There’s no way that I’m going to cover every director, so I’ll stick with the ones I feel most strongly about. These are listed in an order of preference.
Ford – The Searchers, My Darling Clementine
Hawks – Ball of Fire, Scarface
Wilder – Sunset Blvd., The Apartment
Lang – Fury, The Big Heat (I’m assuming that since this poll is for “Hollywood” directors, that I can not include his German films.
Preminger – Advise and Consent, The Man With the Golden Arm
Sirk – Written on the Wind, The Tarnished Angels
Anthony Mann – The Naked Spur, The Far Country
Fuller – White Dog, Pickup on South Street
Minelli – Meet Me in St. Louis, The Clock
Kazan – Baby Doll
Hickcock – Rear Window, I Confess
Cukor – It Should Happen to You, A Star is Born
Chaplin – Modern Times
Peckinpah – The Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country
Lubitsch – The Shop Around the Corner, Trouble in Paradise
Lupino – Outrage!, The Bigamist
Vidor – The Crowd, The Big Parade
Wells – The Lady from Shanghai, Citizen Kane
Dassin – Brute Force, The Naked City
I’m adding Budd Boetticher
Boetticher – Decision at Sundown, The Tall T
This sort of thing is fun, but it’s also a little like pulling teeth. There are so many movies I wanted to list.
Great choices, Nathan. Thanks, I added Boetticher, Jacques Tourneur. Ophuls, Stroheim, Murnau, Sternberg and Jules Dassin. Wow, there were a lot of directors!
I loved the way you put Ford above all. For better or for worst, he does epitomize the classical Hollywood director.
Ford – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
Wyler – The Best Years of Our Lives
Wilder – Double Indemnity and The Apartment
Lang – (post-Germany) Moonfleet and Fury
Preminger – Laura
Fuller – Shock Corridor and The Big Red One
Ray – King of Kings (maybe, but I do think this is the best of the Jesus movies, beautifully filmed and intelligent) and Johnny Guitar
Minelli – Some Came Running
Kazan – On the Waterfront
Rossen – The Hustler
Brooks – Elmer Gantry and The Professionals (thanks for including him)
Hitchcock – Rear Window and Psycho
Griffith – Intolerance
Chaplin – City Lights and The Gold Rush
Keaton – Sherlock, Jr. and The General
Peckingpah – Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Edwards – The Party
Lubitsch – Ninotchka and To Be Or Not To Be
Kramer – It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Donen – Singin In the Rain
Ritt – Sounder and Hud
K. Vidor – The Crowd
Welles – Citizen Kane and Chimes at Midnight
Lumet – Network and Dog Day Afternoon
and I’m adding…
George Stevens – Giant and Swing Time
Justin, have pity on those of us who log on at work…
(And as regards Busby Berkley … must we restrict ourselves to films he directed AND choreographed or can we consider those he only choreographed?)
