Furious on Film 09.06.07: Issue 104 - Top 100 Directors #10 - #1

Posted by Arnold Furious on 09.06.2007

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the greatest of the great...

Furious on Film 09.06.07: Issue 104 - Top 100 Directors #10 - #1

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the greatest of the great

Here it is! The top ten. What you've been waiting all these weeks for. The column I've been waiting six months or so to write. I have to tell you, I feel pretty mentally exhausted from the whole process. It's a good job I wasn't in the process of writing for the wrestling section during these past four weeks or this column just wouldn't have happened. At least not this quickly. I've already surpassed 50,000 words during the course of the Top 100 so far, which is roughly the equivalent of ten normal columns or about four hundred Scotty Flamingo columns. ZING! It's also a good job this has wrapped up before next week because I'll be taking over on the Wednesday news column for a month, or so depending on how much of a break Ben Moser needs, thus adding to my weekly work load. Not that I mind. I really enjoyed doing the last fill in and was quite prepared to take that on. Anyway, here's what you've been waiting for (or at least some of you have); the top 10. The directors that are, in my opinion anyway, the 10 best in the history of film.

10. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA (USA)



HONOURS – Won his first Oscar for penning Patton in 1970. He also won screenplay awards for Godfather and Godfather Part 2 before winning best director for the latter. He was also nominated for Apocalypse Now and Godfather Part 3.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 69%

TOP FILMS – Godfather, Godfather Part 2, Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Peggy Sue Got Married, Rumble Fish, Godfather Part 3.

THE GODFATHER



OPINION – Had Francis Ford Coppola continued in the rich vein of form he produced during the 1970's and continued that throughout his career then he'd be up at the top of this list. As it stands his run of superb films from that era places him at #10. It's his misfires since then that prevent him achieving true greatness. Consistency is the key. Coppola began his career working on low budget movies with Roger Corman (what a fine inspiration Corman has been for young directors over the years, a pity his work is so consistently average). His attempts at breaking into the mainstream in the late 60's were fairly unsuccessful. It was his screenwriting career that actually got him noticed as his screenplay for Patton won an Oscar and his chances of getting quality work immediately improved. His first project after that was the Godfather. Based on Mario Puzo best selling book it was a highly anticipated adaptation. Coppola's version was a resounding success immediately becoming one of the quintessential man movies. Shot for $6M it brought home $134M at the box office. Nearly $250M worldwide. It also won three Oscars and made Coppola a household name. Not to mention Al Pacino who became a star overnight. It's continued success and popularity sees it planted at #1 on the IMDB top 250 movies. AFI constantly rank it near the top of their list of the greatest movies ever made. It's about as iconic a modern movie out there with the possible exception of Star Wars. Its lines are frequently repeated on TV shows and in movies. Especially in the Sopranos and the Simpsons and so on and so on. Somehow Coppola found the time to make another film before Godfather Part II, which was Gene Hackman flick the Conversation. While I don't think it's as good as people claim, mainly because the ending is bullshit, the film has a popular following even to this day showing that Coppola was hot at the time. His next film after that was Godfather Part II. The anticipation for it was huge given the success of the first film and in a rare break from the norm the sequel was every bit as good as the original. Godfather Part II ranks at #3 on the IMDB top 250 films. It won six Oscars including best picture, the first sequel to do so, although it didn't so the same sort of business at the box office. Both the Conversation and Godfather Part II were nominated for an Oscar the same year. Godfather Part II won it while the Conversation won the Palm D'Or at Cannes. Not a bad year to be Francis Ford Coppola. He still wasn't done though and in the late 70's attempted to adapt Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness for the big screen. Renamed Apocalypse Now it featured an insane and bloated Marlon Brando, and Martin Sheen. The latter had a heart attack during filming. The set was hit by a typhoon and the production very nearly bankrupted Coppola and his production studio. The film nearly destroyed Coppola and he's never attempted anything as ambitious since. During the 80's he went back to making smaller budget films that involved less stress. His films became increasingly lightweight highlighted by Kathleen Turner rom-com Peggy Sue Got Married. He regained his confidence sufficiently to make the third Godfather film in 1990. Although most people ignore it and berate its very existence it was a box office hit and was nominated for an Oscar. He made Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992 his most ambitious film since the 70's, which was met with a mixed reaction. He's since made a few real stinkers. The most obvious one being Robin Williams vehicle Jack. But I won't hold that against him.

