Top 50 Directors of All Time (Total Film magazine

Val Kilmer = Jim Morrison. His best performance I can remember.



Oh, and Speeeelbuurg is an ass-hat that doesn't belong in the top 100.... Just pushing Hudson's buttons. I don't actually think that.
 
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Not to switch topics here....but having just seen Lawrence of Arabia again last night (BEAUTIFUL 70mm print on the big screen)....

How on earth can David Lean be at #40 below people like Tim Burton, Rob Reiner, and Paul Thomas Anderson?

Don't get me wrong - those three (that I happened to pick quickly off the list) are all great directors in their own right....but we're talking about a guy that made 3 of the great epic films ever - "Bridge on the River Kwai" "Lawrence of Arabia" "Doctor Zhivago"

I just don't see it.

Thinking about it, a thought occurred to me...
I wonder if this list is biased at all by the fact that many of those compiling the list may never have had the opportunity to see these older films the way they were intended - on the big screen.

Watching 'Lawrence' on a 21" TV off a VHS tape is like trying to judge the quality of the Mona Lisa from its recreation on a postage stamp.

Meanwhile the contemporary directors have the advantage in that those compiling the list have probably seen pristine prints on big screens in the way they were meant to be seen - in the dark, on a huge screen, with great audio, and most importantly...with an audience.

Just a thought.
 
This list is asinine. Having a list like this can only be done with fun, subjective reasoning and must be done with friends over a couple beers. Having a definitive list of best directors is lame. No one will ever agree on something so subjective. It's like having a top 50 best colors list.

By the way, Hawks at number 4? Seriously? Didn't he do those corny Marylin Monroe films and cowboy films? Not even the good ones. I think Rio Bravo was his only claim to fame outside of the Monroe films, which were simply terrible. I don't care what AFI or any other high falooten group of stuffed shirts say, he ain't no top 4!
 
alveraz said:
This list is asinine ... No one will ever agree on something so subjective. It's like having a top 50 best colors list.
Click to expand...

I think pretty much everyone knows the top 50 colours are:

Taupe
Mauve
MauveTaupe

followed by 47 shades of brown.
 
alveraz said:
By the way, Hawks at number 4? Seriously? Didn't he do those corny Marylin Monroe films and cowboy films? Not even the good ones. I think Rio Bravo was his only claim to fame outside of the Monroe films, which were simply terrible. I don't care what AFI or any other high falooten group of stuffed shirts say, he ain't no top 4!
Click to expand...

:huh::huh:

Hawks' other great films

The Big Sleep

To Have and Have Not

Sergeant York

His Girl Friday

Scarface

Bringing Up Baby

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Ya, Rio Bravo is his only claim to fame...
 
ZFarms said:
:huh::huh:

Hawks' other great films

The Big Sleep

To Have and Have Not

Sergeant York

His Girl Friday

Scarface

Bringing Up Baby

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Ya, Rio Bravo is his only claim to fame...
Click to expand...

Also, Red River, which was a great western. Hawks was pretty workman-like, maybe no genius, but certainly had a full career and crossed many genres well. He always put together good films.

And His Girl Friday is absolutely brilliant. To this day, the funniest movie I have ever seen.

Actually, I take that back. It's a close second to Strangelove.
 
I think he means higher in number, therefore lower (worse) on the list. 75 is a higher (larger) number than 6, but 75th is a lower rank than 6th.

Diner is on. Classic little film with great ensemble cast. Even Steve Guttenberg couldn't bring this one down.

I know he is no Ingmar Bergman, but Levinson did make some very good films with an expertly executed emphasis on character.

Diner
The Natural
Rain Man (a populist film, perhaps, but Hoffman did put in a huge performance)
Bugsy
Tin Men
Sleepers (not his best work, but large cast was well handled)
Throw in Wag The Dog, Disclosure and Good Morning, Vietnam for the masses to enjoy and consume, and you have the makings of a pretty respectable career.

I'd find room for him on the list (or was he already there, and I missed him?)
 
ZFarms said:
:huh::huh:

Hawks' other great films

The Big Sleep

To Have and Have Not

Sergeant York

His Girl Friday

Scarface

Bringing Up Baby

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Ya, Rio Bravo is his only claim to fame...
Click to expand...

Like I said, I'm sure he's a fine director, but 4th? Have you seen all these by the way, I've seen four of the one's you listed, all of which were snoozefests, poor acting even for the standards of the day and the lighting, composition of several shots were mediocre at best. The original Scarface was a fun flick but...4th? I will readily admit that I enjoyed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but only cause I was drunk and watching it at a drive-in with friends. But 4th? C'mon man, who we kiddin?
 
Here they are but not necessarily in this order:
1. Francis Coppola
2. Terrence Malick
3. Michael Bay
4. Alfonso Cuaron
5. Olive Stone
6. Fellini
7. Kurosawa
8. Robert Rodriguez
9. Quentin Tarantino
10. Michael Moore (yeah, that's right--he's in the top ten. Deal with it bizzle zatch.)
 
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alveraz said:
Like I said, I'm sure he's a fine director, but 4th? Have you seen all these by the way, I've seen four of the one's you listed, all of which were snoozefests, poor acting even for the standards of the day and the lighting, composition of several shots were mediocre at best. The original Scarface was a fun flick but...4th? I will readily admit that I enjoyed Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but only cause I was drunk and watching it at a drive-in with friends. But 4th? C'mon man, who we kiddin?
Click to expand...

i have seen all of those films. classics.
 
alveraz said:
This list is asinine. Having a list like this can only be done with fun, subjective reasoning and must be done with friends over a couple beers. Having a definitive list of best directors is lame. No one will ever agree on something so subjective.
Click to expand...

Exactly. People will choose their favorites based on personal experiences and associations, age, sex, character recognition, circumstances during first viewing, country of origin and simply taste. Critics are no different, and that makes any kind of list which ranks one director higher than the other completely irrelevant and a waste of virtual space.
 
this list is a joke. I refuse to live in a world where Rob Reiner, Mike Leigh, Tim Burton are on a list of greatest directors when Sidney Lumet, Elia Kazan and Milos Forman are not even mentioned.
 
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