John Ford- The Searchers
Budd Boetticher- Seven Men from Now
Max Ophuls- Letter from an Unknown Woman
Josef von Sternberg- The Devil is a Woman
Erich von Stroheim- Foolish Wives
Murnau- Sunrise
Jules Dassin- Rififi, Thieves Highway
Jacques Tourneur- Stars in my Crown
John Huston- The Maltese Falcon
William Wyler- Roman Holiday
Howard Hawks- The Big Sleep
Billy Wilder- Some Like it Hot
Fritz Lang- Metropolis
Otto Preminger- Laura
Douglas Sirk- All that Heaven Allows, Tarnished Angels
Anthony Mann- El Cid
Sam Fuller- Naked Kiss
Nicholas Ray- Johnny Guitar
Joseph Mankiewicz- All about Eve
VIncent Minelli- The Band Wagon
Elia Kazan- East of Eden
Robert Rossen- Lilith
Cecil B. DeMille- none i’ve seen really excited me. I’d like to see The Cheat
Robert Aldrich- Kiss me Deadly
Richard Brooks- In Cold Blood
Alfred Hitchcock- North by Northwest, Vertigo, Marnie
George Cukor- Holiday
D. W. Griffith- Broken Blossoms
Raoul Walsh- White Heat
Robert Flaherty- Man of Aran
Charles Chaplin- The Gold Rush
Buster Keaton- The General, Sherlock jnr
Sam Peckinpah- The Wild Bunch
Blake Edwards- The Pink Panther
Ernst Lubitsch- To Be or Not to Be
Stanley Kramer- It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Ida Lupino- The Hitch-hiker
Busby Berkeley- Golddiggers of 1933
Stanley Donen- Singin in the Rain
Chuck Walters- Easter Parade
Frank Tashlin- Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Martin Ritt- Hud
Oscar Micheaux- not seen enough, want to see Within these Gates
J. Lee Thompson- Cape Fear
King Vidor- The Big Parade
Charles Vidor- Gilda
Orson Welles- Citizen Kane
Sydney Lumet- Twelve Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon
John Ford- The Searchers
Max Ophuls- Letter from an Unknown Woman
Josef von Sternberg- The Scarlet Empress
Erich von Stroheim- Greed (the surviving 4-hours version)
Murnau- Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Jules Dassin- Night and the City
Jacques Tourneur- Out of the Past
John Huston- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
William Wyler- The Best Years of Our Lifes
Howard Hawks- Rio Bravo
Billy Wilder- Sunset Blvd.
Fritz Lang- The Woman in the Window (not counting his German films)
Otto Preminger- Anatomy of a Murder
Douglas Sirk- Imitation of Life
Anthony Mann- The Fall of the Roman Empire
Sam Fuller- Shock Corridor
Nicholas Ray- Bigger Than Life
Joseph Mankiewicz- All About Eve
VIncent Minelli- An American in Paris
Elia Kazan- On the Waterfront
Robert Rossen- The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille- The Ten Commandments
Robert Aldrich- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Richard Brooks- The Brothers Karamazov
Alfred Hitchcock- Vertigo
George Cukor- My Fair Lady
D. W. Griffith- Intolerance: Love´s Struggle Through the Ages
Raoul Walsh- White Heat
Robert Flaherty- Man of Aran
Charles Chaplin- City Lights
Buster Keaton- The General
Sam Peckinpah- The Wild Bunch
Blake Edwards- The Party
Ernst Lubitsch- To Be or not to Be
Stanley Kramer- Judgment at Nuremberg
Stanley Donen- Singin´ in the Rain
Martin Ritt- Norma Rae
J. Lee Thompson- Cape Fear
King Vidor- The Crowd
Charles Vidor- Gilda
Orson Welles- Chimes at Midnight
Sydney Lumet- Dog Day Afternoon
Jules Dassin – Rififi
Jacques Tourneur – Cat People
John Huston – Maltese Falcon, Treasure of The Sierra Madre
John Ford – The Searchers
William Wyler – How to Steal a Million
Howard Hawks – The Big Sleep
Billy Wilder – Double Indemnity, Stalag 17
Fritz Lang – M
Otto Preminger – Anatomy of A Murder
Anthony Mann – The Heroes of Telemark
Sam Fuller – Pickup on South Street
Nicholas Ray – Rebel Without a Cause
Joseph Mankiewicz – Sleuth
VIncent Minelli – An American In Paris
Elia Kazan – On The Waterfront
Robert Rossen – The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille – Ten Commandments
Robert Aldrich – The Dirty Dozen
Richard Brooks – Elmer Gantry
Alfred Hitchcock – Vertigo
George Cukor – Adam’s Rib
Sam Peckinpah – The Osterman Weekend
Blake Edwards – The Party
Stanley Kramer – Judgment at Nuremberg
Stanley Donen – Bedazzled
Martin Ritt – Hombre
J. Lee Thompson – Cape Fear
Charles Vidor – The Joker Is Wild
Orson Welles – Citizen Kane
Sydney Lumet – Serpico, Twelve Angry Men
How do you boldface text?
