Poll: The greatest director

Sohcan · Jul 13, 2001

glen:

<< America Gaffiti
The Phantom Menace
Star Wars
Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
Raiders of the Lost Ark >>

I could be mistaken, but of those movies, George Lucas only directed The Phantom Menace, Star Wars, and American Graffiti. He co-produced the others.

glen · Jul 13, 2001

<< Who is the greatest film-maker? >>

The original question never says anything about director, and infact the writer producer can arguable be better describes as "film-maker" than the director.

Bulldog7000 · Jul 13, 2001

Wachowski Brothers! Matrix, Bound and hopefully many more...

IMO they are on track for being the best Sci-Fi directors.

BDOG

Sohcan · Jul 13, 2001

I'm just going by the title of the thread.

pulse8 · Jul 13, 2001

<<

<< Who is the greatest film-maker? >>

The original question never says anything about director, and infact the writer producer can arguable be better describes as "film-maker" than the director. >>

Read the thread title. "The greatest director" Is there a reason, then, that we've all be discussing directors?

Didn't like the point I made before. Continue.

Bleeding Jawa · Jul 13, 2001

I think all you zit-faced teenagers who have never heard of David Lean need to get your butts to the video store. I know it will be hard for you to tear yourselves away from the college dorm rooms & your posters of "Resevoir Dogs" & "Animal House," but, I am confident you can do it. Here's your shopping list:

Lawrence of Arabia (7 Oscars - 12 Nominations)
Bridge on the River Kwaii (7 Oscars - 8 Nominations)
Doctor Zhivago (5 Oscars - 10 Nominations)
Great Expectations (3 Oscars - 6 Nominations)
A Passage to India (2 Oscars - 11 Nominations)

In Total, David Lean films have been noiminated for 61 Academy Awards & have won 28. Do you REALLY think that fluffy crap like "Titanic" & "Gladiator" are "Great Epics"??? If so, I can be quite sure you have never laid eyes on "Lawrence of Arabia." The only thing I regret is being too young myself to have seen L.O.A. or D.Z. on the big screen. And just think, most of these movies are rated PG, they surely would have let you all in!!!
SIR DAVID LEAN

GasX · Jul 13, 2001

James Cameron got a vote?

Someone gave him $120 million and all he could come up with was Titanic!

He doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same thread as Hitchcock.

supesman · Jul 13, 2001

I"m sick of the fact that people watch one good movie by a director and think he's the greatest. If you want to see greatest, go to your video store and pick out anything by Orson welles, Akira Kurosawa or Alfred hitchcock. Don't give me crap like George Lucas or Cameron (sorry wrote kubrick before, was thinking of something else), Not ALL of their movies were great!! Most were below average...

Bleeding Jawa · Jul 13, 2001

Someone gave him $120 million and all he could come up with was Titanic!

Try almost twice that much!!! Unforuntately, out of all that money, I think he only spent about 20 bucks on the script.

pulse8 · Jul 13, 2001

<< I"m sick of the fact that people watch one good movie by a director and think he's the greatest. If you want to see greatest, go to your video store and pick out anything by Orson welles, Akira Kurosawa or Alfred hitchcock. Don't give me crap like George Lucas or Kubrick, Not ALL of their movies were great!! Most were below average... >>

KUBRICK IS BELOW AVERAGE?? The man made something like 15 movies in his 50 year career and about 5 of them are on AFI's Top 100!

pulse8 · Jul 13, 2001

<< Someone gave him $120 million and all he could come up with was Titanic!

Try almost twice that much!!! Unforuntately, out of all that money, I think he only spent about 20 bucks on the script. >>

He wrote it so he didn't spend a dime.

Bleeding Jawa · Jul 13, 2001

Kubrick gets all these votes because people have heard others SAY what a great director he is. Yes there are a handful of EXCELLENT films that he has done...there are also a number of aweful ones. (Good Grief, it took how many years to make "Eyes Wide Shut" ??? :|) Kubrick just makes films that are VERY different from the mainsteam. Is he "great" - maybe. Is he the "greatest" - of course not. In fact, if you want "different," I would lend more credit to directing of newcomer Paul Thomas Anderson for his directing work thus far. He's two-for-two in my book.