9. FRANK CAPRA (ITALY)



HONOURS – Winner of four Oscars; It Happened One Night, Mr Deeds Goes to Town and two for You Can't Take It With You. He was also nominated for It's a Wonderful Life, Lady for a Day and Lost Horizon.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 93%. I'd like to choke that bitch MaryAnn Johanson for giving It's a Wonderful Life the thumbs down.

TOP FILMS – It's a Wonderful Life, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, It Happened One Night, You Can't Take it With You, Mr Deeds Goes to Town.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE



OPINION – Like many of the directors I've listed as being from different countries Capra moved to America as a child. Capra didn't take the traditional route into movies. He studied chemistry at college and had a stint in the army during World War I. He came into movies as a prop man and worked his way up. He made his directorial debut in 1922 with Fultah Fisher's Boarding House, a 12 minute comedy short. Capra later claimed he bluffed his way into the job merely to avoid poverty. The bluff paid off and four years later he directed his first feature; the Strong Man. It starred Harry Langdon and the two went on to make a series of silent comedies. Having cut his teeth with comedies he worked his way into popular movies that were also critical hits. His first major success being 1933's Lady for a Day. The plot saw a gangster take an apple seller from Times Square and make her into a lady. The success was immediately followed by another. It Happened One Night was the first film to win all five major Oscars. The incredibly popular film saw reporter Clark Gable keeping tabs on runaway high society girl Claudette Colbert. It's a classic that just about holds up even today. Capra's films were inspirational and tended to leave the viewer feeling warm and fuzzy inside. He managed a string of hits after It Happened One Night with Mr Deeds Goes to Town and Mr Smith Goes to Washington being particularly big hits. Great films too. Jimmy Stewart is just superb in the latter where he really established his "aw shucks" good guy image. During World War II former soldier Capra resorting to making American propaganda films. One of which, Predule to War, won an Academy Award. He considered himself the answer to the Nazi's Leni Riefenstahl. Coming out of the war he made his most famous and most enduring film; It's a Wonderful Life. The festive favourite featured Jimmy Stewart wishing he'd never existed after a series of personal problems only to discover that the world is a better place for having him in it. It's the very defining film for getting that warm and fuzzy feeling and Capra's legacy. It constantly finishes high up on AFI lists of the best films ever made (#11) and featured especially highly (#1) on the ‘most inspirational films' list they put out. Capra continued making films until 1961 although most of his later work didn't see the same success as his work in the 30's and 40's. The term Capraesque comes from Capra's work in cinema and is used to describe films showcasing the goodness of human nature. This has also been termed "Capra-corn" by certain cynics. While I struggle with most corny films there's something about Capra movies that create that feelgood vibe.

8. ORSON WELLES (USA)



HONOURS – Won an Oscar for writing Citizen Kane. Gained an honorary award in 1971 to go with it. He was also nominated for the Magnificent Ambersons. His version of Othello won a prize at Cannes. He added the lifetime achievement award from AFI in 1975. He has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 86%

TOP FILMS – Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, Magnificent Ambersons, Lady From Shanghai, The Stranger, Othello, MacBeth