Like this
Here I go
John Ford- My Darling Clementine, Grapes of Wrath, The Man who Shot Liberty Valence
Budd Boetticher- Seven men from now
Max Ophuls- Letter from an unknown woman
Josef von Sternberg- The Scarlet Empress
Erich von Stroheim- Haven’t see Greed.
Murnau- Sunrise
Jules Dassin- Night and the city
Jacques Tourneur- Cat People
John Huston- Misfits
William Wyler- Roman Holiday
Howard Hawks- Rio Bravo, To Have and Have not, Only Angels have wings
Billy Wilder- Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Some Like it Hot, The Lost Weekend
Fritz Lang- The Big Heat, Scarlet Letter, You Only Live Once, Moonfleet
Otto Preminger- Bunny Lake is Missing, Anatomy of a Murder
Douglas Sirk- All that Heaven Allows, Imitation of Life
Anthony Mann- Naked Spur, Man of the West, Raw Deal
Sam Fuller- Underworld USA, Pickup on South Street, Steel Helmet, Big Red One
Nicholas Ray- They Live by Night, In a Lonely Place, Johnny Guitar
Joseph Mankiewicz- The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
VIncent Minelli- Some Came Running, The Clock, The Bad and the Beautiful, Lust for Life
Elia Kazan- On the Waterfront, Splendor in the Grass
Robert Rossen- Lillith, The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille- Never saw any
Robert Aldrich- Vera Cruz, Kiss Me Deadly
Richard Brooks- In Cold Blood
Alfred Hitchcock- Vertigo, Psycho, The Wrong Man
George Cukor- Gaslight
D. W. Griffith- Intolerance
Raoul Walsh- White Heat
Robert Flaherty- Nanook of the North
Charles Chaplin- City Lights
Buster Keaton- The General
Sam Peckinpah- Strawdogs, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Wild Bunch
Blake Edwards- Victor Victoria
Ernst Lubitsch- To Be or Not to Be
Stanley Kramer- Never saw any.
Ida Lupino- The Hitch-hiker
Busby Berkeley-The Gang’s All Here
Stanley Donen- Funny Face, Singing in the Rain
Chuck Walters- Easter Parade
Frank Tashlin- The Girl Can’t Help It, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Martin Ritt- Hud
Oscar Micheaux- Never saw any
J. Lee Thompson- Cape Fear
King Vidor- Duel in the Sun, The Fountainhead
Charles Vidor-Gilda
Orson Welles- Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, Lady from Shangai
Sydney Lumet- 12 Angry Men, The Veridict, Dog Day Afternoon
You forgot
Michael Curtiz – Casablanca, Young Man With a Horn, Mildred Pierce
George Stevens – A Place in the Sun
Robert Wise – The Set-Up
Rudolph Mate – D.O.A., Miracle in the Rain
Henry Hathway – Niagara Falls, Five Card Stud
Ha, Casey.
This site does not respect HTML tags in posts so I wonder how people are doing it…
John Ford- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers (can’t decide)
Budd Boetticher- Comanche Station
Max Ophuls- Lola Montes
Josef von Sternberg- Morocco
Erich von Stroheim- Greed
Murnau- Sunrise
Jules Dassin- Riffifi
Jacques Tourneur- I Walked with a Zombie
John Huston- The Maltese Falcon, Fat City
William Wyler- Dodsworth
Howard Hawks- Red River
Billy Wilder- Double Indemnity
Fritz Lang- M
Otto Preminger- Anatomy of a Murder
Douglas Sirk- Written on the Wind
Anthony Mann- Bend of the River
Sam Fuller- Pickup on South Street
Nicholas Ray- The Lusty Men
Joseph Mankiewicz- Sleuth
VIncent Minelli- Meet Me in St Louis
Elia Kazan- East of Eden
Robert Rossen- The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille- The Ten Commandments
Robert Aldrich- Attack, Ulzana’s Raid
Richard Brooks- The Professionals
Alfred Hitchcock- Psycho
George Cukor- The Philadelphia Story, Camille
D. W. Griffith- The Birth of a Nation
Raoul Walsh- The Roaring Twenties, Pursued
Robert Flaherty- Nanook of the North
Charles Chaplin- The Gold Rush
Buster Keaton- Sherlock Jr
Sam Peckinpah- The Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Blake Edwards- A Shot in the Dark, Days of Wine and Roses
Ernst Lubitsch- Trouble in Paradise
Stanley Kramer- Inherit the Wind
Ida Lupino- The Hitch-Hiker
Busby Berkeley- Gld Diggers of 1935
Stanley Donen- Singin’ in the Rain
Chuck Walters- High Society
Frank Tashlin- The Girl Can’t Help It
Martin Ritt- Hud
Oscar Micheaux- huh?
