Furious on Film 08.30.07: Issue 103 - Top 100 Directors #25 - #11: Part 2

Posted by Arnold Furious on 08.30.2007

Numbers #18-11.

18. QUENTIN TARANTINO (USA)



HONOURS – Won an Oscar for the Pulp Fiction screenplay. Was nominated the same year for best director but didn't win. Pulp Fiction did win the Palm D'Or at Cannes though. His debut picture Reservoir Dogs was nominated for the Jury Prize at Sundance.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 59% (Rotten). See, that's just bullshit because it takes into account every storyline idea he's come up with that got made into a film or anything he's appeared in to do a cameo (Little Nicky etc). If you take the films he's directed it'd be low 90's.

TOP FILMS – Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Jackie Brown, Grindhouse.

RESERVOIR DOGS



OPINION – The arrival of Tarantino was perhaps the most important thing to happen to cinema during the 1990's. He triggered a string of copycat followers and the store clerk movement. Writers and directors who obsessed over film so much that their scripts contained subtle nuances and they were able to steal from films that studio executives had never even seen. Tarantino was the master from this ilk. Reservoir Dogs was a violent postmodernist piece with a nonlinear storyline. After getting lucky with his connections coming up (in particular Harvey Keitel) Reservoir Dogs created a huge buzz around the director. So much so he was offered a string of films from Speed to Men in Black and everything he'd written to date (True Romance, Natural Born Killers) became hit films too. Tarantino, as has become his style, didn't want to rush his follow up but he had a pack of Hollywood stars beating his door down to appear in Dogs' follow up; Pulp Fiction. Tarantino was such a lover of films from the past that he specifically wanted to use John Travolta. The decision was a worrying one for some producers but it triggered Travolta's massive comeback in the mid 90's and made him cool and a star again. It also gave Bruce Willis' struggling career a boost back in the right direction. It seemed as if Tarantino was King Midas with everything he touched turning to gold. For his third film Tarantino decided to make a modern version of the blaxploitation films he loved so much in the 70's starring his favourite blaxploitation actress Pam Grier. Not only that but he hired Robert Forster for another major role in the film. Tarantino's casting has always been quirky but these were his most unusual decisions. Jackie Brown was Tarantino's least well received film but it's still brilliant. Over on RT it's coming in at 85% fresh. Most people's reasoning behind disliking Jackie Brown is that it's not as good as Tarantino's first two films. Well, he did set the bar pretty high. After his third film Tarantino took some time off. This time it looked like he might not come back at all. Or perhaps he was merely emulating Terrence Malick who disappeared with his career at it's high point. It seemed every project he had an interest in, including war movie Inglorious Bastards, fell by the wayside. That was until he finally decided to push forward with his homage to 70's martial arts films and teamed up with Uma Thurman to make revenge movie Kill Bill. The finished product came in at over 3 hours so it ended up being chopped into two and became two hit films released months apart. When I hear Tarantino is directing a movie then I stand up and pay attention. He's one of the few directors working today who won't compromise his vision and as a result his films are always essential viewing.

17. WOODY ALLEN (USA)



HONOURS – He's won three Oscars. Two for Annie Hall and another for the screenplay of Hannah and Her Sisters. He's been nominated for a string of films; Interiors, Manhattan, Broadway Danny Rose, Purple Rose of Cairo, Radio Days, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Alice, Husbands and Wives, Bullets Over Broadway, Mighty Aphrodite, Deconstructing Harry and Match Point.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 75%

TOP FILMS – Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Sleeper, Zelig, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Bananas, Love and Death.

SLEEPER (I really wanted the first scene from Manhattan, which is on You Tube just not in English. Bastards.)