CITIZEN KANE



OPINION – Orson Welles made his name in the theatre and on the radio. He made such a large name for himself that RKO pictures gave him an unprecedented contract; he'd have total creative control over his projects. Welles' first feature film was released in 1941. The film? Citizen Kane. That wasn't his original choice though. His first selection was an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. However when he drew up the budget the studio baulked. They also wouldn't finance the Smiler with the Knife for political reasons. Frustrated Welles turned to Herman Manciewicz to provide him with a screenplay. The duo had worked together in theatre and Manciewitz had been friends with William Randolph Hearst, the basis for Citizen Kane. Had being the operative word. They didn't along anymore. Charles Foster Kane became the larger than life newspaper mogul and Welles played him. He was Oscar nominated as director and star but it was the screenplay that won. All didn't go smoothly though with Hearst using his power to try and quash the film ensuring that his network of media outlets buried it. The stance of Hearst prevented the potential box office explosion. While it did well critically Citizen Kane never turned a profit. Well, not until the 1991 re-release that banked a little over a million dollars. It's become a classic over time but originally the superior film techniques were largely overlooked and Welles was blamed for a poor reception on the part of the public and the cinema owners who reported record walk out's. His second feature film, the Magnificent Ambersons, ran behind schedule and over budget. Welles quickly became unpopular and unappreciated in Hollywood. His third picture with RKO was cancelled and Welles career as a director was tant amount to over. It's amazing how Hollywood let itself get pushed around by one guy and let talent fall by the wayside as a result of that. It's almost sickening. Welles did remain popular as an actor though and therefore was able to keep getting work. His 1946 release The Stranger was banned across the south because of Welles dedication to civil rights for African Americans on his radio show. Soon he had effigies of himself burning in the Southern States. Again, this is shocking because it's so recent but that's what happened. Welles was once again on the right side in his argument and yet his films lost out as a result. He couldn't find work at all in America save a really low budget Macbeth adaptation. It was comically bad and the studio wanted narration to hold it together. Welles recorded it then left for Europe where he lived into the 1950's. Hearst had labelled him a communist leading to his possible black listing in Hollywood. Leaving was the only way to get films made. Welles did have a successful acting career still and starred in the hit film The Third Man. When he eventually returned to America he got the chance to direct again and made one final masterpiece of suspense in 1958 with Touch of Evil. While some of the acting is laughable and Charlton Heston is horrifically miscast as a Mexican lawyer the shots are fantastic and light years ahead of anything else being made. The studio decided to recut it and add in 30 minutes of explanations against Welles' judgement. His creative control was long gone by this point. Disgusted he returned to Europe. While he continued working into the 70's he never repeated the dizzying highs of Citizen Kane. I'm almost putting him this high because it really wasn't his fault that his career fell apart. He was censored. If Hearst had left well alone Welles would have the greatest body of work of any director, ever. As it stands at least he still has Citizen Kane.

7. JOHN HUSTON (USA)



HONOURS – Won two Oscars for the Treasure of Sierra Madre. Both for writing and directing. Also nominated for Dr Ehrlich's Magic Bullet, the Asphalt Jungle, the African Queen, Moulin Rouge (the original) and Prizzi's Honor. The latter won a Golden Globe. Has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 80%

TOP FILMS - The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, Treasure of Sierra Madre, the Man Who Would Be King, Key Largo, Annie, Prizzi's Honor.

MALTESE FALCON



OPINION – Last week I pointed out how great a debut film Sidney Lumet had with 12 Angry Men. I think John Huston might have him beaten with his debut film; the Maltese Falcon. Perhaps the defining film noir, certainly one of the best of the genre. In 1941 it was Huston's debut film. Humphrey Bogart has had many great roles, including Casablanca, but for me the one that defines him is the Maltese Falcon. He just was Sam Spade. Huston wasn't limited to directing. He began his career as a screenwriter and indeed penned Maltese Falcon himself for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination. He was also an Academy Award nominated actor playing opposite Jack Nicholson in Chinatown. He also painted, sculpted and boxed. After the initial success of his great detective film the Maltese Falcon he had moderate success throughout the 1940's. Considered a rebel working within the system he often pushed cinema into new directions. His second huge success was 1948's the Treasure of Sierra Madre. An Oscar winner the film detailed a gold rush down in Mexico and once again starred Humphrey Bogart. This time in a very different role as a greedy weasel desperate to get rich quick. His second absolute masterpiece inside of a decade it set up his trifecta of films starring Bogart in very different roles. The third being another career defining performance from Bogart this time as an older man opposite an older Kate Hepburn in the African Queen. A stunning trilogy of collaborations each profiling a different Bogart, which is unusual for him. Huston was equally adept at directing him in each performance. When most directors tend to fade away late into their careers, even the great ones, Huston seemed to get stronger. In 1975 he directed Michael Caine and Sean Connery in the Man Who Would Be King. Into the 80's he was working just as hard and even attempted something very different when he made the musical Annie. Diversity is a big part of being successful and Huston seemed to be trying to show what he could do. He was Oscar nominated for Prizzi's Honor, starring Jack Nicholson, at the ripe old age of 79. He kept going until his final film, 1987's the Dead, which he just about made before passing away. Huston, ever the rebel was friends with Orson Welles and Ernest Hemmingway and was the inspiration for Clint Eastwood film; White Hunter Black Heart.