J. Lee Thompson- The Guns of Navarone, Tiger Bay
King Vidor- The Crowd, Street Scene
Charles Vidor- Cover Girl
Orson Welles- The Magnificent Ambersons
Sydney Lumet- Network.
John Ford- The Grapes of Wrath
Budd Boetticher- Ride Lonesome
Max Ophuls- Caught
Josef von Sternberg- Blonde Venus
Murnau- Wings
Jules Dassin- Brute Force
John Huston- Moulin Rouge
William Wyler- The Shakedown
Howard Hawks- Scarface
Billy Wilder- Kiss Me, Stupid
Fritz Lang- Metropolis
Otto Preminger- Anatomy of Murder
Douglas Sirk- Magnificent Obsession
Anthony Mann- Raw Deal
Sam Fuller- The Big Red One
Nicholas Ray- Rebel Without a Cause
Joseph Mankiewicz- All About Eve
Elia Kazan- A Street Car Named Desire
Robert Rossen- All The King’s Men
Cecil B. DeMille- Samson And Delilah
Robert Aldrich- The Frisco Kid
Richard Brooks- Crisis
Alfred Hitchcock- The Birds
…Okay, possible.
What? Justin Vicari starting an interesting list thread? Has the world gone topsy-turvy? I can’t help but feel partly responsible. Of course, this probably means there’s a whopping piece of elitist, pretentious B.S. lurking around that I’ve yet to see. Anyway…
John Ford — How Green Was My Valley; Young Mr. Lincoln
Budd Boetticher — The Tall T; Decision at Sundown
Max Ophuls — Lola Montes; Le plaisir
Josef von Sternberg — The Scarlet Empress; Morocco
Erich von Stroheim — Queen Kelly; The Wedding March
F.W. Murnau — Sunrise; The Last Laugh (you never specified that the film had to be from his Hollywood period)
Jules Dassin — The Naked City; Rififi
Jacques Tourneur — I Walked With a Zombie; Out of the Past
John Huston — The Maltese Falcon; The Man Who Would Be King
William Wyler — The Little Foxes; The Best Years of Our Lives
Howard Hawks — His Girl Friday; Ball of Fire
Billy Wilder — Double Indemnity; The Apartment
Fritz Lang — Scarlet Street; M
Otto Preminger — River of No Return; Where the Sidewalk Ends
Douglas Sirk — Written on the Wind; Imitation of Life
Anthony Mann — Raw Deal; Winchester ’73
Sam Fuller — Pickup on South Street; Forty Guns
Nicholas Ray — They Live by Night; On Dangerous Ground
Joseph Mankiewicz — A Letter to Three Wives; All About Eve
VIncent Minelli — The Bad and the Beautiful; Meet Me in St. Louis
Elia Kazan — On the Waterfront; Gentleman’s Agreement
Robert Rossen — All the King’s Men; The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille — Union Pacific; The Sign of the Cross
Robert Aldrich — Kiss Me Deadly; Vera Cruz
Richard Brooks — The Catered Affair; In Cold Blood
Alfred Hitchcock — Shadow of a Doubt; Strangers on a Train
George Cukor — Holiday; The Philadelphia Story
D. W. Griffith — Intolerlance; A Corner in Wheat
Raoul Walsh — The Roaring Twenties; They Drive by Night
Robert Flaherty — Louisiana Story; Man of Aran
Charles Chaplin — The Immigrant; A Day’s Pleasure
Buster Keaton — Steamboat Bill, Jr.; The General
Sam Peckinpah — Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia; The Wild Bunch
Blake Edwards — The Days of Wine and Roses; The Pink Panther
Ernst Lubitsch — Trouble in Paradise; One Hour With You
Stanley Kramer — Not really a fan.
