Your Top 5 Film Directors?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by phallumontis, Jan 9, 2008.

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  1. phallumontis

    phallumontis Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Who are your top five favorite directors in the wide world of film and why? They can be alive or dead, currently working or not, and from any country in the world. I'll get the thread started with my choices, listed in reverse order for suspense. ;)

    5) Akira Kurosawa. If there's one word to sum up his craft, it's "graceful". Every scene is so magnificently orchestrated and arranged, almost as though a stage play is being filmed. The characters are clearly identifiable and instantly memorable, the writing is succinct and potent, and the stories are genuinely moving. Though some of his later output is a mixed bag, the standouts are some of the best films I'll ever have the privilege of seeing (Ran, Kagemusha, Dreams).

    4) Woody Allen. There's something about his films that I can't quite put my finger on, yet I can't get enough of them. There are a few duds in his catalog, to be sure, but they are still charming enough to watch and enjoy thoroughly. The winners are simply outstanding. Even when he's blatantly paying homage to his heroes such as in Shadows and Fog, Interiors, or Stardust Memories, the writing is so economical and brimming with subtle power that it still feels distinctly Woody. Yes, his name also doubles as an adjective.

    3) David Lynch. Somehow he knows how to make me simultaneously scratch my head in utter bewilderment and bite my nails in eerily familiar tension. There are places in my brain that Lynch has carved out himself with a blunt pickax, and he elicits feelings I only thought were possible in dreams. He can bring me to tears, hysterics, laughter, or all of the above for reasons I could never possibly explain.

    2) Stanley Kubrick. No other director has ever made me feel such awe for the visual element of film. Many people find 2001: A Space Oddysey to be both boring and outdated, but I find myself completely transfixed by it whenever I see it. The same goes for nearly all of his other films post-Spartacus. His long takes and shots coupled with the immensely heavy subtext of his films make for some delicious viewing.

    1) The Coen Brothers (Joel if you're being technical). No other filmmakers currently working today have such an authentic artistic signature over nearly every aspect of their craft. On the other hand, they never come off as overly stylish, knowing exactly when to keep their flare in check for the sake of character development and creating a (sometimes) believable world. Their scripts are like fine wines. They're good men. And thorough. ;)
     
  2. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    1) Kubrick -I feel every frame has meaning
    2) Hitchcock
    3) F W Murnau -Silent Film Great....the person who really changed cinema and broke new ground
    4) Nicholas Roeg -His first 5 films gave a whole new dimention to filmaking
    5) David Lean -Lawrence of Arabia.....amazing!
     
  3. phallumontis

    phallumontis Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Murnau is a good choice!
     
  4. John Egan

    John Egan Active Member

    Location:
    Oakland CA
    Kubrick - I have reached the point where I have heard enough from his critics. He knew what he was doing and they don't.

    Lynch - He has walked farther down the twisted paths of the human psyche than anyone and has the skill to make it beautiful, scary and hilarious.

    Cronenberg - Brains and guts. everywhere.

    Godard - He and I are different people with different politics but I find his 60 - 66 material endlessly watchable and Breathless may be my all time favorite.

    Bava - Beauty and terror. the two things that intrigue me the most.
     
  5. jligon

    jligon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peoria, IL
    Some of my favorites:
    Buster Keaton
    Preston Sturges
    Billy Wilder
    Yasijuro Ozu
    John Ford
     
  6. AndrewS

    AndrewS Senior Member

    Location:
    S. Ontario, Canada
    Although it's a tight race between so many, these are the first 5 to occur to me:

    Stanley Kubrick - Just love everything he's done. A real shame we couldn't have had more.

    Ridley Scott - Blade Runner. Alien. Hannibal, though many disliked the story (I actually liked it, and the book even more), it is a beautiful film.

    Danny Boyle - There's just a flow and look to his films that I really enjoy.

    John Duigan - Certainly the least known in my list, but he's done two of my favourite films, The Year My Voice Broke and Flirting. Born in England, but emigrated to Australia at 12, where both the films mentioned were shot.

    Alfred Hitchcock - What can I say that would do the master justice?


    Honourable mentions would go to Kurosawa, John Hughes, Woody Allen, Jonathan Demme, Godfrey Reggio, Atom Egoyan, Terry Gilliam, and the list could go on and on...
     