OPINION – You either love Woody Allen or you hate Woody Allen. There's really no in between. For me he's brilliant. His dialogue is always so crisp and smart. The one thing that would bother me, after watching Match Point, is he can't write anyone who isn't a New Yorker. At his best Allen is masterful at writing for himself and his closest friends. His work with Diane Keaton was his peak. In particular Annie Hall and Manhattan where the script is just so perfect but it's perfect because he's writing it for himself. Both films rank among his funniest while also having something to say. I'm quite fond of Allen's comedies that don't have much to say. Like the physical comedy present in Sleeper or the goofier side of Bananas, Love and Death or Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask. He's proved he can make serious films as well with Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors being both bit successes. Although the former was still funny. Allen writes what he knows, up to Match Point, which is why he's been so successful. Often characters in his films are directors and especially writers. That way he can just talk about his own life. But more often than not he'll set these characters in an unfamiliar adventure. Like Manhattan Murder Mystery. Allen has also had this thing about how New York is the same essential place and while its changed over the years the people haven't. He's made a point of retaining the same trademark black rimmed glasses since the 1960's. You only have to watch Manhattan to see just how much Woody Allen was in love with New York City. The shots of the skyline mixed with George Gerschwin's Rhapsody in Blue was effectively Woody's love letter to New York itself. While he often disparaged New York his films showed a sense of love that not many directors ever convey. Even Scorsese, whose made countless films in New York himself, ever really showed New York as much love as Woody Allen. Which is probably why he should never have left. Unable to find funding for his film Match Point he took it to the UK and shot it in London. It's probably his worst film. Allen's career has been going steadily downhill since the highs of the 70's although he remained strong throughout the 80's. Just look at Everyone Says I Love You or Curse of Jade Scorpion for evidence of Allen's flagging career stateside. Although none were as shambolically bad as Match Point. I actually dropped Woody two places on the list just for that film.

16. FRITZ LANG (AUSTRIA)



HONOURS – Has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 95%

TOP FILMS - Metropolis, M, the Big Heat, Fury.

M



OPINION – Fritz Lang is quite possibly, for some, the one name on this list that's drawing blanks. He was one of the foremost silent era directors making the most expensive and expansive silent film; his sweeping sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis. A film often imitated as it changed the perception of what was possible in the cinema. Lang fought in the trenches during World War 1 for the Austro-Hungarian army that were allied to Germany. Once again my theory about hardship bringing forth brilliance could apply to these circumstances. As a young film maker in that area of the world he was head hunted by the Nazi's who wanted him to make propaganda films. No doubt blown away by the scope and scale of Metropolis they felt he could portray the Nazi's in the same way. Chances are his work with the Nazi's would have been even grander than Leni Riefenstahl. She tended to interject with images of great humanity. Under Lang the program could have been far more mechanical. Joseph Goebbels offered Lang the chance to head up the German film studio UFA but Lang fled the country instead disagreeing with the Nazi way of life. He didn't return home until after the war. He originally went to Paris and made a film in France, in French but soon Germany threatened to occupy and Lang left for the USA. He left his wife behind as she'd become sympathetic to the Nazi cause and become a member of the Nazi party. Whilst he was still in Germany though Lang made not only Metropolis but also M. The latter is regarded as his masterpiece. Having seen it, I'd have to agree. Starring Peter Lorre it followed the life of a cowardly child murderer hunted by the entire of Berlin. Some of the scenes are truly disturbing as Lorre seeks out prey on the streets. M was one of the first films to develop the ‘film noir' look that became such a huge hit in Hollywood for the following 20 years. Lang's lighting was like nothing used before and caused a huge leap in the quality of film making after it's release. Much like he did with bigger budget films with his film Metropolis. These are two of the most important films ever made and they both came from the same source. Lang never made the same splash in America but nevertheless helped to contribute to the noir movement with a string of pictures across a variety of genres. In particular with Glenn Ford in the Big Heat.

15. ROMAN POLANSKI (FRANCE)



HONOURS – Oscar nominated four times before eventually winning in 2003 for the Pianist. Sadly he was unable to collect his award for circumstances I'll discuss later. His other three nominations were; Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown and Tess. The Pianist also won the Palm D'Or at Cannes. Chinatown won a Golden Globe but lost out at the Oscars to Francis Ford Coppolla on Godfather II. Man, that was a good year for movies.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 75%

TOP FILMS – The Pianist, Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, Frantic, Repulsion, Bitter Moon, Death and the Maiden