Ida Lupino — Outrage; The Hitch-Hiker
Busby Berkeley — Footlight Parade (seguences); Dames (sequences)
Stanley Donen — Singin’ in the Rain; Indiscreet
Chuck Walters — The Barkleys of Broadyway; High Society
Frank Tashlin — Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?; Bachelor Flat
Martin Ritt — The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; The Front
Oscar Micheaux — Haven’t seen any of his films
J. Lee Thompson — Cape Fear (a lucky try)
King Vidor — The Crowd; The Big Parade
Charles Vidor — Gilda is about as close as he came to making a good film.
Orson Welles — Citizen Kane; The Stranger
Sydney Lumet — Serpico; The Hill
YOU FORGOT:
Michael Curtiz—Casablanca; The Sea Hawk
George Stevens – Gunga Din; Swing Time
Robert Wise – The Body Snatcher; The Set-up
Henry Hathaway – The Lives of a Bengal Lancer; The House on 92nd Street
William A. Wellman — The Public Enemy; The Ox-Bow Incident
Mervyn Leroy — I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang; Gold Diggers of 1933
William Keighley — The Street with No Name; Each Dawn I Die
Mark Sandrich — Top Hat; Holiday Inn
Frank Borzage — Seventh Heaven; Lucky Star
Allan Dwan — Robin Hood (1922); The Iron Mask
Anatole Litvak — All This, and Heaven Too; Blues in the Night
Frank Capra — It Happened One Night; Arsenic and Old Lace
W.S. Van Dyke — The Thin Man; Manhattan Melodrama
James Whale — The Invisible Man; Frankenstein
Robert Siodmak — Phantom Lady; Criss-Cross
André De Toth — House of Wax; Crime Wave
Lloyd Bacon — 42nd Street; Brother Orchid
Archie Mayo — The Mayor of Hell; Black Legion
Fred Zinnemann — From Here to Eternity; Act of Violence
Arthur Penn — Night Moves; Bonnie and Clyde
William Dieterle — The Hunchback of Notre Dame; The Devil and Daniel Webster
Tod Browning — Freaks; Dracula
Preston Sturges — The Lady Eve; Sullivan’s Travels
John Sturges — Bad Day at Black Rock; The Great Escape (just started watching his stuff, very good)
Edward Dmytryk — Crossfire; Murder, My Sweet
Morris Engel — Weddings and Babies; The Little Fugitive
Leo McCarey — The Awful Truth; Going My Way
Gregory La Cava — My Man Godfrey; Stage Door
Mitchell Leisen — Easy Living; Midnight
Rene Clair — The Flame of New Orleans; I Married a Witch
Clarence Brown — Flesh and the Devil; Anna Christie
Rouben Mamoulian — Love Me Tonight; Queen Christina
Fred Niblo — Ben Hur (1925); The Three Musketeers (1921)
William A. Seiter — Sons of the Desert; Hot Saturday
Lewis Milestone — All Quiet on the Western Front; A Walk in the Sun
Alfred E. Green — Baby Face; Smart Money
Alexander Mackendrick — The Sweet Smell of Success; The Ladykillers
Delmer Daves — Dark Passage; 3:10 to Yuma
John Farrow — The Big Clock; His Kind of Woman
Alexander Hall — Here Comes Mr. Jordan; Goin’ to Town
Too much fun. I am adding Fred Zinneman and Clarence Brown and Preston Struges, oh yeah and how about Frank Capra?
