Essential Directors : 15 Directors, 133 Films ranked
Submitted by flfrleta on Tue, 03/29/2005 - 03:53
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Robert Aldrich
1.WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)
2.ULZANA'S RAID (1972)
3.THE BIG KNIFE (1955)
4.THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (1965)
5.ATTACK (1956)
6.VERA CRUZ (1954)
7.HUSH... HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964)
8.EMPEROR OF THE NORTH POLE (1973)
9.THE GRISSOM GANG (1971)
10.THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967)
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Richard Brooks
1.ELMER GANTRY (1960)
2.THE PROFESSIONALS (1966)
3.IN COLD BLOOD (1967)
4.CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958)
5.SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH (1962)
6.DEADLINE - U.S.A. (1952)
7.BITE THE BULLET (1975)
8.DOLLARS (1971)
9.WRONG IS RIGHT (1982)
10.BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955)
Frank Capra
1.IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
2.MEET JOHN DOE (1941)
3.MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936)
4.MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
5.IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
6.LOST HORIZON (1937)
7.BROADWAY BILL (1934)
Bob Fosse
1.LENNY (1974)
2.ALL THAT JAZZ (1979)
3.STAR 80 (1983)
4.SWEET CHARITY (1969)
5.CABARET (1972)
John Frankenheimer
1.BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962)
2.SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964)
3.THE TRAIN (1965)
4.SECONDS (1966)
5.THE ICEMAN COMETH (1973)
6.THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
7.THE GYPSY MOTHS (1969)
8.BLACK SUNDAY (1977)
9.DEAD BANG (1989)
10.THE HORSEMEN (1971)
John Huston
1.THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
2.THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
3.THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)
4.THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
5.THE MISFITS (1961)
6.MOBY DICK (1956)
7.KEY LARGO (1948)
8.THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE (1951)
9.THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN (1972)
10.HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON (1957)
Stanley Kramer
1.INHERIT THE WIND (1960)
2.THE DEFIANT ONES (1958)
3.JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
4.THE SECRET OF SANTA VITTORIA (1969)
5.ON THE BEACH (1959)
6.IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963)
7.OKLAHOMA CRUDE (1973)
Stanley Kubrick
1.A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
2.2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
3.PATHS OF GLORY (1957)
4.SPARTACUS (1960)
5.THE SHINING (1980)
6.DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964)
7.FULL METAL JACKET (1987)
Sam Peckinpah
1.THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
2.STRAW DOGS (1971)
3.THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE (1970)
4.BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (1974)
5.RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962)
6.THE GETAWAY (1972)
7.JUNIOR BONNER (1972)
8.THE KILLER ELITE (1975)
9.THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND (1983)
10.PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID (1973)
Martin Ritt
1.HOMBRE (1967)
2.HUD (1963)
3.EDGE OF THE CITY (1957)
4.THE BROTHERHOOD (1968)
5.THE LONG HOT SUMMER (1958)
6.SOUNDER (1972)
7.NUTS (1987)
8.THE FRONT (1976)
9.MURPHY'S ROMANCE (1985)
10.THE GREAT WHITE HOPE (1970)
Don Siegel
1.THE SHOOTIST (1976)
2.DIRTY HARRY (1971)
3.INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
4.THE BEGUILED (1971)
5.HELL IS FOR HEROES (1962)
6.ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979)
7.TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA (1970)
8.MADIGAN (1968)
9.COOGAN'S BLUFF (1968)
10.TELEFON (1977)
John Sturges
1.THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)
2.THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960)
3.BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955)
4.LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL (1959)
5.THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (1958)
6.THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL (1965)
7.GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957)
8.HOUR OF THE GUN (1967)
9.JOE KIDD (1972)
10.CHINO (1973)
Billy Wilder
1.SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
2.ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)
3.SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
4.THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955)
5.ONE, TWO, THREE (1961)
6.THE LOST WEEKEND (1945)
7.LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON (1957)
8.IRMA LA DOUCE (1963)
9.THE FORTUNE COOKIE (1966)
10.KISS ME, STUPID (1964)
Robert Wise
1.THE SET-UP (1949)
2.SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME (1956)
3.THE BODY SNATCHER (1945)
4.RUN SILENT RUN DEEP (1958)
5.ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (1959)
6.TRIBUTE TO A BAD MAN (1956)
7.THE SAND PEBBLES (1966)
8.STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
9.THE HAUNTING (1963)
10.THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
Fred Zinnemann
1.FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
2.A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966)
3.THE MEN (1950)
4.THE SEARCH (1948)
5.HIGH NOON (1952)
6.THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973)
7.THE SUNDOWNERS (1960)
Author Comments:
Directors are listed alphabetically.
With the exception of Bob Fosse's career total of five films, I haven't seen every film these directors made but I have put together the top 10... in some cases the top 7... of the films I have seen in order of strongest to weakest. Some films despite being ranked at or near the bottom are still very good to excellent films.
There are a lot of directors that I didn't get to this time. Stay tuned for Part 2.








Not many of the very top ones there (Kubrick's the biggest name)- perhaps they'll be in part 2? And i reckon Aldrich's best film, by quite some way, is Kiss me Deadly. For Wilder, no Double Indmenity or The Aparatment? For Huston, no Treasure of the Sierra Madre or The Dead? For Kubrick, no Barry Lyndon?
I'll be getting to Ford, Hitchcock and Scorsese next time. Who do you consider the very top directors? Wilder's Double Indemnity and The Apartment don't make my top 10. Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly and Huston's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre both need another viewing... I saw them too long ago. I've yet to see Barry Lyndon and The Dead.
you seem to be quite an aldrich fan... any idea where i can watch The Last Sunset in any form whatsoever... as far as i can tell it doesn't exist.
No idea. Maybe cable TV? I've never seen it and can't understand how an Aldrich film starring Kirk Douglas hasn't even made it to VHS.
agreed... i was astonished
Nice layout and some original choices.
For Robert Wise I miss West Side Story and The Sound of Music...
Those are both fine films and I did consider them for the top 10.