THE PIANIST



OPINION – You know what I keep saying about the way brilliance comes from hardship? Polanski's heavily pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson Family in the late 1960's. That probably doesn't excuse his behavior a decade later when he was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 13 year old girl. While he later claimed the accusations were false he still pleaded guilty to charges of having sexual intercourse with a minor and if found guilty of everything he was charged with could have spent 50 years in jail. Polanski fled to France, where as a French national he couldn't be deported, and has remained there ever since. Hence his failure to pick up the Academy Award for the Pianist. Despite accusations away from the world of cinema Polanski remains one of the great directors. His work in the UK produced some of the most startling and realistic horror films ever made. Polanski's first film in English was Repulsion starring Catherine Deneuve. Her part that of a hairdressing Belgian virgin driven insane by temptation. Deneuve's realistic performance is attributed to Polanski working her into the ground. When you see her freaking out onscreen that's probably not acting. An interesting directing approach, that's for certain. Repulsion served as Polanski's template for his horror masterpiece Rosemary's Baby. The now infamous film starred Mia Farrow looking every bit as freaked out as Catherine Deneuve did. Rosemary's Baby is every woman's worst fear. Carrying a baby without truly knowing what the father might be. Meanwhile everything she trusted and held dear seems to be falling apart around her head. It's a deeply psychological horror film that just doesn't get made nowadays. Polanski's stellar reputation doesn't come from making horror movies though no matter how good they were. His reputation comes from making Chinatown, which is arguably the best film of the entire 1970's, which is in itself one hell of a claim. Starring Jack Nicholson it freshened and redefined what film noir could be in colour. It's damn near flawless and probably Nicholson's best performance, which is also saying something. Polanski's reputation suffered somewhat when he was forced to leave the country in 1977 with rape charges hanging over his head. Despite this his next film Tess starring Nastassja Kinski won three Oscars. He disappeared for seven years and returned in the late 80's with Pirates before teaming up with Harrison Ford to make Frantic. This was almost a sign that Hollywood had forgiven Polanski for his indiscretions and were prepared to work with him again. He had a fairly quiet time in the 1990's before an epic return to form with the Pianist. It won three Oscars including one for Polanski himself despite his inability to go to America to collect it. Since this achievement he's been getting his career back online and intends to make a film dealing with Pompeii soon.

14. GEORGE LUCAS (USA)



HONOURS – Nominated for both Star Wars and American Graffiti. Won the Irving G. Thalberg award for producing in 1992. Won AFI's lifetime achievement award in 2005.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 84%

TOP FILMS – Star Wars, American Graffiti, THX 1138, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith

STAR WARS



OPINION – Whether you liked the prequels or not George Lucas has left a legacy with Star Wars that's almost incomparable. Just looking on You Tube reveals a multitude of tributes, parodies and compilations. Star Wars is perhaps the most beloved film ever made. Constantly quoted and referenced by entertainers ever since. Family Guy are in the process of raising the bar of Star Wars tributes with an entire episode dedicated to shooting A New Hope with Family Guy animation. When Lucas started out back in the early 1970's there were signs that he had potential to be a big director. After all his debut feature THX 1138 was a complex piece of sci-fi shot impressively on a low budget. It was clear Lucas was trying out various things that he could put to use in the future, which is something he's continued throughout his career. Frequently having to invent technology to get his films made Lucas has over the years pushed cinema up to new levels of excellence with his work on technology alone. And through his production work has brought to life two major film franchises in Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Two of the most beloved series ever created. Not to mention profitable. It's odd that his high profile would start out making low key cinema like American Graffiti. A nostalgia trip made on the cheap that became one of the coolest movies of the 70's in the process. Dazed and Confused effectively brought American Graffiti forward 20 years and gave the same loving tribute to the 70's that Lucas gave to the 50's. For his tiny budget Lucas $21M at the box office and dazzled critics and audiences alike. So much so the studios were able to support his next big project; an epic set in space showing an intergalactic civil war in it's final stages. Star Wars was made in 1977 for an enormous budget, at the time, of $13M. It took $35M in it's opening weekend and launched and assortment of tie-in's and marketing ideas that were entirely ahead of their time. By the time everything was said and done Star Wars had grossed $460M at the box office. $775M worldwide. It was for the longest time, 20 years, the highest grossing movie of all time. And with all the spin off's and sequels and merchandise it's easily the most profitable film ever made. Lucas took a back seat after Star Wars' success and hired directors to helm both sequels while he worked on producing the films. Thanks to his work on Indiana Jones and Star Wars he didn't see the director's chair again for 22 years. When he returned it was with another Star Wars film. The prequel that the general public and Star Wars nerds everywhere waited an eternity for; the Phantom Menace. While it was widely considered a disappointment it was still hugely successful garnering largely positive reviews, spawning a huge toy line and making $922M at the box office worldwide. Lucas still had that magic touch and continued to direct on both of the remaining prequels; Attack of the Clones and the highly acclaimed Revenge of the Sith. Lucas is also working on a Star Wars TV show and producing the 4th Indiana Jones movie. For a guy that's only ever directed six feature films he's got quite the legacy.