Clarence Brown – The Yearling / Intruder in the Dust
Fred Zinneman – Act of Violence / From Here to Eternity
Preston Sturges – Unfaithfully Yours
Keaton – Seven Chances / The General
Ford – My Darling Clementine
Ophels – Madame de / Letter from an Unkown Woman
von Stroheim – Greed
Murnau – Sunrise
Huston – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre / The Dead
Lang – The Testament of Dr. Mabuse / You Only Live Once
Hitchcock – The 39 Steps / Notorious
Capra – It Happened One Night
Wyler – The Best Years of Our Lives
Wilder – Double Indemnity / Sunset Boulevard (It kills me to leave out The Apartment)
Sirk – Written on the Wind
Fuller – Naked Kiss
Ray – In a Lonely Place / Johnny Guitar
Minnelli – Meet Me in St. Louis / The Clock
Kazan – Baby Doll
Griffiths – Intolerance/Broken Blossoms
Chaplin – City Lights / The Kid
Lubitsch – Trouble in Paradise
Berkley – For Me and My Gal
Donen – Singin’ in the Rain
Peckinpah – The Wild Bunch / Ride the High Country
Ritt – Sounder
Welles – The Magnificent Ambersons / Chimes at Midnight
Lumet – A Long Day’s Journey into Night
Curtiz – The Adventures of Robin Hood
I think it’s cheating to allow more than one film per director!
I’m having to do this very quickly and instinctively, choosing according to which film made the biggest impression on me personally
John Ford- The Long Voyage Home
Budd Boetticher- Buchanan Rides Alone
Max Ophuls- Le Plaisir
Josef von Sternberg- The Scarlet Empress
Erich von Stroheim- The Wedding March
FW Murnau- Sunrise
Jules Dassin- Night and the City
Jacques Tourneur- I Walked with a Zombie
John Huston- Treasure of the Sierra Madre
William Wyler- Roman Holiday
Howard Hawks- Twentieth Century
Billy Wilder- Sunset Boulevard
Fritz Lang- Scarlet Street (not Scarlet Letter Andre!)
Otto Preminger- Where the Sidewalk Ends
Douglas Sirk- Shockproof
Anthony Mann- Bend of the River
Sam Fuller- Shock Corridor
Nicholas Ray- In a Lonely Place
Joseph Mankiewicz- Suddenly, Last Summer
VIncent Minnelli- The Bad and The Beautiful
Elia Kazan- Baby Doll
Robert Rossen- The Hustler
Cecil B. DeMille- The Ten Commandments
Robert Aldrich- Emperor of the North Pole
Richard Brooks- Elmer Gantry
Alfred Hitchcock- Vertigo
George Cukor- Let’s Make Love
D. W. Griffith- Intolerance
Raoul Walsh- The Roaring Twenties
Robert Flaherty- Nanook of the North
Charles Chaplin- City Lights
Buster Keaton- Steamboat Bill Jnr
Sam Peckinpah- Cross of Iron
Blake Edwards- The Party
Ernst Lubitsch- To Be or Not To Be
Stanley Kramer- don’t know any of his films
Ida Lupino- The Bigamist
Busby Berkeley- can we allow Gold Diggers of 1933? (That way Mervyn LeRoy can be added to the list with I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang)
Stanley Donen- Singin’ in the Rain
Chuck Walters- Easter Parade
Frank Tashlin- Artists and Models
Martin Ritt- Hud
Oscar Micheaux- don’t know any of his films
J. Lee Thompson- Ice-Cold in Alex
King Vidor- The Crowd
Charles Vidor- Gilda
Orson Welles- Touch of Evil
Sidney Lumet- The Verdict – but he’s hardly golden age Hollywood! He’s still making films
I insist on adding
Preston Sturges – The Miracle at Morgan’s Creek
Mervyn LeRoy – I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Frank Capra – You Can’t Take It With You
Skipped over the people I either couldn’t think of a favorite for, or haven’t seen enough of their filmography to adequately judge
John Ford- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Rio Grande
Budd Boetticher- Seven Men From Now, Ride Lonesome
Jules Dassin- Brute Force, Rififi
Jacques Tourneur- Out of the Past, I Walked With A Zombie