I'd like to point out from here on in it was damn near impossible to separate the remaining six. You could pretty much shuffle them up into any order and it'd be ok. This is the order I decided upon after much deliberation…

6. BILLY WILDER (AUSTRIA)



HONOURS – Won six Oscars. Three for The Apartment, one for Sunset Blvd and one for the Lost Weekend. Plus the Irving G. Thalberg award in the late 80's. 1986 saw him win AFI's lifetime achievement award. 1985 was the DGA's version of the same award. He also has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 84%

TOP FILMS – Sunset Blvd, Double Indemnity, The Apartment,Some Like It Hot, Seven Year Itch, Stalag 17, Sabrina, the Lost Weekend.

SUNSET BLVD



OPINION – Two of my favourite old timey movies, with the best dialogue, are both written and directed by Billy Wilder. Sunset Blvd and his earlier hit Double Indemnity. Wilder came from Austria-Hungary although technically his birth place is now in Poland. While working as a journalist he moved from Vienna to Berlin in search of bigger stories and also took up an interest in screenwriting. When Hitler rose to power in Germany the Jewish Wilder left for America. He shared an apartment with fellow immigrant Peter Lorre and began getting screenwriting work. His first big success being screwball comedy Ninotcha starring Greta Garbo. He subsequently got a reputation and also gained work as a director. His fame increased after bringing the unfilmable movie about adultery, which was censored at the time, to the big screen; Double Indemnity. The film captured the style and technique of Citizen Kane while capturing the feel of the Maltese Falcon. The script, which he co-wrote with Raymond Chandler, was a huge success and Double Indemnity has the best of both worlds and was a landmark film. It's possibly the best script ever with the possible exception of the Sweet Smell of Success. Wilder went on to critical acclaim with the Lost Weekend, which breached another cinematic taboo of the time by going into depth about alcoholism. Next came arguably Wilder's best film; Sunset Blvd. Pairing upcoming star William Holden with veteran actress Gloria Swanson the film is overflowing with great lines. Again the script is quite exceptional. Brilliant, even. I think my favourite line being the response from Norma Desmond when she's told she "used to be big". "I am big. It's the pictures that got small" she replies. Wilder also made a string of great comedies after the mid-50's in particular getting the best work out of Marilyn Monroe on both the Seven Year Itch and his best comedy Some Like it Hot with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. He also teamed with Lemmon for 1960's the Apartment. Only Billy Wilder could make a comedy about infidelity and suicide. His career tailed off a little after the triple Oscar win for the Apartment but he kept directing until the early 80's when he retired. Wilder has made some of the most cynical and yet heart warming films ever committed to celluloid. It's perhaps his cynicism that puts him a little above Frank Capra on this list. I love him for it.

5. STANLEY KUBRICK (USA)



HONOURS – Won an Oscar for 2001: A Space Odyssey although it was visual effects rather than direction. He was also nominated for Dr Strangelove, Barry Lyndon and Full Metal Jacket.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 90%

TOP FILMS - A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Spartacus, Dr Strangelove, 2001, Full Metal Jacket, Paths of Glory, Lolita, The Killing, Barry Lyndon.