Lucas? Umm...did anyone actually see "The Phantom Menace"??? Lucas is a GENIUS in filmaking...it just isnt as a writer or director. Everyone points to "Citizen Kane" as the greatest film of all time...this is not because it is such a great film in-and-of-itself. It is because it broke new ground, introducing new camera angles & ways of doing things that had never been done in films before. I would contend that "Star Wars" is every bit as important as "Citizen Kane", and Lucas is every bit as important as Orsen Welles for the same reasons. Lucas is a film legend. He is NOT the greatest director.

pulse8 · Jul 13, 2001

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) ***Most people didn't like the film, but I did.
Full Metal Jacket (1987) ***Excellent movie
Shining, The (1980) ***Excellent movie
Barry Lyndon (1975) ***One of the few I haven't seen
Clockwork Orange, A (1971) ***Excellent movie
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) ***Saw this one, didn't get it.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) ***Excellent movie
Lolita (1962) ***Excellent movie
Spartacus (1960) ***Excellent movie
Paths of Glory (1957) ***Excellent movie
Killing, The (1956) ***Was a decent film. Enjoyed watching it.

I have seen these below:

Killer's Kiss (1955)
Fear and Desire (1953)
Seafarers, The (1952)
Flying Padre (1951)
Day of the Fight (1951)

That's 16 movies...8 that are considered classic...

GasX · Jul 13, 2001

Putting Georgre Lucas, Ridley Scott, and John Carpenter on the list is just funny...

Martin Scorsese blew it when he cast his daughter in Godfather 3. She ruined an already horrible movie and tarnished the great Godfather legacy.

Godfather
Godfather 2
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
Mean Streets
& others - he has quite a filmography.

Orson Welles made Citizen Kane and that alone puts him on the list.

Woody Allen has made some excellent movies, but only Annie Hall is a great movie.

Tim Burton is too off the wall...

pulse8 · Jul 13, 2001

Uhhhhhh...Coppla did the Godfathers, not Scorcese.

Bleeding Jawa · Jul 13, 2001

If anyone wants to see a good Woody Allen movie, check out "Manhattan" (Not "Manhattan Murder Mystery&quot. This flick is hilarious.

I don't give him a vote as greatest of all time, but I do give a nod to Ridley Scott as one of my favorites for doing "Blade Runner" & "Alien" (MUCH better film {though a different kind of film} than "Aliens" by Cameron). I think he directed very well in "Gladiator," but unfortunately, the story was very, very weak.

I have never been THAT big into Scorsese, but I do really like his films. "Raging Bull" is one of my favorites.

Bleeding Jawa · Jul 13, 2001

Yep, FFC did "Godfather." MC did "Goodfellas."

Nolte · Jul 13, 2001

How about Rob Reiner?

American President, The (1995)
Few Good Men, A (1992)
Misery (1990)
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Princess Bride, The (1987)
Stand by Me (1986)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Nolte

yellowperil · Jul 13, 2001

A lot of fine directors out there. My favorites are Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, The Year of Living Dangerously) and Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia).

GasX · Jul 13, 2001

<< Uhhhhhh...Coppla did the Godfathers, not Scorcese. >>

<chris farley>What was I thinking?</chris farley>

Jfur · Jul 13, 2001

I agree that George Lucas is NOT a good director. Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie, but he did not direct it! His story ideas ar great, but keep him away from scripting and directing

Otherwise:

Kurosawa
Scott
Lee (Ang)
Kubrick

JeffreyLebowski · Jul 13, 2001

Well for those of you that say Lucas because Indiana Jones is #1 on that guiness list then Cameron deserves a nod becuase he has 2 on that list.

What about Katsuhiro Otomo, director of Akira. If it wasn't for his vision and ability, most people here in the US and most of the world, outside of Japan, would probably never heard of Anime. Many Anime directors and creators, credit him with making anime "mainstream"

Bleeding Jawa · Jul 13, 2001

Nah...I was watching "Star Blazers" on TV when I was a kid. Still my favorite japanese import...I have about 20-30 episodes on tape. Akira is sweet flick though.

Shy · Jul 13, 2001

<< Put Darren Aranovksy on that list if you want me to take it seriously >>

I second the motion! I voted other in honor.

From that list, I'd go with the Coen brothers. They're just great.

Hmm... Kevin Smith should be added to the list =)

(I'm just kidding, he's no Kubrick, but damn he's good)

-Shy

SSP · Jul 13, 2001

Voted for Alfred Hitchcock. I love his work.

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