John Huston- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Asphalt Jungle
Howard Hawks- The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo
Billy Wilder- The Long Weekend, Sunset Boulevard
Fritz Lang- Scarlet Street, Clash by Night
Otto Preminger- Laura, Bunny Lake is Missing
Anthony Mann- Bend of the River, The Far Country
Sam Fuller- The Steel Helmet, Forty Guns
Nicholas Ray- In A Lonely Place, Johnny Guitar
Joseph Mankiewicz- Julius Caesar, All About Eve
VIncente Minelli- The Clock, The Bad and the Beautiful
Elia Kazan- Baby Doll, On the Waterfront
Robert Rossen- The Hustler
Robert Aldrich- The Dirty Dozen, Kiss Me Deadly
Richard Brooks- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Alfred Hitchcock- Rear Window, Shadow of a Doubt
George Cukor- Born Yesterday, Adam’s Rib
D. W. Griffith- Intolerance
Raoul Walsh- High Sierra, White Heat
Charles Chaplin- Monsieur Verdoux, The Great Dictator
Buster Keaton- Sherlock Jr, The General
Sam Peckinpah- Ballad of Cable Hogue, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
Blake Edwards- Days of Wine and Roses, The Pink Panther
Ernst Lubitsch- Ninotchka, The Love Parade
Stanley Kramer- Not as a Stranger
Ida Lupino- The Hitch-Hiker
Busby Berkeley- They Made Me A Criminal
Stanley Donen- Singin’ in the Rain, Charade
Frank Tashlin- Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
Martin Ritt- Hud, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
J. Lee Thompson- Cape Fear
King Vidor- Duel in the Sun
Charles Vidor- Gilda
Orson Welles- Chimes at Midnight, Touch of Evil
Sydney Lumet- Network, Dog Day Afternoon
Preston Sturges – The Great McGinty, Sullivan’s Travels
I’m adding
Robert Wise – The Set-Up, Blood on the Moon
I made a mistake.
Under George Cukor I listed Holiday, completely forgetting that he directed the wonderful Bhowani Junction (1956).
So my Cukor pick should read Bhowani Junction and The Philadelphia Story.
RUS great list, but i’d add Henry King for Twelve O"Clock High.
and pair it with Tol’able David (1921)
good call, Chris.
1 John Ford—The Sun Shines Bright 2 Orson Welles—Chimes at Midnight 3 Preston Sturges—The Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend 4 Sidney Lumet—Prince of the City 5 Frank Tashlin—The Girl Can’t Help It 6 Robert Wise—Odds Against Tomorrow 7 Jacques Tourneur—Stars in My Crown 8 Otto Preminger—Bonjour Tristesse 9 Elia Kazan—Wild River 10 Budd Boetticher—Ride Lonesome 11 Anthony Mann—The Fall of the Roman Empire, El Cid 12 Phil Karlson The Phoenix City Story 13 Stanley Donen—Arabesque 14 George Cukor—Sylvia Scarlet 15 Jules Dassin—Rififi 16 Billy Wilder—The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 17 Vincent Minelli—Home From the Hill 18 Charlie Chaplin—A Woman of Paris 19 Buster Keaton—Sherlock Jr. 20 Robert Aldrich—Ulzana’s Raid, Kiss Me Deadly 21 Nicholas Ray—Savage Innocents, Johnny Guitar 22 Alfred Hitchcock—Vertigo, Rear Window 23 Ernst Lubitsch—Heaven Can Wait 25 Howard Hawks—Man’s Favorite Sport 26 Robert Rossen—Lillith 27 John Huston—The Dead 28 Fritz Lang—Human Desire, Moonfleet 29 Douglas Sirk—imitation of Life, A Time To Live and A Time To Die 30 D. W. Griffith—Intolerance 31 Stanley Kubrick—2001, Barry Lyndon 32 Robert Flaherty—Man of Aran 33 Samuel Fuller—Park Row 34 Erich Von Stroheim—The Wedding March, The Docks of New York 37 Sam Peckinpah—The Wild Bunch, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid 38 King Vidor—Ruby Gentry 39 Blake Edwards—SOB Correction: no. 24 is missing—only 38 directors in all—some directors have 2 movies listed.