FULL METAL JACKET



OPINION – Stanley Kubrick was a director who never really got his due while he was alive. Every film he released seemed to have some sort of negative stigma attached to it and then, in time, it became increasingly popular. I wouldn't say he invented the cult film, I'd go with Todd Browning for that, but Kubrick rarely got the respect he deserved. Although later in life he was hailed as a great director it seemed that whatever he did in the moment wasn't good enough for the critics. Hence he's never won an Academy Award for directing despite making near perfect films in a range of genres. They never even gave him an honorary award, which is a complete travesty. What's more is that the lesser known Kubrick films, the ones that time has almost forgotten are all masterpieces themselves. Paths of Glory and the Killing are nothing shy of genius. The Killing details a robbery at a racetrack while Paths of Glory was Kubrick's first big budget film and deals with the horrors of war. Both of them are startling and different viewing experiences with surprisingly violent moments for black & white films. Having shown he could work his magic with smaller budgets he was handed a whopping one for Spartacus, the Roman Empire epic with slave turned warrior Kirk Douglas, and didn't disappoint. It's one of the rare projects that Kubrick didn't see to fruition from the drawing board but benefits from an excellent script by black listed writer Dalton Trumbo. Kubrick got his chance on Spartacus after Douglas had a clash of personalities with original director Anthony Mann. Kubrick impressed the Hollywood bigwigs with his ability to control a large number of onscreen antics while keeping the focus on the star. Kubrick could have taken it easy after Spartacus. His name was made. He could have easily taken on large budget films and concentrated on directing large set pieces as he'd proved he was capable of. But that wasn't challenging enough and he instead took on the controversial Lolita. Not only that he added the comic element of Peter Sellers into a film about paedophilia. Suffice to say the censors didn't really allow him to shoot some of the key scenes from the book thus leaving Lolita as one of his least fondly remembered films. Sticking to the controversial Kubrick went on to make a Cold War movie called Dr Strangelove. Parodying the situation between the Soviet Union and United States it featured several wacky characters including a former Nazi and a cowboy bomber. It made light of the Cold War situation even though the subject material was worrying at the very least. The Cold War rumbled on for another 20 years but during the mid-60's tensions were at their highest. Kubrick wisely sent up everyone involved as to not make his film a political football. After that was 2001 Kubrick's most visually stunning film. It's more like a work of art than a movie although there are still several scenes where the audience gets to have some fun with computer HAL 9000. 2001 is a visual feast and one of those rare thinking man's sci-fi movies that actually works. The classical music and the philosophy just adds to the experience. Into the 70's Kubrick started to slow down a little but still made several great films; A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon. The former in particular was an inspiration to many film makers. Only two films followed during the 80's as Kubrick began to wind down but when he made a film it meant something. His adaptation of Stephen King book The Shining is one of the best horror movies ever made. Oddly enough it was belittled on release and Kubrick was even up for a Razzie that year. His penultimate film was Full Metal Jacket. A lively look at the Vietnam war. Most of the quality comes from the training scenes where R. Lee Ermey provides the world with an iconic character of Sgt Hartman. When they get into ‘Nam it's somewhat disappointing. If that was disappointing then Kubrick's final film was a disaster. Eyes Wide Shut starred Hollywood couple The Cruiser and Nicole Kidman. It over ran so badly that the budget ran to $65M for what was essentially a small picture and other commitments from the stars were lost as a result. The film isn't even that good. Kubrick had one foot in the grave when it was made. Still he'll be remembered for a string of great movies over the years and some timeless classics.

4. MARTIN SCORSESE (USA)



HONOURS – Finally won an Oscar for The Departed. Had previously been nominated for Raging Bull, Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York and the Aviator. He won the AFI lifetime achievement award in 1997. He's been up for three Oscars since. Taxi Driver won the Palm D'Or at Cannes. He won the DGA lifetime achievement award in 2003 the same year he was handed a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 80%

TOP FILMS – Goodfellas, the Departed, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, Casino, Raging Bull, The Aviator, Last Temptation of Christ, Color of Money, Bringing out the Dead, Cape Fear, Mean Streets, King of Comedy, After Hours, Kundun, the Last Waltz, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

GOODFELLAS – "the king of tracking shots"



