MissGoddess Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 Lubitsch is in my "top three"!! Love all his films...love him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SENTINEL Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 -----MY KIND OF TOPIC----- THE TOP THREE KINGS OF KINGS. ALFRED HITCHCOCK- HITCHCOCK IS A MASTER, TECHNICALLY AND NARRATIVE. HITCHCOCK IS NOT THE MASTER OF SUSPENSE FOR NOTHING. HE MADE SOME OF THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME. HITCHCOCK DOES NOT ONLY SET THE TONE FOR THE MOVIE, HE TELLS, FOLLOWS AND SURPRISE YOU AND SOMETHING'S HE FLIPS THE WHOLE TONE. EXAMPLE- IN SHADOW OF A DOUBT, HE SETS THE TONE CALM AND SLOW AND YOU FOLLOW IT AND THEN HE TELLS YOU HOW THE TONE WILL CHANGE AND THEN SURPRISE YOU WITH A WHOLE NEW TONE AT THE END OF THE MOVIE AND WHEN YOU SEE THAT THE TONE HAVE FLIP YOU WILL NOT REALIZE IT. FRANK CAPRA- I LOVE WATCHING CAPRA?S MOVIES. THEY HAVE SO MUCH MEANING. CAPRA MOVIE HAVE VALUE AND SHOWS US WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. CAPRA HAS ALSO MADE A LOT OF ACTORS AND ACTRESS PERFORMS VIVACIOUSLY. CAPRA'S MOVIES HELP PEOPLE THROUGH THE ROUGH TIMES (1930?S) AND EVEN THROUGH TODAY. IT IS A WONDERFUL LIFE , IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIE MADE, AND HAS ALOT OF VALUE. IF YOU WANT TO SEE CAPRA TECHNICALLY SIDE , WATCH LOST HORIZON. ORSON WELLES- AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU GUYS ARE SAYING WHAT!!!, BUT ORSON WELLES IS A GREAT DIRECTOR. AND ALSO HAVE PROOF TO US TIME AND TIME, THAT HE IS A MASTER DIRECTOR, AND NOT SAY CITIZEN KANE BEEN HIS THREE MOVIE TO DIRECTOR (SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT IT IS REALLY HIS FIRST MOVIE, THE OTHER TWO PREVIOUS ? THE HEART OF AGES, TOO MUCH JOHNSON, HE HAD RKO BREATHING DOWN HIS NECK AND WAS NOT FREE TO DIRECTOR LIKE HE DID IN CITIZEN KANE). ANYONE WHO HAS WATCHED CITIZEN KANE FROM A FILMMAKER POINT OF VIEW CAN NOT TELL ME IT NOT THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE. I BELIEVE CITIZEN KANE IN FACT IS THE GREATEST AMERICAN MOTION PICTURE IN HISTORY. ORSON WELLES HAD A LOT OF GREAT MOVIE. SOME OF WELLES MOVIE WAS EXTREMELY LOW BUDGET LIKE ?THE STRANGER?. I THINK IT COULD HAVE FLOURISHED TO IT FULLEST IF THE BUDGET CASE WAS NOT THERE. OTHER DIRECTOR TO LOOK OUT FOR-- Fritz Lang Michael Curtiz D.W. Griffith--- YOU GOING TO HATE THE MOIVES--BUT LOVE THE CAMERA ANGLES. John Ford Howard Hawks Federico Fellini Stanley Kubrick Billy Wilder Martin Scorsese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkMiller Posted December 27, 2006 Share Posted December 27, 2006 You must have liked Mister Roberts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrsonLubitsch Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 The LUBITSCH IN BERLIN series of dvds recently released by Kino Video proves that Ernst brought "the touch" with him when he came to Hollywood. The 1919 film The Oyster Princess is as great as any of his better-known Hollywood films. He was already a master then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I don't yet have the Lubitsch in Berlin set but I agree, having seen a couple of these films, that he was a master from the start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bailey1007 Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 No other director has moved me as profoundly as Akira Kurosawa has. He is a masterful storyteller and the way he captures nature is breathtaking. I first discovered Kurosawa on TCM. "Rashomon" was playing though I didn't know the name of the film at the time. The way he filmed the trees, the way they moved, the lighting of the woods in the rape scene, the powerful rainfall, all of it captured me and I was transfixed until the end when I finally found out who the director was. I've seen almost all of his films now and I am still deeply affected by his work. I can't say any other director has made me think as much as Kurosawa does, or made me feel as deeply as he does. Another wonderful director is Woody Allen. He's made some klunkers, but when he's good, like in "Annie Hall," he is very good! Go now and rent "Seven Samurai" or "Rashomon" if you're looking for inspiration in your life. I am a 42 year old housewife and he changed the way I view cinema for good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki82 Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Hello everyone, I'm new here and I just wanted to first off say hi to everyone. My favorite film directors of all time have to be Fritz Lang, Tod Browning, and Alfred Hitchcock. Of all the movies I've seen by these directors, I loved each and every one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo22 Posted January 10, 2007 Share Posted January 10, 2007 I'm not sure if I've done this one yet, but just in case, here they are... (in somewhat of an order, although