@Bobby – How did you see “The Sun Shines Bright”? I’ve wanted to see it, but my library carries no VHS copy, it’s on on DVD, and I don’t have cable, if it even comes on cable.
You can order it from daaveedee or amazonuk—it was made in Spain Region 2 PAL format—you can remove Spanish subtitles and hear the American English—title is in Spanish El Sol Siempre Brilla En Kentucky—it’s complete original 1950’s release only available so far in Spain and Europe—you need only Universal DVD player—very inexpensive and very high quality picture at daaveedee.com which ships in US in a few days. Let me know if it’s still available—I bought it 3 months ago—it’s worth buying Region Free Universal Player if you don’t have one—in fact most of my buys are now Region 2 technically.
Add Max Ophuls’ Letter from Unknown Woman and Caught—also Don Siegel’s The Line Up, Mark Robson’s The Seventh Victim, and C. B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments—that’s more than enough for now!
Justin,it wasn’t a European list,it was just a director’s list,not specified,unless you think Kurosawa and Mizoguchi are “European”????
i think those lists are very idiotic,why can’t we just have lists with directors,not caring whether it’s Hollywood or non-Hollywood?
Aw, come on Dimitris: “it was only a bloody game”.
Some more additions: 1 Delmer Daves’ A Summer Place and The Last Wagon 2 Alexander Mackendrick’s Whiskey Galore and Don’t Make Waves 3 James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein and Show Boat (early 1930’s) 4 Joseph Von Sternberg’s The Saga of Antahan and Morocco 5 Murnau’s Sunrise 6 Henry King’s Carousel 7 Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd 8 Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche New York 9 Frank Borzage’s China Doll 10 Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass 11 William Wyler’s Jezebel and The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones 12 Henry Hathaway’s Peter Ibbetson
@Dimitris
Justin’s list largely covers directors from Hollywood’s classical era from about 1927-1959, with a few other sprinkled here and there (I think Lumet is the only director still working).
This was a distinct era in the history of cinema and this is not just some random list of directors (though I took the liberty of adding some silent directors I thought noteworthy, a couple post-classical (though non-working) directors, and 1 or 2 independents (like Morris Engel). This is not some slapdash list of directors and it ought to lead to a discussion of the periods style, particularly the house style of the studios, to which directors like Bacon, Wellman, Keighley, Curtiz, Walsh, etc. adapted their work, yet kept it personal. That goes for almost every director on the list.
But, Dimitris, if you’re still looking for this to be some pernicious pro-American bias, go right ahead. But let’s not discourage Justin from starting interesting discussions, they’re so rare for him.
Justin Vicari
We had one on Europeans and one on contemporary Hollywood, so I thought I’d start a survey on best film each by classic Hollywood directors. You can choose up to two films per director.
John Ford-
Budd Boetticher-
Max Ophuls-
Josef von Sternberg-
Erich von Stroheim-
Murnau-
Jules Dassin-
Jacques Tourneur-
John Huston-
William Wyler-
Howard Hawks-
Billy Wilder-
Fritz Lang-
Otto Preminger-
Douglas Sirk-
Anthony Mann-
Sam Fuller-
Nicholas Ray-
Joseph Mankiewicz-
VIncent Minelli-
Elia Kazan-
Robert Rossen-
Cecil B. DeMille-
Robert Aldrich-
Richard Brooks-
Alfred Hitchcock-
George Cukor-
D. W. Griffith-
Raoul Walsh-
Robert Flaherty-
Charles Chaplin-
Buster Keaton-
Sam Peckinpah-
Blake Edwards-
Ernst Lubitsch-
Stanley Kramer-
Ida Lupino-
Busby Berkeley-
Stanley Donen-
Chuck Walters-
Frank Tashlin-
Martin Ritt-
Oscar Micheaux-
J. Lee Thompson-
King Vidor-
Charles Vidor-
Orson Welles-
Sydney Lumet-