OPINION – I remember the first time I saw Goodfellas. I wouldn't call it a live altering experience but a few years later I signed up to do a media course in lieu of going away to college. And at that time Goodfellas was my favourite movie. Hands down. It has a little more competition nowadays but it's still right up there. It always feels fresh. It has some of the greatest camerawork since Hitchcock at the height of his powers. It has superb performances. A great script. Scorsese really is the master of the gangster movie. Not the same way Coppola adapted Godfather. That was more about organised crime. While there are elements of organised crime in many of Scorsese's pictures it's less about the heads of the families and more about life on the street. It's more gritty and visceral. Especially his early work on the streets of New York; Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. They were the films that defined Scorsese look and vibe. You knew after seeing Taxi Driver what you'd get from a Scorsese flick. And more often than not over the years he's provided it making some of the most defining films of the genre in the process. And Goodfellas is up there with any film you care to mention. It has a pulse, a life of it's own. I remember how excited I was to see Casino when it came out back in '95 because it was the next gang movie from Scorsese after Goodfellas. Although Scorsese has been very deliberate in straying away from the genre that brought his name into prominence and has done so on many occasions, he keeps coming back. Whether it's period gang antics in Gangs of New York on the hyper-modern Boston gang movie the Departed he's always looking for ways to improve on his resume. What staggers me is how good Scorsese is outside of his chosen genre. And it's simply because he's such an auteur and expert. He's grown up on movies and not just watched them but consumed them and studied them his whole life. So much so that practically everything he does is a tribute to something he saw somewhere else. But unlike Quentin Tarantino when Scorsese is pulling together different strands of cinema into one woven by himself he chooses tributes and homage's across a frankly staggering range of films and styles and brings it all into his own. Making it richer and fuller. So every film he makes seems to be that little more indulgent. Scorsese movies is like getting a dessert cart after a meal and just trying one thing after another and each dish is richer and has more flavour than the one before it. There is only so much you can take. The Aviator for example looks beautiful but it's like reading through a glossy magazine. Maybe the glossiest magazine, ever, but the substance isn't quite there. Visually Scorsese has always been improving though. You look back at his earlier work in the 80's and it doesn't quite have the same life to it. But the spirit is there. Even Scorsese's lesser films are great. Bringing Out the Dead is superb. Had any other director made that the critics would have been all over it. It's because it's Scorsese and it's not utterly brilliant merely very good that it didn't get the love it deserved. The only Scorsese movie I don't like is the Last Waltz and that's only because it's a documentary about the Band and I'm not really fond. Scorsese is a fine wine, a beautiful woman, a Cadillac, a skyscraper and a sunset all rolled into one. He's the best of the best and his work makes me so happy to be a film watcher that I'll have to stop this paragraph right now before the gushing becomes unbearably sycophantic.

3. AKIRA KUROSAWA (JAPAN)



HONOURS – Nominated for an Oscar for Ran before being handed an honorary Oscar in 1990. They had to invent a new Academy Award to honour Rashomon. It was the first foreign language film winner. Dersu Uzala was his second win in that category. Kagemusha won the Palm D'Or at Cannes despite being "a dress rehearsal" for Ran.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 87%

TOP FILMS – Ran, Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Red Beard, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, Sanjuro, High and Low, the Bad Sleep Well, Stray Dog, Kagemusha.

RAN



OPINION – It's no secret that during my run as a writer on Furious on Film my biggest single discovery has been the work of Akira Kurosawa. Before I started into FoF I'd not seen anything of Kurosawa bar the obvious; Seven Samurai. The film that was the basis for the Hollywood remake the Magnificent Seven. When I joined Lovefilm.com, the online rental place, in order to make Furious on Film happen and have a purpose the first film I rented was Rashomon. It's reviewed way back in Furious on Film #2. That was before it was even featured on 411. It was just housed at my personal website FuriousRage.com. My second run in with Kurosawa was during FoF #13 when I reviewed his classic samurai film Ran. To say I gave it a rave review would be an understatement. I slapped ***** on it without even thinking. Not that I needed to. Ran is just a beautiful film and a great adaptation of King Lear. In FoF #17 I reviewed Yojimbo. Another great film, another *****. It's so good Sergio Leone re-made it almost identically to the original only as a Western rather than a samurai film. I'd gone into FoF thinking that Seven Samurai was Kurosawa at his absolute best. Now Seven Samurai was relegated to my 4th favourite Kurosawa film inside of 20 weeks. In week #21 it dropped even further down the list as it got knocked off by the superb Red Beard. Quite how this didn't win every award ever is beyond me. It's quite possibly the best foreign language film, ever. It's really long, at 3 hours, and in black and white and Japanese but don't let that put you off. Toshiro Mifune is totally badass in the movie and it has some of the best episodic storytelling within a film there's ever been. My first real disappointment with Kurosawa was High and Low, which is a fantastic film but not an outright classic like the others. You know a director is special when you rank a film at ***3/4 and it's a massive let down. I rave about the likes of Takashi Miike and Hayao Miyazaki as well but for either of them to hit ***3/4 it's an achievement and a good film. For Kurosawa it's below par. He's THAT good. During FoF #29 I watched and reviewed two Kurosawa movies; Throne of Blood (****1/2) and the Hidden Fortress (****3/4). The latter is Kurosawa at his most accessible if anyone out there is looking to start into some serious Japanese film watching. It was so Westernised that George Lucas stole chunks of it wholesale for Star Wars. Odd moving from samurai to outer space but it shows that good characters can go anywhere. There are bits between C3P0 and R2D2 that are lifted almost verbatim from Hidden Fortress. Not to mention the wipes that Kurosawa used. A week later I added Ikiru (****1/4) into my viewing experience. That's a much slower film but a very rewarding one. Kagemusha (***1/2) was done in FoF #33. It does feel like a low rent Ran and Kurosawa himself called it a dress rehearsal for his bigger film in the future. George Lucas liked it so much he helped produce it and it still has a big audience considering it's importance, or lack of, with the director. #34 saw Sanjuro (****1/2) the sequel to Yojimbo arrive. It's great to see critically acclaimed and indeed excellent films have sequels made. It makes the Hollywood guys feel less like hacks. Sanjuro features the same central character as Yojimbo but nothing more. It's more light hearted and comical. It's another accessible Kurosawa movie. #40 saw me tackle Stray Dog (****) an earlier Kurosawa movie. #47 saw me looking at the Bad Sleep Well (***1/4). That's Kurosawa at his least accessible and hardest to watch. It's almost my least favourite Kurosawa movie by some distance. I've not seen anything else from him since, which is a long time, but to be fair I've covered most of his major films. I only need to see Dersu Uzala. Anyway, Kurosawa, legendary and excellent film maker. The best of the best from world cinema.