13. CHARLIE CHAPLIN (UK)



HONOURS – Chaplin won an honorary Oscar way back in 1929 but was honored a second time in 1972 with another honorary Oscar. He was nominated for the Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 98%

TOP FILMS – The Great Dictator, City Lights, Modern Times, the Gold Rush, the Kid, Monsieur Verdoux, Limelight, a King in New York

CITY LIGHTS



OPINION – Charlie Chaplin was born into entertaining. Both his parents were entertainers and he first took to the stage, solo, as a singer aged five. He made his way over to America as part of a travelling music hall act under Fred Karno and it was there he caught the eye of local promoters. Working for Keystone Studios Chaplin quickly developed the character of the Little Tramp and went to work on a series of popular short films. During his first year with Keystone he made 34 short films. Most of them were straightforward slapstick that Keystone was so famous for. He moved studios after his first year and started to attempt more ambitious films. Longer ones as well. He moved up from 15 minute shorts to 30 minute shorts. All the while perfecting his techniques and honing his skills ensuring that audiences could connect with his facial expressions while also appreciating his comedy. Chaplin's films were so successful that when he went into business for himself in 1918 the studios he'd worked with beforehand would recut or just rename his previous films and release them again rather than wait for new footage. Chaplin was more ambitious than to continue making short films and wanted to make features. When he gained the freedom to do so he produced a series of personal projects that had more sentimentality to them than his existing work. In particular the Kid from 1921 was a big success. In 1919 Chaplin expanded his personal freedom by establishing United Artists with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and DW Griffith. It allowed them greater freedom and more power within the Hollywood structure. After all they'd help to build Hollywood. Chaplin had worked slavishly himself for five years building his reputation to that of a studio owner. With UA Chaplin had as much freedom as he liked and produced features with them including his best work in silent films; the Gold Rush, City Lights and Modern Times. All of them are up there as greats but City Lights is particularly great. I've included the boxing scene to show how great the choreography was in Chaplin's films. He was years ahead of his time. However when it came time to switch from silent films to talkies he wasn't quite so far ahead. Perhaps being concerned about what he'd sound like and whether he'd be able to transition. He shouldn't have worried. His first talkie was the anti-war and Nazism spoof the Great Dictator. Made during the rise of European fascism it continued work into World War II before being released in 1940. Chaplin knew Hitler was a fan of his, perhaps even basing the trademark moustache on Chaplin's own, and maybe felt he could change Hitler's mind. When he realised just how bad things had gotten in Europe he gave up on his films ending and instead replaced it with a heartfelt speech as he broke character and preached peace to the viewer. The Great Dictator is one of the best films I've ever seen. It's light years ahead of it's contemporaries in America and showed just how good Chaplin was as a film maker. Sadly he was a target of McCarthyism and driven out of the country in 1952. On what was supposed to be a routine visit back to his home country of England he was refused re-entry to America and finished his career in isolation living in Switzerland. Chaplin never really got along with Hollywood or America despite his success thanks to left wing political beliefs and a lack of faith in the establishment. In particular he enraged the Academy and allegedly used his 1929 Oscar as a doorstop. Chaplin made a few films in England as his career wrapped up but left behind an incredible legacy and still goes down as one of the all time great stars both in front of and behind the camera. He directed himself mostly and has 75 credits as a director spanning 56 years.

12. MICHAEL CURTIZ (HUNGARY)



HONOURS – Won an Oscar for the now legendary Casablanca. He was nominated four times prior to that for Captain Blood, Four Daughters, Angels With Dirty Faces andYankee Doodle Dandy. He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 89%

TOP FILMS – Casablanca, the Adventures of Robin Hood, White Christmas, Angels With Dirty Faces, Captain Blood, Yankee Doodle Dandy, the Sea Hawk, We're No Angels, Charge of the Light Brigade.

CASABLANCA



That still gives me chills.