  7. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    Yasujiro Ozu
    Kenji Mizoguchi
    Jean Renoir
    Fritz Lang
    Carl T. Dryer
     
  8. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    Revised

    Yasujiro Ozu
    Kenji Mizoguchi
    Jean Renoir
    Fritz Lang
    Jean Vigo
     
  9. jligon

    jligon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peoria, IL
    And I was just about to commend you for your choice of Dreyer! :)

    Great picks, btw.
     
  10. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    Alfred Hitchcock
    Stanley Kubrick
    David Lynch
    David Lean
    Sergio Leone
    Sam Peckinpaw
    Roman Polanski
    John Sturges
    John Ford
    Clint Eastwood
     
  11. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Ridley Scott
    Cronenberg
    B. Schroeder
     
  12. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    :)
    I just realized that I preferred Vigo to Dreyer.

    BTW, they are all dead.
    If you have to chose from those who is breathing on the earth right now,

    Clint Eastwood
    Woody Allen
    Takeshi Kitano

    come to my mind first.
     
  13. scotto

    scotto Senior Member

    I can't narrow it down to less than 10, but Preston Sturges is definitely one of my top five.
     
  14. zen archer

    zen archer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston Ma.usa
    1. Alfred Hitchcock
    2. Billy Wilder
    3. Howard hawks
    4. John Ford
    5. Michael Curtiz


    and then :

    6. Preston Sturges
    7. Otto Preminger
    8. Martin Scorsese
    9. Woody Allen
    10. Buster Keaton
     
  15. -Ben

    -Ben Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington DC Area
    I can't even do less than 20, but if forced to do 5:

    Orson Welles
    John Ford
    Alfred Hitchcock
    Ingmar Bergman
    Jean Renoir
     
  16. 1. Alfred Hitchcock. I'm surprised to NOT see his name on the OP's list since he had such a huge impact on other directors (and still does)
    2. Danny Boyle. Love him or hate him he's one talented guy that switches genres (like Kubrick) at the drop of a hat.
    3. Sergio Leone-His core films are brilliant but his early work (such as the Colossus of Rome) interesting more from a technical point of view.
    4. James Cameron. He's really NOT "the King of the World" but he is a brilliant film director with an ego the size of the Titanic.
    5. Coen Brothers. Ever since "Blood Simple" I've liked this guys.

    and if I could round out to the top 10
    6. Stanley Kubrick
    7. Preston Sturges
    8. Brian Singer
    9. Orson Welles--much smaller body of work but very impressive.
    10. Billy Wilder
     
  17. Merseyside

    Merseyside New Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Roeg
    The Coens
    We Anderson
     
  18. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    I agree the all of the above, all great!

    I'd like to add Peter Greenaway.
     
  19. -Ben

    -Ben Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington DC Area
    :thumbsup:

    With special kudos for his main collaborators, cinematographer Sacha Vierny and composer Michael Nyman.
     
  20. AndrewS

    AndrewS Senior Member

    Location:
    S. Ontario, Canada
    It's funny that I'm reading through others choices and just doing this: :agree:

    As I said, there are just so many that have done such a great job, it's incredibly difficult to narrow it down.
     
  21. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Fritz Lang
    John Ford
    Alfred Hitchcock
    Stanley Kubrick
    Krzysztof Kieslowski (if for nothing other than Blue, which I can't watch enough times)
     
  22. jv66

    jv66 Estimated Dead Prophet

    Location:
    Montreal
    Kubrick, Kurosawa, Bergman, Woody Allen, Truffault
     
  23. brew ziggins

    brew ziggins Forum Prisoner

    Location:
    The Village
    Kurosawa
    Greenaway
    Antonioni


    Now it gets tough...

    I gotta give a nod to the Coen brothers as well
    The last spot is a toss-up between Kubrik, Lynch, Roeg, Fellini, Scorcese, Coppola

    And for quirky directors with relatively small portfolios:

    Bill Forsyth
    (Local Hero, Comfort & Joy)
    Wes Anderson
     
  24. John Moschella

    John Moschella Senior Member

    Location:
    Christiansburg, VA
    It's nice to see Nick Roeg showing up on a few lists. I'm a big fan of his films. Don't Look Now is the greatest horror movie ever made.
    Some of his other more obscure films, like Track 29 or Eureka, were always interesting.

    Also, how could this thread get to page 2 without a mention of John Houston?

    Living:
    Eastwood
    Coen
    Roeg
    Cronenberg
    Boorman

    Dead:
    Ford
    Houston
    Hitchcock
    Hawks
    Kubrick
     
  25. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    Ford
    Hitchcock
    Truffaut
    Welles
    Allen
    Renoir
     
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