Best director EVER

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Criteria for inclusion (well, I had to go by something): All of these directors have four or more of their movies on the IMDb Top 250 list at the moment. And at least this gives us a good mix of "classic" and contemporary directors.


Cameron: The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Avatar

Capra: It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, It’s a Wonderful Life

Chaplin: The Kid, The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, The Great Dictator

Coppola: The Godfather movies, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now

Eastwood: Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling, Gran Torino

Hitchcock: The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Rope, Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho

Kubrick: The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange; Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket

Kurosawa: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ran

Leone: For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, One Upon a Time in America

Nolan: Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight

Scorsese: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed

Spielberg: Jaws, Indiana Jones movies, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan

Tarantino: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill movies, Sin City (as "special guest director" only), Inglourious Basterds

Wilder: Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd., Stalag 17, Witness for the Prosecution, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment

 

[T'Baio]

What criteria do you use to choose, though? The directors who invented the cinematic language, like Capra, Welles (I know, not on the list, but really, why the hell not!?!), Kurosawa, Wilder, Hitchcock, Chaplin and Wilder? Or the directors that have done the most with that language, like Spielberg, Coppola, Scorsese or Eastwood?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

And where's Ingmar Bergman?

 

[FPAlpha]

As with all polls like this it is difficult if not impossible to get a good list because all people have a different set of parameters to judge the quality of a director.

Some people may call Michael Bay a good director because he lets those 2 hours pass by like nothing and have you entertained while for others the mere mentioning of the name induces nausea.

You get my drift.. having movies in some arbitrary list proves nothing. Sure.. the list you have has some outstanding directors while omitting several others who don't do blockbuster or mainstream movies and thus don't make it on the IMDB list.

 

[Pingfah]

Dunno about the best, but my favourites are Joel & Ethan Coen, Tim Burton, David Cronenberg, Spielberg, Alex Proyas (reluctantly, a wasted talent), David Lynch, Paul Verheoven, Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, Terry Gilliam and Jeunet & Caro.

Amongst others, couldn't really pick a definite because there are so many variables. Those are the ones I get excited when I hear about their next projects though.

 

[Nowhere Man]

I say Spielberg, Scorcesee, Eastwood. I base my deciscion on success, longevity, good stories and ability to adapt to times, but not go overboard with CGI. Lucas would never make the list.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Peter Jackson. But Clint Eastwood is pretty cool, too. I loved Mystic River.

 

[Too Much Fun]

Cameron: The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Avatar

I don't like most of his work very much aside from the two Terminator movies and True Lies.

Capra: It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, It’s a Wonderful Life

All of the movies of his I've seen are good (haven't seen "Smith"), but I can't stand Jimmy Stewart. That's not his fault, but it makes his work harder to enjoy.

Chaplin: The Kid, The Gold Rush, City Lights, Modern Times, The Great Dictator

Have only seen two of his movies, but they were both amazingly original, thoughtful, and entertaining. I don't think I've seen enough to really rank him, though.

Coppola: The Godfather movies, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now

Way overrated. I like "The Godfather" movies, but I despise "The Conversation", "Apocalypse Now", and "The Outsiders" - three of the slowest, most grating movies I've ever seen, with poorly developed characters that I couldn't care less about.

Eastwood: Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling, Gran Torino


Haven't seen many of his movies (not even "Unforgiven"!), but I don't know if I can ever 'forgive' him for what a shitty, overrated melodrama "Million Dollar Baby" was. It started off as a solid boxing movie, then a twist turned it into a corny pile of crap.

Hitchcock: The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Rope, Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho


I've only seen "Psycho", "Vertigo", "Rear Window", and "North by Northwest". I liked them all except "Rear Window", which I found technically impressive, but unable to overcome Jimmy Stewart's annoyingness. He deserves a lot of credit for making some of the most watchable Jimmy Stewart movies thanks to the dependably consistent direction and writing in his movies, but they generally lack the amount of heart I need to appreciate movies most. Still, can't fault him for that, and would consider him one of the best, at least objectively.

Kubrick: The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange; Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket


I have seen most of his movies and found them all enjoyable and enthralling, but other than "Dr. Strangelove", "Full Metal Jacket", and "Paths of Glory", they left me a little cold. They're all excellently directed with interesting characters, but they're hard to watch since they're so twisted and disturbing. It makes him feel like a bit of a one note director, like he's just obsessed with the dark and ugly side of humanity, which is okay, but I think the best directors can look at it from different angles instead of just sticking to one.

Kurosawa: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ran


Have only seen "The Seven Samurai" and "Ikiru" and so far I don't understand the hype. They were both too long, dull, and full of characters bitching and crying. A few beautiful shots, but no characters or stories I could really get into.

Leone: For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, One Upon a Time in America


Hard to say. Couldn't get into "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", and haven't seen his other movies, but it seems like I'm just not a fan of Westerns. Have yet to meet a 'classic' Western that I liked.


Nolan: Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight

His movies are all good, but it's too early in his career to judge whether he's one of the all-time greats. Also, other than "Memento" (which I feel is just about perfect), I think most of his movies have major script problems that detract from his fantastic directorial skills and his obvious ability to always get great performances out of actors.

Scorsese: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed


I love all of his movies that I've seen (which includes all of the ones above), but like Kubrick, his movies are a little too obsessed with the dark side of human nature sometimes, and that makes it a little hard for me to embrace them fully.

Spielberg: Jaws, Indiana Jones movies, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan


The above listed movies are all terrific (although I don't know about Indy IV, since I haven't seen it), but he's made too many bad ones to be considered the best. For every one of those listed above, there's a stinker too.