the top two are unshakable) Alfred Hitchcock Akira Kurosawa Howard Hawks Stanley Kubrick Frank Capra Martin Scorsese Ishiro Honda John Ford Tod Browning Steven Spielberg ...and even though Citizen Kane is a "mother-of-a-movie," it's the only true masterpiece that Orson Welles ever got to make. Though, to be fair to him, that one film is better than most director's entire bodies of work! Message was edited by: Vertigo22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 It's hard to believe my favorite filmmaker William Wyler, a 12 time best director Oscar nominee (won 3) has been only mentioned twice on the subject of best film directors on this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkMiller Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I will help you out a little. We can talk endlessly about Ford and his use of landscapes, Hitchcock and his precision, Welles and his technique, etc, etc. I honestly think Wyler compares well against these men and many others (Lean, Kazan, Huston, Stevens) and I say this now and would be glad to debate it in any film class anywhere. Maybe the best way to make my point is to point out other director's weaknesses. I am a lifetime Hitchcock fan, but let's face it he was limited to one genre. Welles' work was largely downhill after "Citizen Kane." I know all film buffs admire John Ford, but he wasn't perfect either. Some of his cavalry pictures haven't aged well ("Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon") and his tendency toward slapstick and low comedy was all too apparent. (Henry Fonda got put out with him during "Mister Roberts" and the two never worked together again.) Wyler's career was consistent from the 30s ("Dodsworth") to the late 60s ("Funny Girl") with very few slumps. He did musicals, epics, adaptations, comedies, westerns. About the only genre missing from his repertory is science fiction and that wasn't popular during his time. Who was more trusted by the studio moguls? Who was any better at handling temperamental stars? For that matter who was better at staging a scene? Just look at the wedding scene in "The Best Years of Our Lives" as an example. The focus is supposed to be on Harold Russell and Cathy O'Donnell, yet we are paying equal attention to Dana Andrews and Theresa Wright. It is done simply with few cuts and it is perfect. Wyler infuriated actors, moguls and crew with his harshness and attention to detail. Yet many of these people worked with him time and again. Why? The answer is easy--they knew how good he was. A few months ago I responded to a thread calling him a terrible director!!!! and now I respond to a thread saying that he hasn't gotten his due. If anybody out there disagrees with me respond away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I agree, Wyler was a fanstastic director---not at all a "showy" one, (which would make him more of a darling with film students), He let the story unfold at its own pace. (But sorry!---can't agree with the Ford criticisms---why is only Chaplin allowed to use slapstick and low humor? Or Capra? ) Miss G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken123 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 " Fort Apache " hasn't aged well ! There are many lessons that America and it's very ignorant President can learn from that GREAT film, my all time favorite Western, incidentally. Arrogance and ignorance only leads to in death and disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo22 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I'll be frank with you. I've yet to see any of William Wyler's films. I've been a life-long fan of Hitchcock, and I know his work by heart, so whenever a topic like this comes along, I have to profess my affinity for him, because I truly feel that no other director was, or is as consistent as him. The fact that he limited himself to one genre is beside the point. I have just recently become familiar with more films by the likes of Capra, Ford (although I've been watching The Searchers and his cavalry films for quite a few years, and have known of him for as long), Wylder, Kazan, Huston and others, and just haven't gotten around to Wyler yet. I've never really cared to sit through Ben Hur, because I'm not a big fan of Charleton Heston by any means. Have you any other suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo22 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Oh, and one more thing. I haven't seen Michael Curtiz's name mentioned yet. I'm surprised that even I forgot to put him on my list! What does everyone think of him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Vertigo, if and when you decide to watch a William Wyler film try to see "The Best Years of Our Lives, to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdoolittle Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I agree with Mongol Best Years Of Our Lives that movie was outstanding everyone in that film were beyond excellence. dana Andrews was simply amazing.That is one big tear jerker. Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken123 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 > Oh, and one more thing. I haven't seen Michael > Curtiz's name mentioned yet. I'm surprised that even > I forgot to put him on my list! What does everyone > think of him? Michael Curtiz's " The Sea Wolf " is a great and under valued film, with a spellbinding performance by Edward G. Robinson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradtexasranger Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Didn't he also direct Casablanca, Mildred Pierce and Dodge City with Errol Flynn? If so, he's another talented director along the lines of William Wyler with a variety of films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken123 Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 > Didn't he also direct Casablanca, Mildred Pierce and > Dodge City with Errol Flynn? If so, he's another > talented director along the lines of William Wyler > with a variety of films. He certainly did. Recently AMC was advertising that it was going to play " The Comancheros, John Wayne, and the gorgeous Ina Balin. The announcer pronounced Curtiz's name C-U-R-T-I-S. Another reason why AMC is losing viewers, a lack of knowledge of Hollywood history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissGoddess Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 I love Curtiz's films I've seen so far---and they cover a vast array of genres. He was amazingly versatile and though Errol Flynn detested him, he really did his best work under Curtiz. Miss G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SENTINEL Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Well Said. I am not going to say nothing that going to hurt William Wyler's Fans, but I am going to say, Wyler = Peter Jackson. HITCHCOCK=GREATNESS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkadin Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 That's a tough one to pin down. There are tons of great ones and many are named here. It surprises me though not to see Ingmar Bergman, Frank Borzage, Fassbinder, Herzog, Michael Powell, Rosselini, Jules Dassin and others not mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ufaman Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I am very pleased to see the response that this has generated. I did belong to a "chat group" of one of the internet DVD sites but had to leave because it seemed the same six people controlled the conversations and if you did not agree with their opinions or stay to their "professional" level, they acted like you had just shot their dog. One thing I am very happy to see here is that people are keeping it friendly without losing their intelligence. Now, I will add my favorites to the list: Fritz Lang Kenji Mizoguchi Todd Browning ( not all but most of his films ) John Ford ( same proviso as above ) Preston Sturgis Jean Renoir Jean Pierre Melville Ernst Lubitsch Anthony Mann Budd Boetticher Alfred Hitchcock Billy Wilder Carol Reed Yasujiro Ozu Roberto Rossellini Vittorio De Sica Federico Fellini Surely I have left several out. One last thing, can anyone explain why the Kevin Brownlow set "Hollywood" is not yet available on DVD? I am aware of some vague reference to copyright difficulties. I hope I am not rehashing something that has already been discussed in the past. Again, any info would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ufaman Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Of course as I said, I had left off two of my most favorite directors: Murnau and Borzage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrsonLubitsch Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Nice list. In these forums, I tend to concentrate on American or more accurately Hollywood directors for obvious reasons. TCM does show some foreign-language films though. Among Hollywood directors, Borzage is one whose films are rarely shown. I'm aware of a retrospective of his films shown in New York and Chicago, but most of his films are never shown on tv and are not available on home video. It keeps getting better all the time though. For instance, Lubitsch's German films have recently become available on dvd. The release of Ugetsu on Criterion dvd has introduced the work of Mizoguchi to a lot of people. Hopefully more of his films will become accessible. One Japanese director I love is Mikio Naruse, a contemporary of Mizo and Ozu. I'm optimistic that it's only a matter of time, and eventually he'll be as beloved by cinephiles as Kurosawa.Overall, I cannot disagree with you on any of your mentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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