say, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, or Mulholland Dr., and he may just sneak on here.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Good overall list. I think Hartley is a weak link, but everyone's got their favorites (mine being the Coen Brothers). I've got to agree with AJ that leaving off Truffaut is sad (I'd swap out De Sica for him), and I'd go with Vincente Minnelli over Fosse for great musicals. But when you're talking about great ones, it's pretty much quibbling.
Great comments. My opinion is certainly not the textbook norm, but as far as I am concerned, if Joel Coen had really expanded on the classic early films such as Blood Simple and Miller's Crossing, he'd be here. Instead, he sorta flared out, but he could always catch fire again!
If this list was a top five, Hartley would still be here.
De Sica vs. Truffaut is a very uninviting match-up, as one would have to lose. I love Truffaut, but I just cannot leave out the man who created The Bicycle Thief and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (one of the more under-rated films in history).
As for Fosse, have you seen Lenny? He was much more than a great musical director, and his musicals soared to a great degree because he could really work the drama that rode with them.
Great comments!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Nice list. I have much the same on mine. :)
Don't know what you mean about Kubrick letting a film get away from him, could you explain? I was under the impression Kubie was all about the scenes and cared not much how they connected together.
Are you a paid critic?
Good point. To me, the director is responsible for the film. Very few films can truly survive a muddled whole, despite how great the individual scenes might be (Apocalypse Now is the lone example to spring to my mind).
Lolita is a great example of this problem. Kubrick lets Sellers hijack the film, and while I love Sellers and his scenes, the abrupt shift from Mason to Sellers really hurts the film. I can't watch it as much more than a well-filmed failure with some great scenes or a disjointed whole formed by two different parts shoved together.
Putting the scenes together is what separates a great feature film director from a great short director.
Having said that, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr. Strangelove are classics, and several other of his films are great. I just can't see cutting any of the above to fit him in. Mea culpa.
Paid critic? No, not at the moment, though I have been at various times (honestly, more often as a music critic than a film critic).
Thanks for your comments!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
That makes sense about the Lolita/Sellers connundrum, but I would say it's not so much Kubrick's loosening grip as Sellers ballistic acting. I always thought Kubrick directed films that play like an elephant(his pretentions) on a beach ball (the plot) and that's why he's not on my top 20.
From what I understand, Kubrick just liked Sellers so much, he let him run wild. I own Nabokov's screenplay for the film, and Quilty hardly plays such a large part. Kubrick lost his grip, from what I can tell.
I think your observation about Kubrick certainly applies to some of his films.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Thanks for putting me back in line. :) If that's the case, then Kubrick definately did slip.
Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I mean, "Lolita" isn't exactly among Kubrick's best films, nor is it often considered to be one of his best. I've seen five Kubrick films: 2001, Dr. Strangelove, Paths of Glory, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. These are, I think, generally considered to be his five best. lbangs, I think I recall you're a Barry Lyndon fan, so if you like, substitute that for one of those five. I think you can take that top five and compare it to any five films above and Kubrick could definitely hold his own. And I know that a large part of each of those films' quality is due to his direction. After all, he is a notorious perfectionist, so he must have really taken charge with those films and made them his own. On top of that, he's versatile. Look, his top 5 include a war drama, a dark comedy, an artsy sci-fi film, a psychedelic study of violence, and a horror movie (and a historical drama if you sub in Barry Lyndon).
Continue to disagree with me if you wish, but don't base your Kubrick criticisms on mediocre output like Lolita. Every one of the directors above have made bad movies (except Charles Laughton... and maybe Tarantino).
You're forgetting Four Rooms AJDa. That was some nasty Tarantino funk right there even if it was a short.
Well, I am just pointing out why he didn't make my top 20 list. I am certainly not trying to make him out to be a bad director, so I apologize if I come off that way.
Lolita was just the most obvious example to pop into my head, and many Kubrick fans have argued it is a great film. Paths of Glory is terrific, and Clockwork Orange is a fine film, even if I think it displays a little of the 'great scenes not quite adding up as great as a whole' syndrome I hinted at with my criticism of Lolita.
Full Metal Jacket is a better film than Lolita, but to some degree, shows the same problem. It seems like two different films joined together. I know what SK was trying to do, to make the dehumanization of war preparation look every bit if not more harrowing than war itself, but truth be told, IMHO, he could have pulled off the same effect and had a better movie if he had just ended the film after the boot camp scenes.
As for The Shining, I've avoided talking much about it here on the site. Truth is, I haven't watched it in a long, long time, so I won't swear to much, but I remember not being very impressed with it. It scared the dickens out of my friends and largely played like bad camp to me. Alas. I'll have to rent it again before I can speak with much confidence on it.
I really do like SK (and your memory is excellent - I am a fan of Barry Lyndon), and I'll save a place for him in any The Next 20 Greatest Directors Ever list I might craft. He's great, but again, I just can't chop any of the above to fit him in. Forgive me.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Fully understand why you left out Kubrick. Many of his films are pretentious, and intellectually/philosophically flawed...
One of the greatest directors you have left out, however, is Satyajit Ray.
I've no doubt you are correct. I really need to see more of his films, so thanks for the suggestion!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Wow, you cloned me.(yay) FYI I use articles because I am full of hot air and tend to blather on and on and on...annoying my friends and basically making a nuisance of myself. }:\<---giddy from reviewing music in spare time (you can get too much of a good thing)