OPINION – Casablanca would have been enough. That one film is better than the vast majority of careers in their entirety. It's no wonder the film constantly tops critics lists. AFI presently rank it as the 3rd best film ever made. Warner Brothers still use the music cue from Casablanca to open all it's films. Casablanca is about as iconic and powerful a film you'll ever see. You'll probably recognise parts of it because it's been spoofed, parodied and quoted so many times in so many places. "Beautiful friendship", "maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow", "of all the gin joints in all the world", "we'll always have Paris", "round up the usual suspects", "here's looking at you kid", the often misquoted "play it again, Sam"; a line that doesn't even appear in the film and so on. I've included for your viewing pleasure the scene where Laszlo provokes the French in the bar into singing La Marseilles to drown out the German military types singing. The emotions are so high and it's understandable as France was under German occupation at the time and some of the actors were from France. It's such a powerful scene and so well done. Curtiz was the man behind all this. He was a Jew from Budapest who claimed to have run away from home and been a member of the 1912 Hungarian fencing team at the Olympic Games. Whether any of this is true is open to interpretation. He was fond of tall stories. Curtiz made films in Austria, Hungary and Denmark before being spotted in Vienna by Warner Brothers. He was brought to America in the early 1920's when he changed his name to Michael Curtiz from his Hungarian name Mihaly Kertesz. He was a prolific director and made many films before a series of highly successful adventure films starring Errol Flynn came his way in the 1930's. In particular Captain Blood, Charge of the Light Brigade and the Adventures of Robin Hood fared very well. Often criticised for having no real voice of his own Curtiz jumped from genre to genre effortlessly and moved from the Sea Hawk to Casablanca to Mildred Pierce with ease. He was the ultimate studio director happily pushing everything through on set. His output was so phenomenal it's a shock he doesn't get more praise. Especially given the quality of some of his films. Perhaps it's his low opinion of actors and the film making process. He once called Bette Davis a "sexless son of a bitch" and his poor grasp on the English language made him a laughing stock behind closed doors. Still…we'll always have Casablanca.

11. SIDNEY LUMET (USA)



HONOURS – Nominated for five Oscars without winning. His fabulous five; 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Prince of the City, and the Verdict. He was given an honorary Oscar in 2005. He did win a Golden Globe for Network though. He got the lifetime achievement award from the DGA in 1993.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 71%

TOP FILMS – 12 Angry Men, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Murder on the Orient Express, Family Business, the Verdict.

NETWORK



I'M MAD AS HELL!

OPINION – Lumet is a little short on consistency. If all his films were as fine as his better work then Lumet would be not only in the top 10 but pushing for the top spot. At his best Lumet is a master of the cinema. 12 Angry Men was his cinematic debut. His first major work as a director. It's quite possibly the best debut picture ever made. Tense and brilliant and almost entirely shot within the confines of a tiny room. A great director can make a great film anywhere. He doesn't need flashy special effects he just needs conflict, adversity, idealism. 12 Angry Men is one of the most inspiring films ever committed to celluloid. It's maybe not as iconic as Casablanca but it's on that kind of level in terms of how important a film it is. To be able to make an important film and not even have names for most of the people involved. They're personalities, characters and you don't need names for that. Just build the characters until they're at a boiling point and let them loose on each other. Henry Fonda turned in his career best performance in that little room inspiring other jurors to reconsider the fate of a young man nearly condemned to death at their hands. Until Fonda's Juror #8 decides to think about what's going on a little more than the surface tells the jurors. The ensuing argument is one of the most gripping storylines ever. It seems strange that Lumet was never really given an opportunity to follow up on this. Many of his projects during the late 50's and the entire of the 60's lacked scope and vision. Lumet himself didn't really push the envelope during that time. You'd think everyone would want to capitalise on this great debut but that wasn't the case at all with Lumet. It wasn't really until he teamed up with Al Pacino for 1973's Serpico that he seemed to get his mojo back working. Then there was no stopping him. Orient Express, Dog Day Afternoon and the seminal Network followed in the next three years making him a star director again. I'm not the biggest fan of Serpico but Dog Day Afternoon is a great heist movie. So much so that's it's been almost impossible to make a heist movie since then without referencing it. In fact both of the most recent heist movies, Swordfish and the Insider, both make reference directly to Dog Day Afternoon. As if to point out they're basically copying it but they had no choice. It was just that good. It was that defining. There aren't many films that are so all consuming that the entire genre is stuck afterwards as to how it'll work without plagiarism. There's one of them. Network is perhaps Lumet's best work. 12 Angry Men is one hell of a film and one of my personal favourites but Network is so good that George Sirois named his news column after it and themed it around the concepts created in Network. Talk about influential.

NEXT – My crusade reaches and end with the final chapter of the Top 100 Directors column. It's been incredibly time consuming but ultimately a very rewarding experience. I'll see you in seven with the Top 10. I'm sure most of you will have pieced together the names on that ten by their omissions from lower on the count down.