Tarantino: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill movies, Sin City (as "special guest director" only), Inglourious Basterds


I like all of his movies, but after "Inglourious Basterds", I realize he's the most repetitive of all directors and his schtick is wearing thin. I give him credit for basically creating a completely unique style of movies with the way he writes dialogue, homages other movies, sets up shots, uses music, etc., but he's starting to seem formulaic, and the best directors need to show some ability to expand and be innovative in their filmmaking.

Wilder: Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd., Stalag 17, Witness for the Prosecution, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment


This guy is my favourite in the whole list. He worked with some of the biggest stars of all time in Hollywood and guided them to some of their career best performances and worked in several different genres, hitting it out of the park in every single one. He's the most versatile of all the directors listed and while other directors' work may be familiar mostly because of affinity for certain themes, genres, and styles of direction/writing, what makes his work most recognizable is simply how excellent and polished it always is in direction, writing, and acting.

So from an objective standpoint, I think Scorsese is the best director on the list, since he's the one most consistently able to make movies that feel important and are top of the line in terms of all the elements that make movies work (direction, writing, etc.), but Billy Wilder is just as consistent and a little more versatile in terms of the range of themes and genres he covers and his movies make me happier, so I vote for him, allowing my subjective feelings to influence my ultimate opinion. Nice list, by the way. I think it should have Sidney Lumet too, but otherwise, it's very thoughtfully put together.

 

[J.T.B.]

I can't really get excited about voting a best director EVER from a list that doesn't include Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, George Cukor, C. B. DeMille, Federico Fellini, Victor Fleming, John Ford, Jean-Luc Godard, D. W. Griffith, Howard Hawks, John Huston, David Lean, Francois Truffaut, Orson Welles, William Wellman, William Wyler ... off the top of my head.

I realize that there has to be a criteria source, but I'm not too impressed with the IMDb list, either. Terminator 2 better than Chinatown? Fight Club in the top 20 but The Searchers and Sergeant York and Top Hat and Doctor Zhivago and Tom Jones not even in on the list? Give me a break.

64-director brackets might get most of the great ones, but still I'd probably find some omission to complain about!

But what the hell, I voted "other": John Ford.

--Justin

 

[Admiral2]

From this list, my top three would be Cameron, Eastwood and Hitchcock. Of these three, I would have to pick Hitchcock. so Alfred Hitchcock.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

Tarantino is so overrated, and that last atrocity is just the crappiest movie ever. What a waste of resources. *shudder*

But oh well, it's a matter of taste, anyhow.

 

[captcalhoun]

Michael fucking Bay.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

^ As worst director, right?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Scorsese. I could have just as easily voted for Kubrick, Wilder or Buster Keaton (better than Chaplin; certainly his movies have aged better).

I can't really get excited about voting a best director EVER from a list that doesn't include Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, George Cukor, C. B. DeMille, Federico Fellini, Victor Fleming, John Ford, Jean-Luc Godard, D. W. Griffith, Howard Hawks, John Huston, David Lean, Francois Truffaut, Orson Welles, William Wellman, William Wyler ... off the top of my head.

Yeah, I think this list needs to be a wee bit longer. I still would have voted for Scorsese anyway.

 

[Greg Cox]

This a tough one, although I have to go with Hitchcock.

I was tempted to go with Billy Wilder, though, just because I watched THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR again last night . . . .

 

[JiNX-01]

I'll watch anything by Hitchcock, so I picked him.

 

[JiNX-01]

Hitchcock: The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Rope, Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho

The Man Who Knew Too Much.

 

[CommanderRaytas]

I love Vertigo. Used to give me the creeps when I was little. I probably shouldn't have watched it back then.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I can't really get excited about voting a best director EVER from a list that doesn't include Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Ingmar Bergman, George Cukor, C. B. DeMille, Federico Fellini, Victor Fleming, John Ford, Jean-Luc Godard, D. W. Griffith, Howard Hawks, John Huston, David Lean, Francois Truffaut, Orson Welles, William Wellman, William Wyler ... off the top of my head.

I realize that there has to be a criteria source, but I'm not too impressed with the IMDb list, either. Terminator 2 better than Chinatown? Fight Club in the top 20 but The Searchers and Sergeant York and Top Hat and Doctor Zhivago and Tom Jones not even in on the list? Give me a break.

64-director brackets might get most of the great ones, but still I'd probably find some omission to complain about!

But what the hell, I voted "other": John Ford.

--Justin

I knew someone would make a post like that. I thought of some of those directors too, but I didn't think the person who started the thread deserved flack for excluding them because I think the ideal list should cover directors whose work is both excellent, but also can appeal to a relatively wide audience and modern audiences.

A lot of those guys are more 'art film' directors whose work would go over the heads of or be perceived as too pretentious or abstract to appreciate by general audiences (i.e. Bergman, Altman, Fellini, Trauffaut), while others may have made some of the best single movies of all time, but didn't necessarily have the most impressive/consistent body of work (i.e. Allen, Wyler, Fleming, Godard).

Woody Allen is my personal favourite director and I've seen more movies directed by him than anyone else, but like 75% of his movies are mediocre or awful because he's made a movie almost every single year for about 30 years. That's why I don't mind him not being on the list.

Also, I think "Chinatown", "The Searchers", and "Doctor Zhiavago" are overrated and suck. I do agree, however, that there are way too many old classics on the IMDB top 250 that are outranked by newer movies unworthy of such status.

 

[Greg Cox]

Hitchcock: The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, Notorious, Rope, Strangers on a Train, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho

The Man Who Knew Too Much.

The 39 Steps, The Birds . . . .