2. STEVEN SPIELBERG (USA)



HONOURS – Won two Oscars for directing; Schinder's List and Saving Private Ryan. He's also bagged the Irving G Thalberg award for producing. He was also nominated for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, Colour Purple and Munich. AFI gave him the lifetime achievement award in 1995, DGA in 2000. Only once went to Cannes with Sugarland Express, which won best screenplay. In 2003 he got his star on the Hollywood walk of fame. He has 108 award wins over his career as well as 74 other nominations.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 75%

TOP FILMS – Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Colour Purple, Munich, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jurassic Park, Minority Report, Jaws, War of the Worlds, Catch Me If You Can, Empire of the Sun, Amistad, Duel, 1941.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK



OPINION – I've already done a big chunk of a column dedicated to how great Steven Spielberg is. No matter what you think about some of his lesser works and how sentimental and sappy they can be (Always, ET, Hook) there's no doubt that Spielberg is going to go down as one of the greatest directors of all time. It's the range of films he's made not just the quality. While Scorsese had that sort of range and did good films outside of his gangster genre it's hard to even pin Spielberg down to the genre that would be considered his favourite territory. His two most acclaimed films dealt with World War II but in incredibly different ways. One with the Holocaust and one with the Normandy Landing. But you wouldn't specifically think of Spielberg as a war director. After all he has the Indiana Jones series, which although is set close to World War II is mostly just about good old fashioned action adventure. He's also made sci-fi films like Minority Report and Close Encounters and ET. Big budget effects films like Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds. He's also made smaller more personal movies that border on horror like Duel. And he's got Jaws in his repertoire showing he can even do a stalk and slash movie, albeit using a shark as the ultimate bad-ass serial killer. I think most importantly Spielberg hasn't just crossed genres and aimed to make the best film he could in each, like say Kubrick, but rather he's moved from one to another effortlessly in order to make the best film he could at the time. And this is without looking at some of the films he helped to produce. Outside of his own there's Back to the Future, Shrek, Transformers, Men in Black, Twister, The Goonies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Cape Fear, Gremlins, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima, Innerspace, the Money Pit, Batteries Not Included, Bigfoot and the Hendersons, Used Cars and you'll notice how many of those films cropped up on previous directors lists. This man must never sleep. After all when he's not making his own films he's helping someone else out or picking up an award. There was a time when Spielberg was merely a highly acclaimed director and producer. But around the time of Schindler's List in the early 90's he transcended that. Now there's everyone else and there's Steven Spielberg. He's simply in a different class to any living director. And his next project? Indiana Jones. The fourth instalment of one of the most beloved action heroes of our time. Keep in mind the first film, Raiders, was arguably the best film of the entire 1980's (arguably because of Das Boot) and you can see why people are excited.

