Top 5 Movie Directors of All Time

What is it that attracts the public to certain movies? Certainly, the actors involved have a certain attraction, but I believe it is the director's vision most of the time that either makes or breaks a movie. Fans of a particular genre or storyline get very upset when a director changes what they feel is the essence of a particular character or story.

There are many adequate directors who are at least able to create a world that the audience doesn't feel disappointed or annoyed visiting. However, it is a rarity to find a genius who is creative enough to surpass our wants and desires.

Here is a quick list of five directors who transcend the mediocre and attain greatness. May you enjoy their films as much as I do.

5. Akira Kurosawa - 1910-1998 - Akira Kurosawa was perhaps the most popular Japanese director of all time. What made this so unusual, was the fact that he was so much more popular in the west.¹

As mentioned on the web site http://www.akirakurosawa.com, the best known of his films, Rashomon, Yojimbo, and, of course, The Seven Samurai, received the highest praise imaginable when many directors to follow used Kurosawa's plotting as source material for their own work. For example, Yojimbo was used by Sergio Leone to help create, A Fistful of Dollars, whereas The Seven Samurai was honored by John Sturges in his highly praised work, The Magnificent Seven (interestingly enough, this had been the original title of Kurosawa's movie).¹ I also imagine that many people would be surprised to know that The Hidden Fortress, another of Kurosawa's directing jobs inspired a certain George Lucas when he was working on Star Wars.

On a personal level, what I find most appealing about Kurosawa's work is the ability to tell such a grand and epic story, yet have these characters be attainable and on a level with the audience. His work will not fade with time. That is the mark of a great director.

In March 2009, the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film was opened. It would have been Kurosawa's 99^th birthday. Attending the opening event was Hisao Kurosawa (his son). Played during the event was a special memorial video with video appearances by George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Teruo Nogami (Kurosawa's Assistant Director), and more.²

4. Jean Renoir - Not many people would automatically come up with his name when asked for a list of the best directors. But there is no doubt he was incredible. He not only directed but he even acted in some. Some of his movies that most people would have heard of were: The Rules of the Game, Grand Illusion, The Southerner, Madame Bovary, or Diary of a Chambermaid.

Jean Renoir has left a legacy. He inspired many of our most beloved directors including Orson Welles. As a matter of fact, after Renoir's death, Welle's wrote an article titled "Jean Renoir: The Greatest of all Directors."³

Few directors will have had as big an impact on world cinema as Jean Renoir did. His movies are masterpieces as beautiful in their art as his father's⁴ actual art was.

3. Steven Spielberg - Most people have heard of Steven Spielberg. His movies are usually very well received. And, he did more than just movies, he has been involved in other genres including television.

He first came to notice in the Television medium. He was hired for a very futuristic episode of a weekly serial called The Name of the Game,⁴ one of the best received episodes of this show. After this he was hired to do the pilot episode of the Television show Columbo.

Once he started in the movies, the rest is history. We were scared slightly during Duel, but we were blown away by Jaws. Of course the never-ending successes followed: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., The Color Purple, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and so many more.

One thing we can always count on with Spielberg is an enjoyable film. He does not disappoint.

2. Billy Wilder - I love screwball comedies. They make the day seem brighter, something to laugh at, to even identify with. Few did this as well as Billy Wilder. His timing was absolutely brilliant. Who didn't love Some Like it Hot or the Seven-Year Itch?

But, he was capable of so much more. A simple look at some of his amazing directorial jobs will say more than anyone could: The Apartment, Witness for the Prosecution, Lost Weekend, Irma La Douce,and Sunset Boulevard. These films are classics, ones that will endure through the test of time.

One of my favorite Billy Wilder movies is a lesser known movie named One, Two, Three. Filmed in the early 1960s it starred James Cagney, as C.R. Macnamara, a high-ranking executive in the Coca Cola Company.

This movie was about the cold war and in it, Cagney is trying to work on a deal from West Berlin to bring the company behind the Iron Curtain. With many references to Cagney's previous films and a timing that was almost perfect, One, Two, Three packs a wallop you won't recover from. A very good movie from an amazing director.

1. Alfred Hitchcock - Unless you have lived under a rock, there is no one around who has not heard of Alfred Hitchcock. He brought the art of suspense to new heights that few, if any, have ever achieved.

Every suspense movie is compared to Hitchcock's classics. More people have done parodies of his movies than we can possible count. That is the mark of a true master.

Who hasn't heard of Vertigo, the 39 Steps (now a broadway play), spellbound, Psycho and many many more? I remember looking for him in all his movies, because that was part of the fun. Growing up there was nothing better than being pulled into the world of his movies. Nobody could equal his vision and that is why Mr. Alfred Hitchcock is in a league of his own.

He was able to inspire his actors to greater performances, his audiences to greater heights of anticipation, and his movies to greatness.

When it comes to suspense and movie making, Alfred Hitchcock has no equal.

So, here was a short article mentioning my five favorite directors and why. Do you have a different favorite? I would love to hear who is on that list.

¹http://www.akirakurosawa.com/bio.html

²http://www.anaheim.edu/content/view/748/718/

³http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=120

⁴http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/renoir.html

⁵http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nameoftheg/nameoftheg.htm