1. ALFRED HITCHCOCK (UK)



HONOURS – Nominated for five Oscars without winning. Those being; Rebecca, Lifeboat, Spellbound, Rear Window and Psycho. He was handed the Irving G Thalberg award in 1968 to compensate him for a lack of wins. He received AFI's lifetime achievement award in 1979, DGA's in 1968 and the Cecil B DeMille award at the Golden Globes. He has two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame. One for movies and one for TV.

RT FRESHNESS RATING – 89%

TOP FILMS – Psycho, Rear Window, North By Northwest, Vertigo, The Birds, Strangers on a Train, Notorious, Dial M for Murder, Rope, 39 Steps, Shadow of a Doubt, To Catch a Thief, the Lady Vanishes, Rebecca.

PSYCHO



OPINION – What can be said about Alfred Hitchcock? He was the master of suspense. He was a pioneer and the leading director in suspense and thrillers for his entire career. His films mostly involved normal people being caught up in extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. His pacing was routinely dead on and lead to many of his films being extended chase sequences (North By Northwest in particular). Hitchcock started out in London designing and doing photography at Islington. He began working as a director in the 1920's and his first major success The Lodger is the first Hitchcockian film. He made a string of films during the 20's and 30's before hitting huge International success with the 39 Steps. It was here Hitchcock invented the MacGuffin, something film makers use to this very day (I'm thinking the briefcase in Pulp Fiction). After his next big success the Lady Vanishes, a great espionage movie with genuine and clever swerves, Hitchcock moved over to Hollywood to work for David O. Selznick. His first American picture, Rebecca, was more English than not. It was set in England with English actors and of course, an English director. A more polished Hollywood effort it won best picture in 1940 although Hitchcock was himself irritated at Selznick's control over the film. During the 1940's Hitchcock made a series of successful and diverse films including his favourite of his own pictures; Shadow of a Doubt. The plot saw a family visited by Uncle Charlie who the teenage daughter suspects to be a serial killer. It's disturbing, sinister and is loaded with suspense. After the war Hitchcock got more freedom from Selznick and tended to work a more free schedule with RKO. Starting with 1946's Notorious, which features some of the most cutting edge camerawork and editing of the decade. It was clear that Hitchcock was light years ahead of everyone else in terms of being able to get new and innovative camera shots onto screen. Hitchcock's first colour film was the experimental Rope in 1948. The entire film is one shot. I'm not kidding. The only reason the film has any cuts in at all is because the technology wasn't available to shoot the entire thing in one go. The cameras simply wouldn't hold enough film. The result is one of the most successful experimental films ever made. Yes, it's a bit gimmicky with the lack of cuts but it's amazing they were able to pull it off so professionally in the late 40's. It's like watching a stage play. During the 50's and 60's Hitchcock brought out one amazing film after another. The sinister Strangers on a Train from 1951 saw two men jokingly agree to commit each others murders to remove suspicion and motive. Then one of them goes ahead and does their half of the deed. Hitchcock's most famous work from the 50's was Rear Window. The story of a photographer trapped in a wheelchair after breaking his leg. Jimmy Stewart starred as the guy who couldn't help but watch his neighbours in a colourful neighbourhood until one night he sees what he thinks is a murder. It's been re-made and re-done several times but it's hard to capture the atmosphere of that first film. Especially when you've got Jimmy Stewart as a lead. The other big movie from the 50's was Vertigo. While it failed at the box office on release it's since gained a reputation as a masterpiece. Hitchcock rounded out the decade with North By Northwest. During the 60's he shot both Psycho and the Birds showing himself adept at horror films thanks to his uncanny ability to direct well paced and suspenseful set pieces. He also came up with the idea of making the audience feel like voyeurs, like they were part of the film and partially to blame for what happened. The year he died he was also knighted for his contribution to cinema. In my opinion, and that of many others, he's the greatest director to have lived thus far. Sir Alfred Hitchcock, ladies and gentlemen.

NEXT – back to normal after these five hectic weeks of intense list making. I'll see you in seven.